MacOS – Can’t search for files on Mac with just file labels

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Since upgrading to MacOS High Sierra, I can't search for files using just labels anymore.

For instance, I created a folder called "test", containing a folder called "folder", with the red label (called "Red"). If I select the Red dot, then the folder does not appear. But if I search for the term "folder" or if I search for "tag:Red" then it will appear just fine.

I've already tried resetting Spotlight by adding the folder, and even the entire drive, to Spotlight's Privacy tab, then removing it to force it to re-index. I indeed saw the re-indexing seem to take place, since the CPU on the mds processes spiked for about an hour.

Best Answer

I encountered the same issue....it appears that in High Sierra, file labels are supplanted by tags. so, searching by tags, matching the name you gave the colored file label, will get the result you want (searching by file label seems broken)

Related Solutions

Spotlight indexing appears stuck, what can I do

You can try to temporarily disable Spotlight, removing its files and then reenabling it.

The process to do this involves executing Terminal commands, so please pay attention and triple check each step.

Open a Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app) and type:

cd /Volumes
ls -l

Examine the output of that, one should be your “broken” Volume. Once you have it identified, proceed with these steps, all in the Terminal. The first time you execute a command, your password may be required, this is normal.

The output may look like:

lrwxr-xr-x   1 root    admin     1 Sep  2 12:23 MacintoshHD -> /

So the name you’re after is “MacintoshHD”.

Step Number One: Disable Spotlight for your Drive.

sudo mdutil -i off "/Volumes/the_name_you_have_identified_before"

Step Number Two: Remove the indexes from the Drive.

sudo mdutil -E "/Volumes/the_name_you_have_identified_before"

Step Number Three: Eliminate all Spotlight Files from the Drive. (two commands)

cd "/Volumes/the_name_you_have_identified_before"
sudo rm -fr .Spotlight-V100

Be careful with the last command, make sure you type it exactly as it appears.

Step Number Four: Re-enable spotlight in the Drive.

sudo mdutil -i on "/Volumes/the_name_you_have_identified_before"

Now this should trigger a Spotlight complete re-indexing. You have to be extremely patient with it. Spotlight sometimes appears to be frozen but it’s really indexing. It’s best to leave it overnight and be patient.

MacOS – Spotlight can’t see renamed label in Lion

It's a little convoluted, but I've found a workaround. The renamed label is still not appearing with the -label operator autocomplete, but you can search for it another way.

In a Finder window, choose File > Find
In the criterion dropdown (defaults to "Kind"), select Other... and enable File Label
Select the File Label criterion and all the colors will be available

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Spotlight indexing appears stuck, what can I do

MacOS – Spotlight can’t see renamed label in Lion

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