{"id":542951,"date":"2023-01-24T16:00:59","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T13:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/"},"modified":"2023-01-24T16:00:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T13:00:59","slug":"12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/","title":{"rendered":"#12 Mac Spotlight Features You Should Be Using"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28a8bca395d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28a8bca395d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#%E2%80%9C12_Mac_Spotlight_Features_You_Should_Be_Using%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;12 Mac Spotlight Features You Should Be Using&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Trigger_Spotlight_with_a_Keyboard_Shortcut\" >Trigger Spotlight with a Keyboard Shortcut<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Find_and_Preview_Files\" >Find and Preview Files<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Use_Operators_to_Narrow_Down_Your_Search\" >Use Operators to Narrow Down Your Search<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Quickly_Search_the_Web\" >Quickly Search the Web<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Launch_Applications\" >Launch Applications<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Accessing_System_Settings\" >Accessing System Settings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Natural_Language_Searches\" >Natural Language Searches<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Quick_Calculations\" >Quick Calculations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Unit_and_Currency_Conversions\" >Unit and Currency Conversions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Weather_Summary_and_Forecast\" >Weather Summary and Forecast<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Quickly_Look_Up_Word_Definitions\" >Quickly Look Up Word Definitions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Restrict_Spotlight_Results\" >Restrict Spotlight Results<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/12-mac-spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/#Try_These_Tips_on_Your_iPhone_or_iPad_Too\" >Try These Tips on Your iPhone or iPad Too<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9C12_Mac_Spotlight_Features_You_Should_Be_Using%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;12 Mac Spotlight Features You Should Be Using&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage alignnone wp-image-865158 size-full\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_featured.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Spotlight search results\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You probably know Spotlight as your Mac\u2019s handy search tool, but it\u2019s so much more than that. Mastering Spotlight is key to using your Mac in the most efficient manner possible. Here are some tips to help you get around macOS in record time.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Trigger_Spotlight_with_a_Keyboard_Shortcut\"><\/span>Trigger Spotlight with a Keyboard Shortcut<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Spotlight lives in the top-right corner of your screen but it\u2019s infinitely more useful with a keyboard shortcut. Quickly trigger it using Command+Spacebar at any time.\u00a0Get used to using it and you\u2019ll be able to do things like open files, launch <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>s, and search the web all without taking your fingers off the keyboard.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865148\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_blank.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Blank Spotlight search field\" width=\"650\" height=\"142\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re happy using this keyboard shortcut you can recover some space in your menu bar by removing Spotlight or other items.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_and_Preview_Files\"><\/span>Find and Preview Files<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The most obvious use for Spotlight is to find local files on your Mac. Simply searching for a file name or folder should reveal it, then you can use the arrow keys to select it and open it with Enter. Alternatively, highlight a file and use Spacebar to preview the file with Quick Look instead.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-843628\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/spotlight_quick_look.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Use Quick Look in Spotlight search results\" width=\"650\" height=\"492\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d rather open the folder in which a file resides you can use the Command+Enter keyboard shortcut while highlighting it. Hold Command on a file result to see its location (this works for local files and those in your iCloud Drive).<\/p>\n<p>To quickly skip between different sections of Spotlight results, use Command and the Up or Down arrow keys.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_Operators_to_Narrow_Down_Your_Search\"><\/span>Use Operators to Narrow Down Your Search<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can use boolean operators with Spotlight, just as you can in any search engine. This allows you to use terms like AND, NOT, and OR to construct detailed searches. For example, if you\u2019re trying to find a list of PDF documents that don\u2019t match the \u201cinvoice\u201d search term, query <code>pdf NOT invoice<\/code> to see a list of PDF results that exclude the \u201cinvoice\u201d search term.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use the \u201ckind:&lt;query&gt;\u201d operator to narrow down your searches by limiting the type of results you\u2019re looking for. As one example <code>slack kind:email<\/code> will find emails that match the \u201cslack\u201d search term.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865147\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_kind_search.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Narrow down your Spotlight searches with the &quot;kind&quot; query\" width=\"650\" height=\"203\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Use this with common descriptors like <code>folder<\/code>, <code>application<\/code>, <code>image<\/code>, <code>message<\/code>, filetypes like <code>mp3<\/code> or <code>jpeg<\/code>or app-specific content like Calendar <code>events<\/code>\u00a0or to-dos like <code>reminders<\/code>.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quickly_Search_the_Web\"><\/span>Quickly Search the Web<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can trigger web searches in your default browser using Spotlight, just make sure that a browser search result is highlighted before you hit Enter. It can be cumbersome scrolling through results so why not use the Command+B shortcut to action your current search query as a web search instead?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865149\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_browser_search.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Perform browser searches in Spotlight\" width=\"650\" height=\"186\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Change Safari&#8217;s Default Search Engine on Mac<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Launch_Applications\"><\/span>Launch Applications<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you only take one tip from this page make it this one: use Spotlight to launch applications rather than navigating to the Applications folder or using Launchpad. It\u2019s so much faster to hit Command+Enter and then start typing the name of the Application followed by Enter.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865150\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_application_search.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Launching a Windows 11 VM (application) with Spotlight\" width=\"650\" height=\"180\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t even need to type the whole application name (most of the time). Since Spotlight learns from your behavior, the more you use this feature the more it will favor your often-used applications (which means shorter queries to see the results you want).<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Accessing_System_Settings\"><\/span>Accessing System Settings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>macOS 13 Ventura replaced the old System Preferences control panel with a new iOS-inspired System Settings menu. This can make it hard to remember where everything is (and even once you\u2019ve adjusted it can be hard to find some items). Conquer this by using Spotlight to jump straight to the preferences panel you want to see.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865151\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/access_mac_settings_spotlight.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Accessing System Settings panels with Spotlight\" width=\"650\" height=\"213\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You can access overviews like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a>\u201d or get detailed with queries like \u201cTrackpad gestures\u201d or \u201cKeyboard sensitivity\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Natural_Language_Searches\"><\/span>Natural Language Searches<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While operators are useful, nothing beats using natural language to find exactly what you want. Fortunately Spotlight has you covered, allowing you to perform queries like \u201cdocuments I created last month\u201d or \u201cNumbers files from November\u201d and it\u2019s worth experimenting to see what you can find.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865152\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/natural_language_spotlight.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Use natural language in Spotlight searches\" width=\"650\" height=\"179\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This works with apps like Mail (\u201cunread emails\u201d or \u201cemails I sent today\u201d), Notes (\u201cnotes from November\u201d), Maps (\u201csupermarkets near me\u201d), and web results (\u201cphotos of cats\u201d) to name a few.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quick_Calculations\"><\/span>Quick Calculations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Your Mac has a Calculator app (go ahead, launch it with Spotlight) but for quick sums like simple addition, division, or multiplication you can use Spotlight to get your result in no time. Use plus \u201c+\u201d or \u201c-\u201d minus for addition and subtraction and \u201cx\u201d or \u201c\/\u201d for multiplication and division. You can also use brackets in your calculations.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865153\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_calculations.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Perform calculations in Spotlight\" width=\"650\" height=\"118\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve got an answer you can hit Command+C to copy the result straight to your clipboard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Forget Microsoft Office: Your Mac Already Has a Free Productivity Suite<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Unit_and_Currency_Conversions\"><\/span>Unit and Currency Conversions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On top of simple sums, you can perform common unit conversions in Spotlight too. Try converting feet to meters, miles to kilometers, or Fahrenheit to celsius for starters.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865154\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_conversions.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Convert currency with Spotlight\" width=\"650\" height=\"167\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Spotlight will also perform currency conversions, though you\u2019ll need online connectivity for the latest conversion rates. Use currency codes like \u201cUSD\u201d (US Dollars), \u201cGBP\u201d (British Pounds Sterling, or \u201cJPY\u201d (Japanese Yen).<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Weather_Summary_and_Forecast\"><\/span>Weather Summary and Forecast<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Spotlight can give you the weather for your current location using the <code>weather near me<\/code> query, or you can type \u201cweather &lt;city&gt;\u201d to get a summary for another location. Hit Enter on the result to see a ten-day summary. It\u2019s not quite as much information as you get in Ventura\u2019s native Weather app but it\u2019s good enough for a quick search.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865155\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_weather_query.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Check the weather forecast using Spotlight search\" width=\"650\" height=\"426\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quickly_Look_Up_Word_Definitions\"><\/span>Quickly Look Up Word Definitions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Need to look up the spelling or definition of a word in your Mac\u2019s dictionary? You can do that with Spotlight too. Definitions appear as a separate category of result which you can quickly invoke using the Command+L keyboard shortcut once you\u2019ve entered your query.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865156\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_dictionary_definition.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Check spellings and definitions using Spotlight\" width=\"650\" height=\"428\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll see a brief definition in the search results and you can hit Enter to see a more detailed entry that includes example usage, derivative words, and origins.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Restrict_Spotlight_Results\"><\/span>Restrict Spotlight Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Do you want Spotlight to stop showing you certain results? You can block it from indexing specific folders or drives using Spotlight Privacy preferences under System Settings &gt; Siri &amp; Spotlight. Click the plus \u201c+\u201d button to add any folders you want to exclude from search results, or you can nominate the root folder of an external drive to exclude everything on that drive.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-865157\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/restrict_spotlight_search_results.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Limit Spotlight search results by excluding folders\" width=\"650\" height=\"447\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You can also use the Siri &amp; Spotlight preferences panel to remove any result types you don\u2019t find useful (like \u201cFonts\u201d or \u201cPresentations\u201d).<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_These_Tips_on_Your_iPhone_or_iPad_Too\"><\/span>Try These Tips on Your iPhone or iPad Too<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Apple followed the same design principles when designing Spotlight on iOS and iPadOS. You can pull down on the Home screen to reveal a search box which functions much in the same way for frequent tasks like launching applications, converting currency, quick calculations, or finding buried preference menus.\u00a0You can customize search on the iPhone too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>10 Hidden Mac Features You Should Be Using<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/864879\/spotlight-features-you-should-be-using\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;12 Mac Spotlight Features You Should Be Using&#8221; You probably know Spotlight as your Mac\u2019s handy search tool, but it\u2019s so much more than that. Mastering Spotlight is key to using your Mac in the most efficient manner possible. Here are some tips to help you get around macOS in record time. Trigger Spotlight with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":542952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/spotlight_featured.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-542951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/542952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}