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mdfind

Providable 1.2 works on non-English systems, and why it didn’t previously

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Will now list apps installed on systems running with primary languages other than English. Problems resulted from unexpected behaviour of Spotlight and search with mdfind, as explained here in detail.

January 13, 2026 Macs, Technology, Updates

Quirks of Spotlight local search

Notes on how search depends on index structure, effects of language on different types of search term, and the benefits and limitations of search methods.

September 4, 2025 Macs, Technology

How to search Spotlight for Live Text and objects in images

How to find images containing objects recognised by Visual Look Up, and text by Live Text, using Spotlight, mdfind and in an app.

August 13, 2025 Macs, Technology

Last Week on My Mac: Spotlight sorcery

macOS gained Live Text and Visual Look Up when Apple declared its intent to check our images. Both are used in Spotlight’s indexes, but their function seems unreliable and highly variable.

August 10, 2025 Macs, Technology

How to search successfully in Spotlight: Query languages

Entering search queries directly into a Spotlight search box, using the raw query attribute in the Find window’s search bar, and using mdfind. Which is best?

June 6, 2025 Macs, Technology

How to tell if Spotlight has indexed a file correctly

You use Spotlight to search for something you’re sure is there, but it can’t find it. Here are some methods to discover why that search failed.

November 22, 2024 Macs, Technology

What to do when Spotlight can’t find it

Immediate actions to get the best result from your search, and how to tackle even the most deep-seated of Spotlight problems.

June 22, 2023 Macs, Technology

Spotlight on search: Search and you might be lucky

Details the contents of files which are built into Spotlight’s index, its reliance on keys, how apps can perform Spotlight searches, and the three bundled tools for users.

January 29, 2021 Macs, Technology

How to find all your 32-bit apps: a non-buyer’s guide

What’s the best and most reliable way to tell what 32-bit code won’t run in macOS 10.15? Time is now running short before first betas ship.

May 22, 2019 Macs, Technology

File types, the UTI, and even more metadata

The Desktop and Finder illusions are held together by Launch Services, which associates file types with apps. This and more now hinge on the UTI.

January 24, 2018 Macs, Technology, xattr

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