macOS processes › Spotlight and search
What is Spotlight on Mac?
Spotlight is the process for the search window you open with Command-Space. It shows results; the indexing itself is done by background processes like mds and mds_stores.
What it does
It draws the search field and results, and in macOS Tahoe it also handles Spotlight's actions, app list and optional clipboard history. It asks the index for matches and can fetch suggestions from Apple through parsecd. After you close the window it stays in memory, so the next search opens instantly.
Why it gets busy
- Memory creeping up after days or weeks without a restart.
- Typing many searches quickly with lots of result categories turned on.
Why is Spotlight using so much CPU?
If the Spotlight process itself is busy, it's usually memory that grew over a long uptime, and quitting it is safe. Most Spotlight CPU comes from the indexing processes mds, mds_stores and mdworker_shared.
Is it safe to quit?
macOS restarts it, and your next Command-Space opens a fresh copy. Indexing isn't affected.
How to calm it down
- If its memory has grown large, quit it in Activity Monitor. It comes back fresh.
- Turn off result categories you don't need in System Settings › Spotlight.
- Remember that quitting it doesn't stop indexing. For that, see mds and mds_stores.
In SystemWatch
SystemWatch separates the Spotlight window from Spotlight indexing, so you can tell whether the search window or the indexer is using your resources.
