Spotlight Search is one of the most powerful features in macOS, allowing you to quickly find local files, launch applications, and calculate math equations. However, Apple has increasingly integrated “Siri Suggestions” into Spotlight. This means when you search for a simple file name on your hard drive, Spotlight might also pull in Wikipedia summaries, web search suggestions, or news articles related to your search term. If you find these web-based results distracting and want Spotlight to focus solely on your local computer, you can disable Siri Suggestions.
How to Turn Off Siri Suggestions in Spotlight
You can restrict Spotlight’s search scope directly from the main System Settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Siri & Spotlight.
- In the main window, scroll down to the “Search Results” section. This lists all the categories Spotlight is allowed to look through.
- Locate the item labelled Siri Suggestions.
- Click the checkbox next to it to uncheck it.
- For maximum privacy and a strictly local search experience, you may also want to uncheck “Spotlight Suggestions” or “Bookmarks & History” if you do not want web browsing data to appear.
The changes take effect immediately. The next time you press Command + Space to open Spotlight, your search results will be significantly cleaner, much faster, and strictly limited to the apps and files stored on your local machine.