Apple Supercharges Spotlight in macOS Tahoe With Quick Keys and More

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced the biggest-ever update to Spotlight in macOS, introducing context-aware actions, app integration via App Intents, and powerful new productivity features.

In macOS Tahoe, Apple is delivering the most significant update to Spotlight to date. The new Spotlight experience surfaces information more intelligently, and streamlines productivity through contextual awareness and deeper integration with system features and apps.

Searching in Spotlight is now more relevant and personalized. Results are intelligently ranked based on what is most pertinent to the user, taking into account personal routines and the context of their current activity. Spotlight also suggests content and actions based on what the user is currently working on, and it can prepopulate commonly used items such as frequently accessed documents or routine actions.

Users can now take direct actions such as creating an event, recording audio, or playing a podcast from within Spotlight—regardless of which app is currently in use. It also enables functionality like sending an email or controlling apps directly through Spotlight, offering a unified command layer that spans across the operating system.

To improve efficiency, Spotlight introduces Quick Keys, allowing users to access controls faster by typing short commands. For example, entering "sm" can initiate the action to send a message, while "ar" can be used to add a reminder.

Spotlight now also supports in-app control search, letting users find and access controls within applications directly from the Spotlight interface. Another notable addition is clipboard history: users can view previously copied content—including both text and images—making it easy to retrieve items copied earlier.

macOS Tahoe also allows users to build shortcuts and run them directly from Spotlight. These shortcuts can also be assigned to Quick Keys, enabling rapid execution of custom workflows. Spotlight is contextually aware when launching shortcuts, so users can apply them directly to the document or content they are working on.

Apple is also allowing developers to integrate their apps with Spotlight using the App Intents API.

Article Link: Apple Supercharges Spotlight in macOS Tahoe With Quick Keys and More

 

[sniffies]

Wow, the new Spotlight is probably the most exiting update.

 

[Moriakum]

Ok, this is cool.

 

[Macbookey]

Hands down the best features of Tahoe along with a dedicated Phone app. Quick keys and clipboard history are power user time savers. I wish for so much more of this across the system apps every year, and those that make it happen to have more say in the overall OS.

 

[mansplains]

I’ll probably stick with Raycast but it’s nice to see more native features catching up.

 

[Westside guy]

It all sounds good, but pardon me if I want to wait and see how it actually turns out in practice. In many ways, Spotlight has been becoming less useful - at least for me - for the past several major versions of macOS.

 

[DominikHoffmann]

I love the overall UI convergence. It will help people consider purchasing iPads and Macs, when they have only been familiar with iPhones.

 

[DocMultimedia]

Apple should just buy Alfred. One of the top five apps you need to install in a new Mac.

 

[macduke]

We wanted Snow Leopard. Instead we got Liquid Glass and new Spotlight. At least some of the Spotlight stuff seems useful, especially clipboard history. Can't wait to ditch Paste after the crap they pulled moving to a subscription model for what was a one time purchase at launch and is now full of bloat that nobody uses for something that should be simple.

 

[Saturn007]

Wow, the new Spotlight is probably the most exiting update.

Freudian slip?! 🙈

🆘

 

[erthquake]

I’ll probably stick with Raycast but it’s nice to see more native features catching up.

Same.

 

[city_17]

So they're basically integrating Raycast, nice to see they're actually adding useful productivity features.

 

[Numtsi]

Hm, maybe this new Spotlight together with Reminders gets me away from Todoist… we‘ll see…

 

[AndyUnderscoreR]

Will it still completely lock up for ages while all my external drives spin up every time I search for a file that's on my Mac's built in SSD?

 

[MacHeritage]

Looked to me like they were adding some features from Alfred. I hardly ever use Spotlight and always use Alfred. But this looks like an actual upgrade for once. I know Mac users who don't even know how to use Spotlight. Hopefully, this helps them use it more and learn how to search instead of trying to find something by hand.

 

[Macbookey]

Hopefully I can search for the old trash bin in the dock to put it back. My eyes are seeing the windows recycling bin in liquid glass in Tahoe.

 

[smirking]

We wanted Snow Leopard. Instead we got Liquid Glass and new Spotlight. At least some of the Spotlight stuff seems useful, especially clipboard history. Can't wait to ditch Paste after the crap they pulled moving to a subscription model for what was a one time purchase at launch and is now full of bloat that nobody uses for something that should be simple.

Give Clipy a spin. It's a clone of Clip Menu which was my favorite no-frills, no-nonsense clipboard manager before it stopped getting updated. Clipy is free. I've tried a lot of clipboard managers and I have zero issues with paying for them because I find them so handy, but none of them work the way I want. They're all too bloated. I just want an extended clipboard that's not trying to become its own OS.

 

[svish]

Quick keys/shortcuts will no doubt be useful. Looks like a huge change with this year's update.

 

[DoctorApple]

Sounds like they're turning Spotlight into Siri.

 

[hagar]

We wanted Snow Leopard. Instead we got Liquid Glass and new Spotlight. At least some of the Spotlight stuff seems useful, especially clipboard history. Can't wait to ditch Paste after the crap they pulled moving to a subscription model for what was a one time purchase at launch and is now full of bloat that nobody uses for something that should be simple.

Are you referring to Shared Pinboards in Paste 5? Yeah, that’s a very strange feature for a clipboard manager. Can’t imagine ever using this. But, otherwise I like it lot and don’t think it’s bloated.

 

[robl1967]

A big step further to Spotlight would be the possibilitie to search Windows file Servers 😢

 

[GlassFingers]

Looks moderately interesting… But not convinced until I try it. Also I looked a little confusing. Wonder if it’s something that I will regularly use

 

[bluecoast]

It's a power user feature - but don't power users use Alfred?

Kudos for Apple for improving spotlight - and not mentioning the Siri word once.

 

[mxrider88]

Spotlight on macOS X Tiger was already giving perfectly pertinent results organised intelligently.

Then they went on a marathon to destroy macOS and spotlight wasn’t spared.

Now they will try to get it back to shape and present it as a feature.


Apple is truly, truly, deeply cooked.

 

[Westside guy]

Give Clipy a spin. It's a clone of Clip Menu which was my favorite no-frills, no-nonsense clipboard manager before it stopped getting updated. Clipy is free. I've tried a lot of clipboard managers and I have zero issues with paying for them because I find them so handy, but none of them work the way I want. They're all too bloated. I just want an extended clipboard that's not trying to become its own OS.

I've been pretty happy with Copy 'Em.