Master Spotlight Search on Mac
Spotlight is the fastest way to find files, apps, calculations, and more on your Mac.
The Power of Spotlight
Spotlight is one of the most underrated features on macOS. With a single keyboard shortcut, you can:
- Launch apps - Type the first few letters and hit Enter
- Find files - Search by name, content, or metadata
- Calculate - Type math like
234 * 17and see instant results - Convert units - Try
100 usd in euror5 miles in km - Define words - Just type any word for its definition
- Search the web - Type and press Cmd+B to search in browser
Pro Tips
- Use natural language: "emails from last week" or "photos from December"
- Filter by type: Type
kind:pdfto only show PDFs - Quick preview: Press Space on any result to preview it
- Show in Finder: Press Cmd+Enter to reveal the file location
Customize Spotlight
Go to System Settings → Siri & Spotlight to:
- Choose which categories to search
- Exclude specific folders
- Enable/disable Siri Suggestions