Dina Bader: Shining a Spotlight on macOS Big Sur

How do I use Spotlight on my Mac? Use it to find apps, files, definitions, and more!

If you use your Mac every day for work and your personal life, chances are you have a lot of files, photos, folders, documents, and other data all over your Mac. It can make finding one specific file a pain. Luckily, Spotlight lets you search your Mac for pretty much anything, making it easy to find whatever you need. Here's how to use Spotlight on Mac with macOS Big Sur.

What Spotlight can help you find

Spotlight helps you find pretty much anything on your Mac. It indexes the contents of your Mac's hard drive to make it easier to find documents, emails, apps, music, contacts, and other information. It can also help you find information on the web, perform equations, and now in High Sierra, it can even find your flight information.

How to access and use Spotlight in macOS

Click on the Spotlight button in the menu bar; it looks like a magnifying glass. Or, use the Command + Space keyboard shortcut. The Spotlight search field will appear in the middle of your screen.
Type in your search query. Spotlight will return results as you type.

If Spotlight isn't finding what you're looking for, you can adjust its search results to optimize what you need. You can also exclude your hard disk's specific locations to prevent Spotlight from searching information you'd prefer to keep private.

How to customize Spotlight search results

Choose the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
Select System Preferences.
Click on Spotlight.
Click the Checkbox beside the category to change what Spotlight will show you. If it has a checkmark, those results will be displayed; if it doesn't, those results will not be displayed.