Open Spotlight (Command-Space), start typing, and Mac does more than search your files: it shows Siri Suggestions, web results, dictionary hits, App Store items, and news. Handy for some, noise for others. If you want a leaner, more private search, you can turn off Spotlight Suggestions and pick exactly which categories appear. Here is the full breakdown for macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia.
What "Spotlight Suggestions" actually means
Apple bundles several things under the Spotlight/Siri umbrella:
- Siri Suggestions in Spotlight - contextual app, contact, and content guesses.
- Web/Siri suggestions - results pulled from the internet and sent to Apple to generate them.
- Result categories - Applications, Calculator, Contacts, Definition, Mail, Messages, Music, Movies, Websites, and more.
You can switch any of these off independently. Nothing here touches your files being found - it only changes the extras.
Turn off Siri Suggestions in Spotlight
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings (called System Preferences on macOS Monterey and earlier).
- Click Spotlight in the sidebar.
- Scroll to the bottom and turn off Help Apple Improve Search. This stops your search queries from being sent to Apple for Siri Suggestions and web results.
- On some versions you will also see Siri Suggestions under Apple Menu > System Settings > Siri & Spotlight - toggle it off there as well.
After this, Spotlight stops phoning home for web-based suggestions and sticks to what is on your Mac.
Hide individual result categories
This is the cleanest way to cut noise without losing file search:
- Go to System Settings > Spotlight.
- Under Search results, you will see a checklist of categories.
- Uncheck anything you do not want in results - common ones people disable are Websites, Siri Suggestions, Movies, Music, Bookmarks & History, and Fonts.
- Leave Applications, System Settings, and Documents checked if you still want the fast app launcher and file search.
Changes take effect immediately - reopen Spotlight and the trimmed results show right away.
Stop the web/internet lookups specifically
If your only goal is to keep Spotlight from touching the internet, uncheck Websites and Siri Suggestions in the Search results list, and turn off Help Apple Improve Search. Spotlight then searches locally only. Note that Safari has its own separate setting: Safari > Settings > Search > Include Safari Suggestions controls suggestions in the Safari address bar, not Spotlight.
Turn off Spotlight web suggestions in Safari too
The address bar in Safari mirrors Spotlight suggestions. To match your Spotlight choice: open Safari > Settings > Search and uncheck Include Siri Suggestions and Include Search Engine Suggestions. Now neither Spotlight nor Safari sends what you type off the device for suggestions.
Keep Spotlight fast and private
Trimming categories also makes Spotlight quicker, since it indexes and ranks fewer sources. If you want to exclude a whole folder or drive from indexing (for privacy or speed), open System Settings > Spotlight > Search Privacy (the button may read "Spotlight Privacy" on older macOS), click the plus button, and add the folder. Anything in that list is never searched or suggested.
How to undo it
Everything here is reversible. Re-check the categories in System Settings > Spotlight, turn Help Apple Improve Search back on, and remove folders from Search Privacy to restore full suggestions.
FAQ
Does turning off Spotlight Suggestions stop file search? No. Files, folders, and apps are always found from local indexing. Suggestions only add web, Siri, and store extras on top.
Where is the Spotlight setting on older macOS? On Monterey and earlier it lives under System Preferences > Siri & Spotlight (or just Spotlight), with the same Search results checklist.
Will this speed up my Mac? Slightly - fewer categories means less indexing and faster result ranking. It will not fix a Mac that is slow for other reasons, but it makes Spotlight feel snappier.
Is my Mac too old to bother? If Spotlight feels sluggish because the machine is dated, a clean Apple Silicon Mac makes everything instant. A certified refurbished MacBook Air (M1) from $569.99 or a browse through Apple clearance is the cheapest way to a fast, modern Spotlight.
Want to master search itself once it is trimmed down? Read How to Use Spotlight on Mac. If search stops finding things entirely, see MacBook Spotlight Not Working. Browse every walkthrough at all guides.