Spotlight search is one of the most useful features in macOS. You can access it by pressing Command-Space, and it allows you to find anything on your Mac. And there's so much more Spotlight search can do than you might realize. From performing currency conversions to running complex automation routines, here are 10 Spotlight search hacks that you'll find useful.
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To access clipboard history, press Command-Space to open Spotlight search, and then, press Command-4.
Use the built-in converter for instant currency and unit conversions
Credit: Pranay ParabYou should also try Spotlight's built-in calculator, which can handle arithmetic quite well. Ask it to add, subtract, divide, or multiply numbers, and Spotlight will show you the results instantly.
You can also use this format to search specific folders, such as "/downloads" to look for files in the Downloads folder in your Mac.
Send messages to any contact directly from Spotlight
Credit: Pranay ParabYour Mac's built-in Clock app lets you set alarms, timers, or use a stopwatch. This works fine, but when I'm setting timers, I usually want to do it fast. That's where Spotlight comes in. Type "Start Timer" and select the action in Spotlight. You can then add a duration for the timer, and it'll alert you when time's up.
Use this Spotlight shortcut to open files in Finder
When I see search results in Spotlight, sometimes I want to open the file or app, but more often than not, I want to open the folder that contains those results. I recently discovered a keyboard shortcut that opens the folder containing any search result directly from Spotlight. To use it, look for something in Spotlight search, and use the arrow keys to reach the correct result. Then press Command-Enter to open the file or app in Finder.
Translate languages directly from Spotlight
Credit: Pranay ParabLanguage & Region, and select Translation Languages. Download the languages you need to translate, and enable On-Device Mode on the same page if you want offline translations. Click Done when all downloads are complete.
Ever since macOS switched away from the old System Preferences menu, I've had trouble locating many settings on my MacBook. The new System Settings menu is less confusing for iOS users, but that doesn't help those of us who were used to the old layout. To get around this, I've started using Spotlight search to find system settings. You can type the name of the settings page, or even specific features such as Reduce Motion. Spotlight's results will show you two types of results: One where you can open the System Settings app, and the other where you can toggle the preference directly from search results. The latter is especially handy for features you want to toggle more than once, such as Bluetooth.
Assign dedicated keyboard shortcuts to your favorite actions
Change Spotlight settings to exclude certain apps from search results
If you don't want to see results from certain apps in Spotlight search, you can exclude those apps easily. On your Mac, go to System Settings > Spotlight, and scroll down to the "Results from Apps" section. You can click the button next to any app to remove it from Spotlight results. Scroll down further till you reach the "Results from System" section. Here, you can click the i button next to "Files" and exclude certain folders from Spotlight search results.
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