Rebuild the Spotlight index when search shows old or missing files
Quick answer
Open System Settings > Spotlight > Search Privacy…, add Macintosh HD with the + button, wait a few seconds, then remove it with the − button. Your Mac then rebuilds the index, which can take a few hours.
Why it happens
Spotlight keeps an index, a kind of catalogue of every file on your Mac, so it can answer searches quickly. A crash, a big update or moving lots of files can leave that catalogue out of date or damaged. Then Spotlight shows files you deleted long ago or misses ones you know are there. Adding the disk to Search Privacy makes Spotlight forget its old index, and removing it starts a fresh one.
How to fix it
Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, and click Spotlight in the sidebar.
Scroll to the bottom and click Search Privacy… to open the list of places Spotlight is told to skip. It's usually empty.
Spotlight›Search Privacy…
Click the + button under the list and pick your startup disk, normally called Macintosh HD. If it isn't in the sidebar of that window, press Shift-Command-C to show your Mac's disks. Click Choose, and confirm if your Mac asks you to.
Wait about ten seconds. Then select Macintosh HD in the list, click the − button, and click Done.
Leave your Mac plugged in and awake while Spotlight rebuilds. Searches may be patchy for a while. On a full drive it can take a few hours, and your Mac may feel a little busy and warm until it's done.
Still not fixed?
One folder still never shows up? Open Search Privacy… again and check that folder isn't in the list. Anything listed there is skipped on purpose.
Spotlight›Search Privacy…
Searching an external drive? Connect it, then do the same add-and-remove with that drive instead of Macintosh HD.
If indexing still seems to run after a day, restart your Mac and leave it plugged in overnight. Indexing pauses while the Mac sleeps.
Check the disk itself with First Aid in Disk Utility. Errors on the drive can keep breaking the index.
Disk Utility›First Aid
If Spotlight still shows wrong results after a full rebuild and First Aid finds no problems, contact Apple Support. They can check for a deeper problem with the system or the drive.
Terminal
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities), paste this line and press Return.
sudo mdutil -E /Nothing to undo: Spotlight rebuilds the index by itself.
This one needs your Mac's admin password. Copy it and run it yourself in Terminal, and only if you're comfortable doing that.
Pro details
Erases and rebuilds the index (needs sudo).
Questions people ask
How long does it take Spotlight to reindex a Mac?
Anything from a few minutes to several hours, depending on how many files you have. It goes fastest with the Mac plugged in and awake.
Does rebuilding the Spotlight index delete my files?
No. It only throws away Spotlight's list of your files and builds a new one. Your files stay exactly where they are.
Why does Spotlight show files I already deleted?
Its index is out of date. Rebuilding it with the Search Privacy steps above clears those old entries.
Related fixes
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