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Dropbox content isn't searchable in Spotlight when using Mac OS Monterey 12.0.1
Dropbox files/folders are not searchable in spotlight on new MacBook Pro with M1 chip - Monterey OS 12.0.1. Have re-indexed spotlight. Have uninstalled and reinstalled Dropbox and rebooted. Have made sure Dropbox has full access in Security and Privacy. Help please?
I have found a solution, everyone! I hope everyone struggling with this will find this post. The problem isn't with dropbox, it's with Mac Spotlight. Which surprised me, as I always thought the finder search was separate from Spotlight, but apparently, on the back end, both are one-in-the-same. I've heard many times that re-indexing spotlight didn't work, but it does! You just have to do it a different way for everything to ACTUALLY 100% reindex.
Tutorial is here on apple's forums: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253479408
Just giving credit where credit is due.
In case that goes away, instructions are also listed below.
- Open System Preferences and go to Spotlight's Privacy tab.
- Add the entire hard disk INTO the Privacy list.
- Maybe wait 30s.
- Remove the hard disk FROM the Privacy list.
Spotlight will re-index. After finish re-indexing, the search in folder works for me.
(To see if Spotlight is indexing, use Command+Space to invoke Spotlight, and type in something. Wait a second. You should see a progress bar to show indexing progress)
Of note, I am on Mac OS Monterey 12.6 (21G115). My dropbox version is 158.4.4564. These are both the lastest, as of now, 10.3.2022.
Hopefully this helps! Changed my life - I can work again!
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- Nancy
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi FreddoArgento, I’m sorry to hear the same issue persists, and I can totally understand your frustration.
If you want, I can log a support ticket for you, so that we can look into this together and check other possible options.
Let me know if you’d like that, and I can get things started.
Sorry to gripe in my last email....this system did work!
had no luck with this method.
Thanks, I tried this without any luck. Do I have to restart?
Not working. I reindexed Spotlight, it was TEMPORARILY solved. Again, and again the problem arises, and now reindexing does not solve it.
Dropbox imposing this change, with no chance of NOT upgrading, or reconfiguring the location other than within the library has been a very very disliked, useless and trampling idea. You are in my hated companies list now.
@davidarden -- Thanks so much! Worked!
@Chris_26 which fix specifically are you referring to? What worked for you?
I'm still stuck...
- I have the same issue.
THANK YOU.
I did not expect that it is so easy to solve.
I had the problem for 2 months now. Now I can work again as usual.- Hannah
Thanks for reporting this to us, sawin1.
If you re-build the Spotlight index and are still facing the same issues, do let us know.
