mdutil MacOS Command Guide

The MacOS mdutil command is used to manage Spotlight indexing on your system. This powerful tool allows you to enable, disable, or check the status of indexing on specific volumes or directories. By using mdutil, you can control which files and folders are being indexed by Spotlight, helping you to improve search efficiency and save system resources. Additionally, you can use mdutil to force a reindex of a specific volume, ensuring that the Spotlight database is up to date. Overall, the mdutil command is a valuable tool for customizing and optimizing Spotlight indexing on your MacOS system.

mdutil Syntax:

mdutil [options] [parameters]

Options:

Option	Description
-i on	Turn indexing on
-i off	Turn indexing off
-E	Erase and rebuild index
-s	Print indexing status
-p	Spotlight search a file

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
volume	The volume to operate on
path	The path to a specific file or directory to operate on

Caution

Exercise caution when using the mdutil command, as incorrect usage may interfere with Spotlight indexing on your system.

mdutil Command Samples:

Enable Spotlight indexing on a specific volume

mdutil -i on /Volumes/Data

Enables Spotlight indexing on the volume “Data”.

Show the indexing status of a specific volume

mdutil -s /Volumes/Data

Displays the indexing status of the volume “Data”.

Turn off Spotlight indexing for a specific path

mdutil -i off /Users/username/Documents

Disables Spotlight indexing for the specified path.

Enable Spotlight indexing for all volumes

mdutil -a -i on

Enables Spotlight indexing for all volumes.

Show the indexing status for all volumes

mdutil -sa

Displays the indexing status for all volumes.

Turn off Spotlight indexing for all volumes

sudo mdutil -a -i off

Disables Spotlight indexing for all volumes. Be cautious as this may impact search functionality.

Display help information for the mdutil command

mdutil -h

Shows the help manual for the mdutil command, providing information on its usage and available options.

Tip

Remember to use the mdutil command with caution, as it directly manipulates the Spotlight index on your MacOS system. Make sure to refer to the official documentation or man pages for detailed information on all available options and their implications.

How do I use mdutil in MacOS?

To use the mdutil command in MacOS, execute the following command:

mdutil --enable /Volumes/DriveName

How can I disable Spotlight indexing with mdutil?

You can disable Spotlight indexing using the mdutil command as shown below:

mdutil -i off /Volumes/DriveName

How do I check the indexing status of a specific volume using mdutil?

To check the indexing status of a specific volume, use the mdutil command with the -s flag:

mdutil -s /Volumes/DriveName

How do I force Spotlight to reindex using mdutil?

To force Spotlight to reindex a specific volume, you can use the -E flag with mdutil. Here’s an example:

mdutil -E /Volumes/DriveName

How can I exclude a specific folder from Spotlight indexing using mdutil?

You can exclude a specific folder from Spotlight indexing by adding it to the Privacy list with mdutil. Here’s how you can do it:

mdutil -p /Path/To/Folder

How do I clear the entire Spotlight index using the mdutil command?

You can clear the entire Spotlight index on a volume by using the -E flag with mdutil. Here’s the command to clear the index:

mdutil -i off /Volumes/DriveName
mdutil -E /Volumes/DriveName
mdutil -i on /Volumes/DriveName

Applications of the mdutil command

1. Enable metadata indexing on a volume
2. Disable metadata indexing on a volume
3. Check the indexing status of a volume
4. Modify indexing options for a volume
5. Delete all metadata indexes on a volume