This can take a few minutes or a few hours depending on how many files need to be re-indexed. Spotlight will begin to rebuild the index file for that folder/drive. Wait a few minutes, and then select the drive/folder and click the - button. Select System Preferences from the Apple menu.Ĭlick the + button and select the folder or drive you would like to re-index.
It’s time to re-index your hard drive! Here’s how to do it: If the index is outdated, you might not find anything at all. Your Mac needs to build an index of all your stuff to be able to search through it. Can’t Find Files? It Might Be Time to Re-Index! Start typing and with any luck, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Simply select Find from the File menu when you’re in the Finder. It’s not quite as easy to use as Spotlight, but when you’re looking for stuff in the Finder, it’s probably your best bet. You can still use the built-in Finder Find feature to locate files, folders, and applications gone AWOL. Under the Privacy tab, you can specify folders that you don’t to be want searched. You can also change the keyboard commands that are used to invoke Spotlight. Reorder the categories that Spotlight searches first by dragging and dropping items in the list. Here’s how:įrom the Apple menu, select System Preferences. You can customize the way Spotlight works by tweaking its preferences. Spotlight returns results in real time, so the longer you wait, the more accurate your results will be.
Pressing ⌘ Option Space pulls up the full Spotlight window. Click on the blue magnifying glass, or press ⌘ Space and just start typing. You can search through just about everything on your Mac with this utility, including email messages! Spotlight is built into your menu-bar, right up next to the clock, and it does a fine job of finding whatever it is you’re looking for.
This standard Mac OS 10.4 feature is under-utilized and under-appreciated. Track down the files and folders that got away with our handy tips for searching your Mac. But what about the stuff you can’t find? It’s hidden away somewhere, and you have no idea where to look for it. Most of that stuff is easy to find - applications reside in the Applications folder, and most of your files are in your Documents folder. Files, folders, and applications are lying all over the place. If you’re like us, you’ve got a lot of stuff on your Mac.
If you want to know more, open Disk Utility to see your drive’s total capacity, available space, used space, and other information like the format and mount points.ĭisk Utility also shows you all connected drives and provides options to repair or reformat your disks.AirPort Apple Apps Backups Developer Education Email Hardware Internet iPad iPhone Mac Music Network Photos Security TV Weekend Wonk From the top menu, tap the View menu and select Show status bar.Double-click your Mac’s hard disk icon on your desktop.Check how much space your audio, movies, photos, installed apps, and other files take up, and how much free, available, space you have.Visit the Apple menu () > About This Mac.Press Manage to dive deeper into how you use storage on your Mac and access macOS’s storage recommendationsįor OS X versions Mountain Lion or Mavericks.Scroll your cursor through the storage use graph to see information on how much space is used by your apps, documents, photos, system, users, and so forth.Go to the Apple Menu and choose About this Mac.Method two: check About this Mac For all macOS versions and OS X Yosemite+