Spotlight can’t find files on Mac? Check what it searches

Choose a document in the affected folder and try searching for its exact name. Then try a document in another folder. If only the first folder is affected, look for that folder or one of its parent folders in Search Privacy. If the issue affects the same file type everywhere, check whether its result category is enabled. Older versions may label these settings Siri & Spotlight and Spotlight Privacy.

If an exclusion covers the folder, remove that entry only if you want Spotlight to search everything it covers. For a folder that is already searchable but returns incomplete results, add the folder to Search Privacy, wait a few seconds, then select it in the list and click the minus button. Click Done to apply the change. Keep intentional exclusions in place. Adding and removing the folder asks macOS to reindex its contents.

Open Spotlight with Command + Space and look for an indexing indicator. Results may be incomplete while the Mac is indexing, such as after a system update. Try the same file again once indexing finishes. If System Settings reports a permissions error or the file still won’t appear, note the folder and the error for your Mac administrator or Apple Support.