How to Disable Spotlight on Mac ?

Let's start with a story that might sound familiar. A long-time Mac power user shared this recently:

"From the time it was first introduced some years' ago, I have DISABLED Spotlight on my Macs. Primary reason... I was doing audio recording... and any 'indexing' had the potential to break up those writes. And it just stuck with me through the years."

This isn't just a nostalgic habit; it's a perfect example of a workflow where Spotlight gets in the way. For years, creative professionals, developers, and power users have found reasons to sideline Apple's default search.

While it's great for launching apps, Spotlight often feels like a surface-level tool in a world that requires deep, precise work. If you've found yourself frustrated with its limitations, you're not alone. Here’s why so many are choosing to disable Spotlight and how you can do it, too.

Why Turn Off Spotlight in 2025?

The reasons have evolved beyond old hard drive performance. Today, users disable Spotlight because it:

1. Hogs Resources at the Worst Times: That background mds_stores process can still spin up your fans and slow down your Mac, especially during resource-intensive tasks like video rendering, code compiling, or, yes, audio recording.

2. Lacks Precision: Spotlight is a launcher that can find files by name. It was never built to be a true finder. It can't search for a concept inside a video, a specific page in a long PDF, or text within a screenshot. We explored this in our Spotlight vs. Fenn: Why One Is for Finding article.

3. Has Become Unreliable: Since the macOS Sequoia update, users have reported widespread issues with Spotlight's index breaking, causing apps and files to vanish from search results. If you have to constantly rebuild your search index, the tool is broken. You can find our full guide on fixing it here.

If you’re ready for a more controlled, focused Mac experience, disabling Spotlight is a simple process.

How to Disable Spotlight on Your Mac

You have two main options: a "soft" disable that removes the shortcuts, or a "hard" disable that stops the indexing process entirely.

This is the safest and easiest method. It removes Spotlight from your menu bar and frees up the Command + Space shortcut for another tool.

1. Disable the Keyboard Shortcut:

• Open System Settings.

• Go to Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts...

• Select Spotlight from the sidebar.

• Uncheck the box next to “Show Spotlight search.”

2. Remove the Menu Bar Icon:

• Open System Settings.

• Go to Control Center.

• Scroll down to the "Menu Bar Only" section and find Spotlight.

• Choose “Don’t Show in Menu Bar” from the dropdown menu.

With these changes, Spotlight is effectively hidden from your daily workflow. For most users, this is enough.

If you want to stop the Spotlight indexing process (mds and mds_stores) from running in the background and using system resources, you can turn it off with a Terminal command.

Warning: This is an advanced step. Disabling core system services can have unintended consequences. Proceed with caution.

1. Open the Terminal app (you can find it in /Applications/Utilities/).

2. To turn off indexing for your main drive, type the following command and press Enter:

   sudo mdutil -i off

3. You will be prompted to enter your administrator password. Type it in and press Enter.

To re-enable it later, simply use the command:

sudo mdutil -i on

The Problem with a "No Search" Mac

Okay, you’ve disabled Spotlight. Your Mac might feel a little faster, a little cleaner. But now you have a new problem: you have no way to search your files.

This is where the journey ends for some, but it’s where a better workflow begins. Disabling a flawed tool is step one. Step two is replacing it with something infinitely better.

The Power User's Replacement: Fenn

What if you could have a search tool that was:

• Deeper? One that searches inside your videos, audio files, images, and PDFs.

• Smarter? One that understands concepts, not just keywords (e.g., you search "non-compete clause" and it finds documents that say "restrictive covenant").

• More Private? One that runs 100% locally on your Mac, with no cloud processing or data collection.

• More Reliable? One that doesn't break every time Apple pushes an update.

That is exactly what Fenn does.

Instead of relying on a fragile system index, Fenn builds its own private, intelligent map of your content. It turns your messy folders into a searchable knowledge base, allowing you to find what you need by describing it, not by guessing filenames.

Disabling Spotlight isn't about giving up on search. It's about making space for a search tool that's actually built for the demands of 2025.

Turn off the tool that's holding you back, and turn on the one that's built for the way you actually work.