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.
mdfind
How to find images containing objects recognised by Visual Look Up, and text by Live Text, using Spotlight, mdfind and in an app.
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.
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?
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.
Immediate actions to get the best result from your search, and how to tackle even the most deep-seated of Spotlight problems.
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.
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.
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.
Yosemite’s extended search reaches out to Bing, Maps, and more. But how can you get the best out of its local search facility?
The Eclectic Light Company 