Alfred Application Launcher Issue

[seamush]

I am unable to launch many applications since upgrading to mac OS 12. This is also true for Spotlight.

 

I've cleared the Application Cache and rebuilt the mac OS metadata twice. I've also uninstalled/reinstalled several apps. 

 

No joy.

 

I really miss being able to launch apps from the keyboard. Any suggestions on how to fix this issue?

[Vero]

@seamush If you've just upgraded to macOS 12 and neither Alfred or Spotlight are finding any results, you might just need to kick back and let macOS do its thing for a bit. Every time there's a macOS update, we see a flurry of posts like yours, which magically go away once the new OS install has had time to reindex and sort itself out.

 

If you've installed more than 24 hours ago, and you've given your Mac plenty of awake time, then follow the steps on the Indexing Troubleshooting guide carefully. In particular, drag some files to the File Troubleshooting guide and see what the output is. 

 

When you get to step 5, please ensure that you follow the instructions closely and delete the Spotlight-V100. This will then give macOS an opportunity to rebuild the index from scratch.

 

If you've given your Mac enough time to rebuild (a good hour after step 5) and Spotlight isn't indicating that it's rebuilding with a progress bar in the Spotlight bar view, then please provide more details about what the File Troubleshooting output is, etc. so that we can help you further.

 

Cheers,
Vero

[seamush]

Thank you Vero. 

 

Funny that the indexing issue hasn't occurred in the seven years that I've been using Alfred. 🤔

 

I will let you know the results. 

[Vero]

@seamush Did you set up your new Mac by transferring settings from another Mac? If so, please take a look at this thread:

 

There seems to be a pattern emerging in that anyone having seemingly indexing-related issues in Monterey have all transferred their preferences from a backup or another Mac.

 

Please try creating a new user account and see what behaviour you see. If you can please reply in that thread if it's relevant, it'll help keep the discussion in one place.

 

Cheers,
Vero

 

[seamush]

Hi Vero, 

 

I upgraded mac OS on my 2019 MacBook Pro. 

 

It is not a new machine. I didn't use Time Machine backup. 

 

Thank you. 

[Vero]

@seamush In that case, can you please provide as much information as you can? 

 

The first steps to follow when results seem unexpected is to rebuild your Mac's metadata. It's usually because the data being provided by macOS is incorrect (even if it appears correct in the current Spotlight cache), and rebuilding ensures that all this information is refreshed by the OS.

 

Even if you believe you've already reindexed, please follow the steps below specifically (as it involves deleting a cache first and ensuring Terminal has suitable permissions).

• First, please pop open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Full Disk Access and add Terminal
• Once you've done this, go to Alfred's Advanced preferences, choose "Rebuild macOS Metadata"
• Ensure that you check "Delete .Spotlight-V100 before reindex"
• Follow the steps in Terminal, and keep a close eye for any error messages relating to your index.

Please let me know if there are any errors. Otherwise, if it proceeds smoothly, you may need to wait up to an hour for the reindex to complete. Once this is done, make your searches again and see if your results are more as expected.

 

If your issue persists, please provide the following information:

• Your diagnostics file, by typing ?diagnostics into Alfred (You can email this to our info@ address, including a link back to this thread)
• Examples of the File Troubleshooting reports for the files you cannot find using Alfred
• Details of exactly what you're typing into Alfred and what results you are expecting to see

The more information you can provide, the more likely we'll be able to help you establish what's happening on your Mac specifically.

 

Cheers,

Vero

[seamush]

Hi Vero,

 

The issue was resolved after adding Terminal to Full Disk Access, deleting .Spotlight-V100, and then rebuilding the Metadata. Of course, patience helped a bit too 😉  . 

 

Your instructions really helped clarify the process. Thank you from a long-time, highly-satisfied customer. 

[Vero]

18 minutes ago, seamush said:

Your instructions really helped clarify the process.

 

Just to be clear, this information was available in my very first reply 14 days ago, in step 5 of the indexing troubleshooting guide I had indicated should be read carefully.

 

I'm thrilled this is solved but for you, and for all future users who come across this thread, please read the steps we provide carefully; They're there for a reason.

 

Cheers,
Vero

[seamush]

Hi Vero, 

 

Yep, I was traveling the last two weeks for work and only just got back to your solution today. Thank you again.