Spotlight Search vs. Fenn: Why One Is for Launching and the Other Is for Finding

For nearly two decades, Spotlight has been the default way we search on a Mac. We hit Command + Space, type a few letters, and our application or file appears. It’s a workflow so ingrained in our muscle memory that we barely think about it. And for its primary job, it works beautifully.

But what happens when you’re not trying to launch an app? What happens when you're trying to find something? A specific idea, a forgotten detail, a moment buried in a sea of files.

That's when you realize Spotlight has a very specific job, and it isn't what you think. It's time to understand the critical difference between a launcher and a true finder.

Spotlight’s Real Job: The Ultimate App Launcher

Let's give credit where it's due: Spotlight is an excellent launcher. It’s incredibly fast for:

• Opening applications (Chrome, Figma, Slack).

• Doing quick calculations (145*3.14).

• Converting currency ($100 to EUR).

• Looking up basic definitions.

In these tasks, its speed is its greatest asset. You type, it executes. But notice a pattern? These are all commands. You know exactly what you want, and Spotlight retrieves it. It’s acting as a command line with a friendly interface.

The problem arises when your query becomes vague. When you’re not looking for a filename, but for a memory. As we’ve detailed before, Spotlight’s reliability has also become a serious issue, with many users finding its index broken after updates. If you've felt this pain, our guide on fixing Spotlight on macOS Sequoia might resonate.

The Search Problem Spotlight Can’t Solve

Here’s where Spotlight hits a wall. Try searching for these:

• “The presentation slide with the pink growth chart.”

• “The part of the meeting recording where we talked about the budget.”

• “That PDF about mental health for founders.”

• “A photo of a dog wearing a party hat.”

Spotlight will likely return nothing useful. It can’t “see” a chart’s color, “hear” a conversation, or understand the concept of “mental health.” It looks for keywords in filenames. If the file isn’t named pink-chart.pptx, you’re out of luck. It's a launcher, not a detective.

Fenn’s Job: Finding What You Forgot

This is the exact problem Fenn was built to solve. Fenn is not a launcher; it is a deep search engine. Its only job is to find the needle in your digital haystack.

Fenn uses local AI to look inside your files, understanding content and context.

• When you search for the “pink growth chart,” Fenn’s visual search analyzes your presentation files and finds the slide.

• When you search for the “budget” conversation, it consults its audio transcripts and points you to the exact timestamp in the video.

• When you search for the “mental health PDF,” its semantic search understands the topic and finds the relevant document, even if the filename is research_paper_v2.pdf.

This is the fundamental difference. Spotlight matches characters. Fenn understands concepts. You can learn more about how this works in our explainer on semantic search on Mac.

The Perfect Workflow: Use Both

This isn’t about replacing Spotlight entirely. It's about using the right tool for the job. The most productive Mac users often use both.

• Use Spotlight when you want to LAUNCH:

  • Open an application.

  • Do a quick math problem.

  • Find a file where you know the exact name.

• Use Fenn when you want to FIND:

  • A piece of information inside a file.

  • A file whose name you've forgotten.

  • A visual, a quote, or a specific moment.

Think of it this way: Spotlight is the fast lane to a known destination. Fenn is the all-terrain vehicle that can explore the messy, uncharted territory of your hard drive.

Conclusion

Stop getting frustrated with Spotlight for not being a tool it was never designed to be. It’s a great launcher, but it’s a poor finder.

In 2025, your Mac is an archive of your ideas, conversations, and creative work. You need a search tool that can navigate that archive intelligently. Keep using Spotlight for its speed, but when you really need to find something, use the tool that was actually built for the task.

Ready to add a real finder to your workflow?