Spotlight won't find the TextEdit app - any idea why?

[AVR2]

I'm used to using Spotlight as a launcher for apps I don't use all that often; just click on the icon, type the first 2-3 letters of the app name and "return", and boom, it's open.

But for some reason, it's stopped finding the TextEdit app. Even if I type "TextEdit.app", it won't show me the actual app.

Any idea why, and more importantly, how I can get it to acknowledge the app's existence again?

I've checked Spotlight's settings, and there's nothing excluded from searches. TextEdit is seemingly the *only* app on the machine that it won't find.

 

[MacInWin]

Can't address why TextEdit won't be found, but why not just put TextEdit on the Dock if you use it that often? Launch it as usual, then right click on the icon it puts on the Dock and then Options and Keep in Dock.

 

[IWT]

You probably won't wish to go to a lot of trouble, but you can force Spotlight to re-index your Mac's Hard Drive. That should solve the problem.

To do this Open System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy. Then Drag your Mac HD from the Desktop into the window. This excludes Spotlight from searching the HD. Leave it for 10 seconds or so, then drag the Mac HD back to the Desktop.

NB This forces Spotlight to re-index the HD from scratch and it can take some time. But when it's finished, hopefully Text Edit will come up when you invoke Spotlight.

BTW Instead of Clicking on the Spotlight icon, there is a rapid keyboard shortcut - Command + Spacebar. Very handy that.

Ian

 

[AVR2]

Unfortunately, the re-indexing didn't work. Spotlight still refuses to find TextEdit. Very odd.

FWIW, I've seen people reporting this problem for other apps, but in Big Sur (I'm on Catalina), so it's not unique to my machine.

 

[AVR2]

Can't address why TextEdit won't be found, but why not just put TextEdit on the Dock if you use it that often? Launch it as usual, then right click on the icon it puts on the Dock and then Options and Keep in Dock.

I *don't* use it that often (see my first post), and my Dock is already pretty full. It's both annoying and interesting that it's done this, and I'd like to know why.

 

[Rod]

Well, I can say it works fine on my 2015 MBP running Big Sur, not that I would normally use Spotlight as a launcher but I only get as far as "Te" before It comes up.
Does the method work for other native apps?
In my experience reindexing usually takes a while so are you sure it actually did?

Another way would be to use OnyX. In the Maintainence Script there is an option to rebuild the Spotlight index. I have never used that option myself but OnyX is pretty reliable. We usually recommend just running the Maintainence Script in its default form.

As always you should backup first and it may lockup your device for some time so maybe over night would be a good time.

If you don't have OnyX it is downloadable from here; https://titanium-software.fr/en/index.html
Make sure you get the version for your Operating System. This is free software.