System Preference not filtering when searching

[FataLethal]

Hi,

When I search in System Preferences, it greys out the entire thing without filtering what you have searched like it should be.

I'm using iMac late 2013 Yosemite 10.10.2

 

[Gregg2]

Well, if others who would try to help are as dense as I am, you're not going to get any useful responses. Help us out by providing a lot more detail.

So I tried to replicate your screen shot, and I think I have a better idea of what you mean. When I type Spotlight into the search box, a couple of things "light up" replacing the grey background with a white, well, spotlight effect. The one around the actual Spotlight icon was a well-defined circle, while one other was highlighted, but with a fading out from white to the grey background. Is this what you mean?

There is a System Preferences plist file, so I suppose you could try deleting that and opening SP again. If that doesn't help, then try a different user account and see if it happens there too.

 

[FataLethal]

Thanks for the reply and sorry for not being specific.

Yes, That is what I mean. It should have things "light up" or put a spotlight depending on what you are trying to search. Let's say you search "wifi", it might "light up" Network. Search "audio" then it's pretty obvious it will light up Sound.

I will try your recommendation deleting the plist but I can't seem to find it and I don't know what is the specific plist file name of it. There are so many plist files and I don' know which one. Can you help me with that one? Is it in the Library folder?

I tried doing it in a different user and it doesn't have that problem. This proves that this is only a user account level problem.

Appreciate your help here.

EDIT: I also noticed it doesn't give suggestions too. Let's say you search "Spotlight" or anything, it ought to give a drop down of suggestions of what you are looking for.

 

[Gregg2]

To find the plist file (co.apple.systempreferences.plist) you have to get into the User's Library folder (Users/YOU/Library/Preferences) which is hidden. There are several Library folders, so it has to be down that path, where YOU is the name given to the User. In Yosemite, I think you have to hold down Option and pick GO from the menu.

Once there, drag that file (above) to your Desktop (in case you want to put it back later) then go back into System Preferences.

 

[FataLethal]

Thank you for the suggestion but it doesn't work

I tried moving the file to the desktop or deleting it then going back to SP etc. It still has that bug.

 

[Gregg2]

Ok, then you can spend hours trying to find the bug in the corrupt account, and not succeed - Or, you can migrate to a new account which does not have the problem.