Kempt
In short
First check System Settings › Spotlight: the result type you want must be on, and the folder must not be in Search Privacy.Then rebuild the index the way Apple describes: add your disk to Search Privacy, wait, and remove it. Indexing a full Mac takes a while. Many Tahoe users reported missing results; macOS 27 fixed at least one long-standing bug. If you can only describe the file, search by meaning instead.
Without any app
Check what Spotlight may show
System Settings › Spotlight: make sure the result categories you need are on (Results from Apps and Results from System on Tahoe) and look in Search Privacy for folders or disks you excluded by mistake.
Rebuild the index
Apple’s method: System Settings › Spotlight › Search Privacy, click +, add the disk (or the folder that’s missing), wait a few seconds, select it and click –, then Done. Spotlight re-indexes it from scratch; give it time on a full disk.
Use Tahoe’s filters
In Tahoe’s Spotlight, click the Files button to search files only, then type a word that’s inside the document rather than its name.
Search inside Finder
In a Finder window, press Command-F, choose This Mac, and add criteria such as Kind is PDF and Last opened date. Finder uses the same index but lets you narrow down.
Keep macOS updated
Apple’s 26.6 notes mention optimising the Spotlight index; Eclectic Light reports a bug with some text files fixed only in macOS 27.
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Category turned off in Spotlight settings | Turn it back on in System Settings › Spotlight |
| Folder or disk in Search Privacy | Remove it from the list |
| Index damaged or incomplete | Add the disk to Search Privacy, then remove it |
| File is a scan with no text | Search by its name, or use text recognition |
| iCloud file not downloaded | Download it in Finder, or search its name |
| You don’t remember any word in it | Search by meaning |
With Kempt
- 1
Its own index, on your Mac
Kempt reads your papers, scans included (text recognition), and keeps its own index, so a broken Spotlight index doesn’t hide them.
- 2
Ask by meaning
Control-Option-Space and type “my car insurance” or “the lease”: Ask finds the paper even when the words aren’t in its name, and shows the page an answer came from.
- 3
Anywhere on the Mac
“Where is my…” finds files anywhere on the Mac, not only in Kempt’s folders, and offers Open, Show in Finder or Quick Look.
$27 once, 14 days freeRuns on every Apple silicon MacA question? Ask a person
Questions people ask
Why is Spotlight not finding files on my Mac?
Usually the result type is off in Spotlight settings, the folder is in Search Privacy, or the index needs rebuilding.
How do I rebuild the Spotlight index?
System Settings › Spotlight › Search Privacy: add your disk with +, wait a few seconds, remove it with –, then click Done.
How long does Spotlight indexing take?
From minutes to hours, depending on how many files you have. Searches improve as it goes.
Can Spotlight search inside scanned PDFs?
Only if the scan has a text layer. Otherwise it finds the name, not the words on the page.
Why is Spotlight not finding apps?
Check that Results from Apps is on in System Settings › Spotlight, then rebuild the index by adding and removing your disk in Search Privacy.
How do I search inside files on a Mac?
Type a word from the document in Spotlight, or in a Finder window press Command-F and search the contents rather than the name.
Does Spotlight find files in iCloud Drive?
Downloaded files, yes. Files stored only in iCloud are found by name.