Turn off Spotlight search suggestions and reduce data sharing

Spotlight remains useful for finding local files and apps. Depending on your settings, it can also show related content from Apple partners and allow Apple to use Spotlight, Safari, Siri and Lookup search queries to improve Search. Review the following settings if you want to reduce those optional connections.

How to fix it

macOS 15 and later

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then select Spotlight in the sidebar.
  2. Turn off Show Related Content to stop related content from Apple partners appearing in Spotlight and Lookup.
  3. Turn off Help Apple Improve Search if you do not want Apple to use your Spotlight, Safari, Siri and Lookup search queries to improve Search.
  4. To review app-specific suggestions, choose Apple menu > System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Siri Suggestions & Privacy, then adjust the apps that should not show or learn from suggestions.

The available labels depend on your macOS version, language and region.

Spotlight settings in macOS

macOS 13 – 14

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Siri & Spotlight.
  2. Review the available Siri Suggestions settings and turn off the suggestions you do not want to use.

macOS 10.11 – 12

  1. Go to “System Preferences” > “Spotlight”
  2. Deselect “Allow Spotlight Suggestions in Look up”
  3. AND
  4. macOS 11.0: Deselect “Siri Suggestions”
  5. macOS 10.12-10.15 :Deselect “Spotlight Suggestions” in the category list
  6. OS X 10.11: Deselect “Bing Web Searches”
Spotlight preferences in an earlier version of macOS

More information

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