Spotlight is the fastest way to find files, apps, calculations, and more on your Mac.
The Power of Spotlight
Spotlight is one of the most underrated features on macOS. With a single keyboard shortcut, you can:
- Launch apps - Type the first few letters and hit Enter
- Find files - Search by name, content, or metadata
- Calculate - Type math like
234 * 17and see instant results - Convert units - Try
100 usd in euror5 miles in km - Define words - Just type any word for its definition
- Search the web - Type and press Cmd+B to search in browser
Pro Tips
- Use natural language: "emails from last week" or "photos from December"
- Filter by type: Type
kind:pdfto only show PDFs - Quick preview: Press Space on any result to preview it
- Show in Finder: Press Cmd+Enter to reveal the file location
Customize Spotlight
Go to System Settings → Siri & Spotlight to:
- Choose which categories to search
- Exclude specific folders
- Enable/disable Siri Suggestions