How macOS actually works

Search history on a Mac

Updated 2026-07-31 · 3 min read

Less than people assume, and in more places than they expect.

Spotlight

Spotlight does not keep a browsable search history. It does maintain usage data to rank results — which apps and documents you open from search — stored in its own metadata.

Reset it by rebuilding the index:

sudo mdutil -E /

That clears learned ranking along with everything else.

Finder

Finder remembers recent searches in the search field's dropdown, and keeps a Recents smart folder. Clear the dropdown with Clear Recents at the bottom of the search field menu.

Recent items generally

System Settings → General → Recent Items controls how many recent documents and apps macOS remembers. Setting it to None reduces what is retained system-wide.

Individual apps keep their own Open Recent lists, cleared from within each app.

Quick Look and previews

Previewing generates thumbnail caches under ~/Library/Caches. These persist after the file is deleted, which occasionally surprises people.

qlmanage -r cache

Third-party tools

Worth asking of any search app: does it store what you typed, and where? A tool that keeps a local history for its own convenience is reasonable; one that transmits it is not. Everywhere stores recent searches locally so the panel can offer them back, and sends nothing — the index and its history are files on your Mac.

Common questions

Does Spotlight keep a log of my searches?

Not a browsable history. It keeps usage data for ranking, cleared by rebuilding the index.

How do I clear Finder's recent searches?

Open the search field dropdown and choose Clear Recents.