How to Fix Spotlight Search Not Working On iPhone and iPad

Is spotlight search not working on your iPhone or iPad?

Spotlight search is one of the most useful features on iPhones and iPads. With a simple swipe down, you can look up anything you want on your device. 

However, there are times when spotlight search refuses to work. 

Given how Apple fans are dependent on spotlight search, resolving this issue should be a top priority. 

Today, we’ll show you how to fix spotlight search if it’s not working on your iPhone or iPad. 

Why Spotlight Search Is Not Working?

There are several reasons why spotlight search is not working. It could be an issue with your device’s settings or it is still indexing files and folders on your iPhone or iPad. 

Other reasons for this issue are faulty software versions and corrupted user data. 

1. Restart Your iPhone. 

If spotlight search is not working on your device, we suggest restarting it first. This should rule out temporary errors that occurred on your iPhone or iPad that could be causing problems. 

Restarting your device should also clear corrupted data from the system memory. 

If you are using an iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, or later, here’s what you need to do: 

1. Hold down the Volume Down button and Side button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt appears. 
2. Now, drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds. 
3. Press the Side button afterward to turn on your device. 

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For older models, follow the steps below: 

1. Locate the Power button on your device. 
2. Now, hold the button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt shows up.
3. Drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds before turning on your device. 

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For iPads without a home button: 

1. First, press and hold either the Volume button + Top button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt appears. 
2. Now, drag the slider to the right until your display shuts off. 
3. Lastly, wait for at least 30 seconds before turning on your iPad. 

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For iPads with a home button: 

1. On your device, press and hold the Top button until the power slider appears. 
2. Drag the slider to the right until your display turns black. 
3. Finally, wait for at least 30 seconds before restarting your iPad.

Try using spotlight search again to check if the problem is solved. 

Related: How to Fix iPhone Stuck on Do Not Disturb

2. Check Your Network Connection. 

Spotlight search needs a stable internet to give you the best results. If your network is experiencing issues, it can cause problems with spotlight search. 

To confirm this, perform a test on your network using Fast.com to measure its current bandwidth. 

If the result indicates a problem with your connection, power cycle your modem to refresh the link with your ISP’s servers. 

1. Disconnect your router from the wall outlet. 
2. Wait for 5-10 seconds. 
3. Plug back in the power cable and wait for your router to initialize. 

Connect your iPhone or iPad and run another test. If the issue persists, report the problem to your provider and ask them to fix their service. 

3. Remove Shortcuts Widget. 

For unknown reasons, removing the Shortcuts widget from your home screen resolves the issue with spotlight search. 

If you haven’t tried this solution, it is worth the shot. 

1. Swipe right from the first page of your home screen. 
2. Look for the Shortcuts widget. 
3. Press and hold on it until the selection menu appears. 
4. Tap on Remove Widget. 

5. Confirm your action by tapping Remove. 

Once done, try using spotlight search again to check if the problem is solved. 

4. Disable Show Home Controls. 

Another method that magically resolves the problem with spotlight search is disabling ‘show home controls’.  

We can’t find any concrete explanation why it works, but it is an effective way to get spotlight search to work. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. Open Settings on your device. 
2. Now, tap on Control Center. 
3. Look for Show Home Controls.
4. Tap the toggle switch next to it to disable the feature. 

Try using spotlight search again to check if disabling show home controls worked. 

5. Check Storage Space. 

Since spotlight search needs to index every file and folder on your iPhone or iPad, it can take a while for the process to complete if your storage is almost full. 

Here’s how you can check your storage space: 

1. Launch the Settings app on your device. 
2. Next, go to General > iPhone Storage/iPad Storage. 
3. Check if you have enough storage left. 

If your device is running out of storage space, consider uninstalling unused apps, deleting duplicate files and photos, or offloading applications. 

6. Change Default Language. 

There are times when spotlight search may have trouble working if you are using another system language. 

Try switching your language to english and see if spotlight search would work. 

Here’s how you can change your system language: 

1. Open Settings on your device. 
2. Next, go to General. 
3. Tap on Language & Region. 

4. Select the Add Language option. 

5. Choose English (US) from the list. 
6. Tap on Use English (US) to confirm. 

Restart your device afterward and check if spotlight search works. 

7. Toggle Search for Apps Off/On. 

Refreshing spotlight search from settings will allow it to reload its resources. This should remove temporary errors that may have occurred on the feature during runtime. 

Check out the steps below to disable/enable spotlight search for each app: 

1. Go to Settings on your device. 
2. Now, tap on Siri & Search. 

3. Tap on any application to access its settings. 
4. Look for the Show App in Search option and disable it. 

5. After 5 to 10 seconds, enable the feature again. 
6. Repeat this process for all applications. 

Try using spotlight search again to check if the problem is solved. 

Related: How to Fix iPhone Won’t Send Text Messages

8. Update Your Device. 

Updating your software is another way to get spotlight search to work. Not only will this resolve spotlight search but also other features that are not working on your device. 

See the steps below to update your device: 

1. Open Settings on your device. 
2. Navigate to General > Software Update. 
3. If there’s a new iOS version available, tap Download and Install. 

4. Once the new software is ready, follow the prompts to install the update. 

Try using spotlight search afterward to check if the problem is solved. 

9. Contact Apple. 

If none of the solutions above worked, it’s time that you let the professionals take over. 

Visit Apple’s support page and look up the issue you’re experiencing. The site should suggest possible solutions along with related articles about your iPhone or iPad. 

If the suggested solutions did not work, get in touch with Apple’s team through chat or phone for further assistance. 

That ends our guide for fixing spotlight search if it’s not working on your iPad or iPhone. 

If you have questions or other concerns, please let us know in the comment section, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

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