Spotlight Search Sluggishness After macOS Tahoe Update

Why is search slow after the update?

I mainly use Spotlight to launch apps, but immediately after updating to Tahoe, it started lagging and stuttering. It wasn't just a simple search delay; the overall responsiveness of the Mac felt sluggish.

As it turns out, this is a recurring issue that often happens with major OS updates, not just Tahoe.

The cause is a corrupted search index. Think of it like a library catalog that says a book is there, but on the actual shelf, the book is in the wrong place or missing entirely. The librarian (Spotlight) has to struggle to find it.

Two Solutions

Method 1: GUI

This is the method suggested in Apple's official support documentation. It forces the index to rebuild through the settings menu.

1. Go to Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy.
2. Click the + button and add Macintosh HD (your hard drive) to the exclusion list.
3. After a moment, click the - button to remove it from the list.
4. The Mac will recognize the disk as a new search target and restart indexing.

[https://support.apple.com/en-us/102321]

Method 2: ⭐️ CLI

A more definitive and straightforward way using the Terminal.

Search for terminal in Spotlight and enter the following command:

sudo mdutil -E /

• Command breakdown:
  • mdutil: Metadata Utility. A tool for managing Spotlight's index.
  • sudo: Execute with admin privileges (requires password. Note: characters won't appear as you type).
  • -E: Erase. Commands the deletion and rebuilding of the existing index.
  • /: Root directory. Refers to the entire Mac disk.

Reference video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7oZ7PTcsbw&list=TLGGZi7Nh9e_1KQxODAxMjAyNg&t=361s]

Conclusion

I tried both Method 1 (GUI) and Method 2 (CLI). In conclusion, Method 2 (CLI) alone is sufficient. It's much simpler and more effective.

Note: While the index is being rebuilt, CPU usage will increase, and things might feel temporarily slower.

Tried List

1. Force quitting unnecessary resources in Activity Monitor.
2. Toggling only necessary items in Settings > Spotlight > Search Results.
3. Adding and then removing the disk from the exclusion list in Settings > Spotlight > Privacy.
4. Using the terminal command.