FAQs
Search for something
On your Mac, do one of the following: Click the Spotlight icon (if shown) in the menu bar. Press Command-Space bar. Press (if available) in the row of function keys on the keyboard.
How do I use Apple spotlight search? ›
Search for something
On your Mac, do one of the following: Click the Spotlight icon (if shown) in the menu bar. Press Command-Space bar. Press (if available) in the row of function keys on the keyboard.
What is the spotlight search on my iPad? ›
Search helps you quickly find anything on your device and on the web. Search also offers suggestions and updates results as you type.
Why is my spotlight search not working on my iPhone? ›
Your iPhone or iPad is not connected to stable and available Internet. Buggy software and system issues on both new iOS versions and older versions. There may be some language and storage problems. The Siri search and spotlight search settings go wrong.
How do I turn off Find My iPhone iPad or iPod Touch? ›
How to turn off Find My on your iPhone or iPad
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name > Find My.
- Tap Find My [Device], then tap to turn it off.
- Enter your Apple ID password.
- Tap Turn Off.
Use Spotlight Search on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Swipe down from the middle of the Home screen.
- Tap the Search field, then enter what you're looking for. ...
- To see more results, tap Show More or search directly in an app by tapping Search in App.
- Tap a search result to open it.
A search tool also named Spotlight has been included on iOS (formerly iPhone OS) products since iPhone OS 3 and in iPadOS. The feature helps users search contacts, mail metadata, calendars, media and other content.
What is the difference between Finder search and Spotlight Search? ›
Finder, like Spotlight, is a simple way to find items but is also a bit more direct for discovering files and folders. The tool also lets you organize folders and files according to your preferences. You can open the Finder by clicking on the Finder icon in your Mac's Dock.
How do I turn off Spotlight Search? ›
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Siri & Spotlight in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Click Spotlight Privacy in the lower right, then do any of the following: Exclude files in a folder or disk from Spotlight searches: Click the Add button , then select a folder or disk.
How do I remove an app from Spotlight Search on my iPhone? ›
You then go into the “Siri & Search” settings and for EVERY APP listed in there go in and turn off (unclick) all the buttons that are turned on (that are showing the green “on” color).
Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset" > "Erase All Content and Settings" > Input your Apple ID password to confirm it. Then it will take some time to reset iPhone and clear all the Spotlight Search suggestions and history. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to activate your iPhone.
How do I refresh Spotlight Search? ›
Rebuild the Spotlight index
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click Siri & Spotlight in the sidebar, then scroll down and click Spotlight Privacy on the right.
- Drag the disk or folder that you want to index again to the list of locations that Spotlight is prevented from searching.
Click and hold the Spotlight icon on the menu bar, until the Spotlight window has returned to its original location. The answer is two-fold. Centering it horizontally: Drag the spotlight bar horizontally and you will feel a slight stickiness to a place.
Does Find My iPod work if it is turned off? ›
If your iPod is online, the map will center on its current location. If it's been turned off, the map will display the last known location.
What happens when you remove a device from your Apple ID? ›
When the device is erased, click Remove This Device. Activation Lock is removed immediately, and your device is also immediately removed from Find My. All your content is erased, and someone else can now activate the device.
Can I use Find My iPad if it is turned off? ›
The Find My network is an encrypted, anonymous network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that can help find your stuff, even when it's offline. Nearby devices securely send the location of your missing device to iCloud, so that you can find it in Find My.
How to get on Spotlight Search? ›
on your Apple® iPhone®.
- From the middle of the Home screen, swipe down. If option isn't available, from the Home screen swipe right to access Spotlight Search (at the top).
- From the Search field, enter the search text. ...
- Search. ...
- If applicable, select one of the following options (e.g., Search Web, Search App Store, etc.).
Finder, like Spotlight, is a simple way to find items but is also a bit more direct for discovering files and folders. The tool also lets you organize folders and files according to your preferences. You can open the Finder by clicking on the Finder icon in your Mac's Dock.
How do you activate Spotlight Search using the keyboard? ›
To quickly open the Spotlight search app on your Mac, all you have to do is press Command + Spacebar on your keyboard. However, if you have that key combination assigned to some other command, you can create a new shortcut for Spotlight.
How does iOS Spotlight work? ›
Organic Search
Apple Spotlight crawls the web and goes several steps further. It will also search your device's files, videos, photos, text messages, and apps to find relevant results. As a result, you get more personalized results when you search with Spotlight versus Google.
