Apple says these three things can speed up the new Spotlight indexing

Apple has published a support document detailing three conditions that speed up Spotlight indexing on its devices: the device must not be in use, be connected to power, and be connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The indexing process, which can take hours or days depending on data volume, is being optimized ahead of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 releases, with iOS 26.6 already preparing devices for the change.

Apple has published a new support document explaining how Spotlight indexing works across its devices, including three things it says can help the process finish more quickly. Here are the details. How to speed up the new Spotlight’s indexing process As Apple gears up to release iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and other operating systems announced during this year’s WWDC, the company has published a new support document with tips to speed up the indexing process. Essentially, this new indexing process creates and continuously maintains a searchable catalog of the information stored on the device, allowing Spotlight and the new Siri AI to quickly surface apps, files, messages, photos, contacts, settings, and other content when the user performs a search. The index is stored locally on each device, which means that the process must be completed separately on every Apple device the user owns. Interestingly, Apple had already started laying the groundwork for this change with iOS 26.6. As we reported last month https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/20/ios-26-6-includes-key-feature-that-prepares-your-iphone-for-ios-27/ , Apple said that the update would “optimize the Spotlight index to prepare for iOS 27,” effectively moving some of the indexing work ahead of the major software release. Now, the company has published a support article https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/20/ios-26-6-includes-key-feature-that-prepares-your-iphone-for-ios-27/ with useful tips to speed up indexing, particularly the initial process, which can take time for users with large amounts of data. Here’s Apple: Depending on the amount of data on your device, Spotlight indexing can take hours or even days. Incremental updates after that are much faster. Indexing completes more quickly when: - Your device is not in use. - Your device is connected to power. - Your device is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, in case email or other data needs to be downloaded for indexing. Apple adds that Mac users can check indexing progress through an indicator at the top of the Spotlight or Siri window after pressing Command-Space. On the iPhone, iPad, and other devices, users may instead see a notification in the Settings app indicating that Search and Siri are still optimizing. Apple also notes that Mail can display a separate notification when email indexing has not yet finished. To read Apple’s full support document, which also includes what to do if Spotlight gives unexpected search results, follow this link https://support.apple.com/en-us/102321 . Worth checking out on Amazon Geoffrey Cain – ‘Steve Jobs in Exile’ https://amzn.to/4v3CS5Q David Pogue – ’Apple: The First 50 Years’ https://amzn.to/46Y3nQj MacBook Neo https://amzn.to/47vJmkn Logitech MX Master 4 https://amzn.to/3KmIQN7 AirPods Pro 3 https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Cancellation-Translation-Headphones-High-Fidelity/dp/B0FQFB8FMG?tag=marcmendes-20 AirTag 2nd Generation – 4 Pack https://amzn.to/4sewc3a Apple Watch Series 11 https://amzn.to/46VomDB Wireless CarPlay adapter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F6T6N2B1?tag=marcmendes-20 FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. https://9to5mac.com/about/ affiliate our homepage http://9to5mac.com/ for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on exclusive stories https://9to5mac.com/feature/exclusive/ , reviews https://9to5mac.com/guides/review/ , how-tos https://9to5mac.com/guides/how-to/ , and subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/9to5mac