Let me set the scene: you have certain directories (i.e. folders) on your MacBook Where iMac that contain sensitive information. You don’t want others to have easy access to these directories, but it turns out that with the help of Spotlight, anyone with access to your desktop can easily find the files and the information they contain.
That could be a problem.
With very sensitive information, you better encrypt the directories containing these files. But for less sensitive information, encryption can be overkill.
Or maybe you have so many files and directories on your desktop that Spotlight search isn’t as fast as you think.
Either way, you should know how to stop Spotlight from looking for specific directories on your local drive. Let me show you how to take care of it. Because Spotlight is so good at what it does, it can present multiple results from a search query very quickly. This means that a bad actor could quickly locate the files they need to commit any mischief.
Also: The 4 iOS 16 Settings You Need to Disable Now to Save Your Data
With the help of this Spotlight trick, you can prevent such quick and easy discovery of your most sensitive data.
How to Limit Spotlight Search to Improve Privacy in MacOS
Terms
All you need for this is an updated MacOS device and a directory (or multiple directories) that you want to exclude from Spotlight search.
Hide directories from Spotlight
Click the Apple icon on the left edge of the top bar, then select System Preferences.
In the System Preferences window, click Spotlight.
Click the Privacy tab, then click + (the plus sign).
Added folders to exclude from Spotlight. Image: Jack Wallen
In the resulting pop-up window, find and select the directory you want to exclude from Spotlight and click Choose. Keep adding directories until you are satisfied with the results.
Location of the directory to exclude from Spotlight. Image: Jack Wallen
Once you hide these directories from Spotlight, the content should no longer appear in search results. The only caveat is that it may take Spotlight a while to “forget” these folders. I’ve found that macOS doesn’t forget directories very quickly, and even a reboot doesn’t speed up the process. Eventually, however, these directories will stop appearing in the results.
A Bonus Spotlight Tip
Return to the Spotlight Preferences window and click the Search Results tab. Here you will find a list of categories that you can include or exclude from Spotlight. You can browse through this list and disable any category you don’t want to appear in Spotlight results. Again, be aware that once you make changes, it will take Spotlight some time to forget about these categories.
Include and exclude categories for Spotlight searches. Image: Jack Wallen
And that’s all there is to it. With these two little tricks, you can make it much harder for other people to locate files and information they don’t have access to.
Remember, however, for very sensitive directories and files, consider using an encryption tool to better protect those files from prying eyes.
