How to Turn Off Spotlight Search on Mac

Another option for you is to disable or get rid of Spotlight search on Mac when indexing hurts performance. Type sudo mdutil -a -i off in Terminal  until you re-enable it with sudo mdutil -a -i on, giving you full control over when the feature runs.

What are pros of turning off Spotlight on Mac

If you disable Spotlight search on Mac, you can reduce Spotlight's background CPU use, extend battery life, and lower fan activity by pausing indexing. You also avoid search pop-ups and limit scanning of sensitive files, which improves privacy. Benefits vary depending on the age of the hardware, storage type, and frequency of file additions.

A note from our experts: 

 

MacKeeper's Safe Cleanup helps you quickly clear out unnecessary files while keeping your personal data intact. Removing system logs, cached files, and old mail attachments frees up valuable storage and keeps your Mac optimized for upgrades and everyday use.

 

To run MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup:

1. Download, install, and open MacKeeper.
2. Select Safe Cleanup in the sidebar.
3. Click Start Full Scan to detect junk files.
4. Review the results and click Clean Junk Files.
5. Confirm what you want to delete.

Methods to disable Spotlight search on Mac

You can temporarily pause indexing, altogether disable Spotlight services, or exclude specific folders from search. Our experts start with reversible options, then escalate only if problems persist. Each method takes only minutes, and you can re-enable Spotlight later without data loss or the need for reinstalls.

1. Temporarily disable Spotlight indexing

If you only need relief during heavy work, pause indexing and keep the search usable. We often get how to quick search on Mac requests; this approach preserves basic lookups while stopping background churn until you're done, then you can turn indexing back on.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Open Terminal.
2. Run the sudo mdutil -i off / command.
3. Enter your admin password.
4. To re-enable later, use the sudo mdutil -i on / command.
5. *Optional: check status with the sudo mdutil -s / command.

2. Completely disable Spotlight

When indexing repeatedly misbehaves, you can entirely stop Spotlight services. Our team recommends this only after other fixes. Modern macOS protects Spotlight with SIP, so complete disablement may require Recovery changes. Reference System Preferences on Mac if wording appears in older dialogs.

Here's what you can do:

1. Restart your Mac and hold Command + R to enter Recovery.
2. Open Utilities > Terminal, then enter the csrutil disable command.
3. Restart normally.
4. In Terminal, run the sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist command.
5. To undo, repeat Recovery and run the csrutil enable command.
6. Re-load Spotlight with the sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist command.

3. How to turn off Spotlight in specific folders

Exclude extensive archives, VMs, or project caches to stop constant rescans and speed up your Mac without losing system-wide search. Our experts prefer this targeted approach for creators who need performance but rely on Spotlight for apps, mail, and documents.

What you can do:

1. Open System Settings > Spotlight > Search Privacy.
2. Click the "+" button and select folders or volumes to exclude.
3. Confirm and close Settings.
4. Remove items from the list anytime to re-index them.

What are consequences of turning off Spotlight on Mac

Disabling Spotlight removes system-wide search, quick app launch, and features that depend on indexed results. You lose natural-language lookups, Finder quick hits, and some Siri results, which may slow workflows. The change doesn’t harm macOS; however, it can reduce productivity and won’t directly free up RAM on your Mac beyond small gains from less background activity. Disabling Spotlight also limits third-party apps that rely on its index for fast file retrieval.

Conclusion

You can curb Spotlight to fix slowdowns, battery drain, or noisy indexing. Start by pausing indexing, then try folder exclusions, and only then consider a full shutdown with SIP changes. All methods are reversible, so you can restore search when needed.

At the same time, MacKeeper's Safe Cleanup complements the change by clearing caches, logs, and leftovers, so your Mac stays responsive without manual file hunting. Try it today and enjoy the non-bugging app experience on your Mac!