Spotlight is the search bar built into every Mac. Most people use it to open apps — but it’s also a calculator, a converter, a dictionary and a lightning-fast file finder.
How to open Spotlight
Press Command + Space.
You can also click the magnifying glass in the menu bar, or press the 🔍 key on the top row of newer Mac keyboards. Start typing and results appear instantly. Press Escape to close it.
1. Open any app in seconds
Type the first few letters of an app’s name — “saf” for Safari, “not” for Notes — and press Return. It’s quicker than hunting through Launchpad or the Applications folder, and Spotlight learns which apps you open most.
2. Find files and folders
Type part of a file’s name, or even a word inside the file. Spotlight searches documents, PDFs, emails, messages, notes and more.
- Use the arrow keys to move through results.
- Press Space to see a preview of the selected file (Quick Look) in many versions of macOS.
- Press Command + Return to show the file in Finder instead of opening it.
3. Do quick maths
Type a sum straight into Spotlight:
245 * 121500 / 7sqrt(144)18% of 250
The answer appears instantly. Press Command + C to copy it.
4. Convert units
Type things like:
5 miles in km180 cm in feet350 f to c2 cups in ml
5. Convert currencies
Type 100 usd in gbp or £50 in euros and Spotlight shows the conversion using current exchange rates (an internet connection is needed).
6. Look up a word
Type any word and Spotlight shows a dictionary definition among the results, handy for quickly checking spelling or meaning.
7. Open System Settings pages
Type the name of a setting: “wallpaper”, “bluetooth”, “display”, “trackpad” and press Return to jump straight to that page of System Settings.
8. Search with filters
Narrow your search using kind::
kind:pdf invoice— PDFs containing “invoice”kind:image holiday— images matching “holiday”kind:folder projects— folders called “projects”
Customise what Spotlight searches
If results are cluttered, you can choose which categories appear:
- Open System Settings > Spotlight (on some versions it’s under Siri & Spotlight).
- Untick categories you don’t need, such as Fonts or Developer.
- Use Search Privacy… to stop Spotlight from searching specific folders or drives.
On macOS Tahoe or later? Spotlight received a big upgrade that adds actions (like sending a message or creating a reminder right from the search bar), clipboard history and more. The basics in this guide all still work.
Troubleshooting
Spotlight isn’t finding a file I know exists. Spotlight may still be indexing, especially after an update or on an external drive. Wait a while and try again. If it persists, adding the drive to Search Privacy and then removing it forces a re-index.
Wrapping up
Get into the habit of pressing Command + Space whenever you need anything — an app, a file, a quick sum or a conversion. Within a week you’ll wonder how you managed without it.
