Spotlight - How to Remove Web Search from Results

[seetheforest]

Spotlight keeps putting the general web-search results as "top hits" before my documents. Does anyone know how to prevent Spotlight from offering to search the web as a result at all?

I have Siri Suggestions turned off in Spotlight preferences and am still getting the general web-search result.

EDIT: See attached image for example with the top hit being a web-search through Safari.

 

[texas-bronius]

Looking for the same answer. I have only 4 items selected in Spotlight Preferences, and I've tried adding Mac Hardrive (!) in Privacy, and the _only_ thing that comes up now is . . . . Web Search! #

Hmm, here may be a clue: For me, the web searches icon that comes up is Chrome app. Maybe there's a preference that Chrome exposes web search to Spotlight? I'll look..

Update: I feel I am on the right path. Maybe someone can bring this home.
From https://blog.taylormcgann.com/2013/02/26/use-spotlight-to-search-google-and-show-results-in-chrome/ I checked out Big Sur's System Preferences > General and saw:

Indeed when I changed this to Firefox, Spotlight began returning web searches _with the Firefox icon_. I hope this gains us some distance in our experimenting...

 

[oceanjaws]

I think System Prefs - Spotlight - Disable Bookmarks and History, and I disabled Siri Suggestions too. Seems to have worked for me, but I've only just done it, so let's see how it goes

 

[nborre]

I think System Prefs - Spotlight - Disable Bookmarks and History, and I disabled Siri Suggestions too. Seems to have worked for me, but I've only just done it, so let's see how it goes

Does not work on BigSur 11.1.

 

[collin_]

Can't figure this out either. I really want dictionary to be the first thing that comes up, and for it to display the full definition without having to hit enter like in Catalina. I looked up definitions really quickly with command+space all the time.

 

[SaguaroSeven]

Does not work on BigSur 11.1.

This works perfectly for me on Big Sur 11.2.3, and has worked back to 11.2 afaik. No web or bookmark results. (why are you still on 11.1?)

Spotlight keeps putting the general web-search results as "top hits" before my documents. Does anyone know how to prevent Spotlight from offering to search the web as a result at all?

I have Siri Suggestions turned off in Spotlight preferences and am still getting the general web-search result.

EDIT: See attached image for example with the top hit being a web-search through Safari.

Spotlight seems to offer web search when it doesn't find "good?" on-board matches... Web results offered in one case, but not the other.

Sadly, Big Sur also seems to remove the ability to re-order spotlight results....

How to Reorder Spotlight Search Results

Apple's default Spotlight search results list may not be ideal for your workflow. Here's how you can reorder Spotlight search results to suit your needs.

www.techjunkie.com

Mac User Guide

Learn what’s new in macOS, how to get started with your Mac and use it with your Apple devices, and how to control privacy and security on macOS.

support.apple.com

 

[collin_]

This works perfectly for me on Big Sur 11.2.3, and has worked back to 11.2 afaik. No web or bookmark results. (why are you still on 11.1?)

Spotlight seems to offer web search when it doesn't find "good?" on-board matches... Web results offered in one case, but not the other.
View attachment 1763144
Sadly, Big Sur also seems to remove the ability to re-order spotlight results....

How to Reorder Spotlight Search Results

Apple's default Spotlight search results list may not be ideal for your workflow. Here's how you can reorder Spotlight search results to suit your needs.

www.techjunkie.com

Mac User Guide

Learn what’s new in macOS, how to get started with your Mac and use it with your Apple devices, and how to control privacy and security on macOS.

support.apple.com

Not sure how you're not getting browser at the top. I am on 11.2.3, and I still get browser at the top of every search. Here is what it looks like.

 

[SaguaroSeven]

Not sure how you're not getting browser at the top. I am on 11.2.3, and I still get browser at the top of every search. Here is what it looks like.

Do you get the Chrome result when you search for "Pro tools" or "Preview" for example? The results for me depend on what search i enter...

 

[collin_]

Do you get the Chrome result when you search for "Pro tools" or "Preview" for example? The results for me depend on what search i enter...

For "pro tools" the browser is still at the top (haven't installed Pro Tools yet as I just did a clean install). For "preview" the browser is 2nd behind the Preview app.

The thing that's bothering me is that the browser comes up first for the vast majority of searches. 90% of the time I use Spotlight to look up definitions. It's annoying that the browser comes up before the Dictionary app and there's seemingly nothing I can do to change that. :<

 

[usagora]

It's little stuff like this that makes me so irritated with Apple's software sometimes. Why the HELL can't we disable this annoying behavior?! I NEVER EVER use spotlight to search the web, so I never ever want to see web results when I type ANYTHING in Spotlight. Apple: "Nope, you don't get a choice." 🤬 I mean, this is just stupidity. To quote Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan"...if they just gave us more options?

 

[project_2501]

anyone find a solution for this?

 

[otrsk]

Still looking for a workaround, too

 

[madonnaragu]

Also interested!

 

[Roskam]

As am I. I get Firefox symbol all the time. Safari would be more logical, but I prefer not to see any browser. When I want to search the web I go online with a browser of my choice.

 

[chvnce]

I am also looking for a way to end the tyranny of web search results over my Spotlight searches!

 

[Hofbeert]

Glad I'm not the only one who's bothered by this. I get annoyed everytime I search for Sidecar and hit enter but get put into a browser window instead of the system setting. Hope they add an option to disable that. It's also not really consistent. Sometimes I get put into the settings and then most of the time into the browser.

 

[kevin.leptons]

yeah, same problem here, it's annoyed but can not find a solution, yet

 

[milkrocket]

+1 for this

 

[Blowback]

It's little stuff like this that makes me so irritated with Apple's software sometimes. Why the HELL can't we disable this annoying behavior?! I NEVER EVER use spotlight to search the web, so I never ever want to see web results when I type ANYTHING in Spotlight. Apple: "Nope, you don't get a choice." 🤬 I mean, this is just stupidity. To quote Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan"...if they just gave us more options?

If you de-select Siri Suggestions it stops searching the web. Using Mac OS 11.4

 

[namespacebrian]

If you de-select Siri Suggestions it stops searching the web. Using Mac OS 11.4

It's still offering to search the web for "sound" as the default, over the system pref pane, with Siri Suggestions unchecked. Big Sur 11.4

 

[project_2501]

I too get this problem and have not been able to solve it.

I want the spotlight search to only include the selected categories in the system preferences. I don't want a web search to appear on the list.

I have followed all the above suggestions in this thread.

 

[bbbggg]

The weird thing is that the Spotlight plist file still shows a MENU_SPOTLIGHT_SUGGESTIONS entry, but it seems broken because it shows web results when false:

<dict> <key>enabled</key> <false/> <key>name</key> <string>MENU_SPOTLIGHT_SUGGESTIONS</string> </dict>

 

[scania471]

I'm also interested. Haven't found any solution. Hopefully in Monterey, it will we fixed.

 

[LizKat]

If you de-select Siri Suggestions it stops searching the web. Using Mac OS 11.4

Not the case for MBA 2020 running Big Sur 11.5.1 and it really annoys me.

Their support doc on web still says

When you turn off Siri Suggestions, Spotlight searches only the contents of your Mac; it no longer searches the web. You can also turn off Location Services for Spotlight.

... but I don't want it even to offer me the web when I use Spotlight and certainly not to make that the top option.



Add me to the list of people who have provided feedback to Apple about this.

 

[JustUseLinux]

I primarily use Spotlight to search documents.

A trick I'm using is to keep typing the name until the document appears at the top of the search.

Spotlight will actually change what it lists at the very top on each additional character you type.