Big Sur Messages and Spotlight not working at all

Question

Created Nov ’20

Replies 20

Boosts 0

Views 8.5k

Participants 20

Recently I installed Big Sur on my 2017 MacBook Pro 13" and at first everything worked fine.

However, since a few days I am unable to start the Messages App. It just keeps jumping in the dock but it never opens. Notifications for new messages do arrive though, it just cannot be opened.

Maybe it is related, maybe not, but Spotlight also stopped working. I can open up the search bar but whatever I type there is never a result displayed. Nothing.

Really frustrating, is anyone having these issues or even knows a fix to this?

Answered by olvrptz in 649053022

Just to let you guys know, after I've had this problem for a few days now Messages and Spotlight just started working again.
I do not know how to reproduce this or whether it will come back, the problem came out of the blue and just vanished again.

The best solution so far seems to me to just keep the machine running through the night and hope it will be done with whatever task that causes the problems by the next morning..

I'll mark this as the correct answer as long as there is no definitive solution on how to fix it (except downgrading to Catalina).

Answer 1

dan_mcnamara OP

Nov ’20

I am having the same issue after upgrading to Big Sur.

Answer 2

hakie OP

Nov ’20

I've been having the same issues, after several restarts it seemed to fix itself but none of my new message threads are coming through on my MacBook Pro. Hopefully it's a small bug that can be picked up and fixed with the next update.

Answer 3

cyww OP

Nov ’20

I also have a 2017 macbook pro 13” and I also have the same problem

Answer 4

LDRinPV OP

Nov ’20

Same here. Except, it quit working as soon as Big Sur was installed. Several hours after booting up, it does seem to have some limited results when a search is performed.

Answer 5

olvrptz OP

Nov ’20

Accepted Answer

Just to let you guys know, after I've had this problem for a few days now Messages and Spotlight just started working again.
I do not know how to reproduce this or whether it will come back, the problem came out of the blue and just vanished again.

The best solution so far seems to me to just keep the machine running through the night and hope it will be done with whatever task that causes the problems by the next morning..

I'll mark this as the correct answer as long as there is no definitive solution on how to fix it (except downgrading to Catalina).

Answer 6

Eldfen OP

Nov ’20

I have the same problem it started when I tried to send a file via iMessage on a M1 MBPro. All I get is an app bouncing and I have to force quit to get it to stop. Not sure what started it because I was able to send messages two days ago.

Answer 7

olvrptz OP

Nov ’20

Update: Messages and Spotlight are useless again. So this is not even a one time problem, it is recurring.

Answer 8

delii OP

Nov ’20

I have been having the same issue on my MacBook Pro 2017. I have been able to temporarily fix this issue but don't shut down the laptop or you will have to redo these steps. I expect apple to come out with an update soon.

Step 1: Open terminal (Finder -> Applications -> Utilities) and type the following command to erase and rebuild index:

sudo mdutil -E /

Step 2: Open activity monitor (Finder -> Applications -> Utilities)

Under CPU find "SystemUIServer"
Double click on this
Then click quit

The OS should restart the process and both messages and spotlight search should work
____
This has helped me while my computer is on but if I shut down and restart the problem will show up again! Hope this helps.

Answer 9

applework OP

Dec ’20

ITs been weeks since I downloaded big sur and spotlight is still not working consistently. How has apple not patched this yet?

Answer 10

440guitarra OP

Dec ’20

Good morning, I am having the same issues. Has anyone been able to solve it?

Answer 11

paddyk11 OP

Jan ’21

Thankfully a simple restart worked for me.

Answer 12

seebach OP

Jan ’21

same problem here, the 11.1 upgrade did not change anything. Spotlight reindex starts, and reindex some files but not everything. Newer files are not in my index.

Answer 13

Lozmain97 OP

Feb ’21

Hi there,

I have a similar issue with Spotlight on my brand new M1 MacBook Air! It’s been consistent for at least a couple of months now.
Usually every morning when I switch my laptop on, Spotlight does not work. I type something into the search bar and no results appear. It’s so annoying because I rely on Spotlight a lot. Fortunately, all I have to do to fix it is restart the laptop but this is frustrating to have to do most mornings.
As for the messages app, I’ve also had the same issue but not as frequently as the Spotlight issue. Usually I have to force quit the app via the Apple menu or again, restart the laptop.
please fix this Apple!

Answer 14

rolyat OP

Apr ’21

I was pretty late to upgrading to Big Sur. I upgrade about 3 weeks ago. The Notifications Center is completely broken for me and has been ever since. Spotlight was fine up until last week. Now it does not work at all. Both are now 100% non-functional. Where is Apple's response to these issues?

Answer 15

mauriwork OP

Apr ’21

I have the same problem with spotlight, it appears but returns no results. Notifications Center seems work. It's only been a week since I upgraded to Big Sur, I have version 11.2.3.
Please Apple fix this!

Answer 16

jmadak OP

Apr ’21

Same issue as all mention above. Deep trouble shooting using terminal mdimport and mdutil commands to no avail. Spotlight will not index OL 2016 mesgs regardless of what steps taken. The only workaround / recourse I have had is to install vmware vfusion, stand up a Win 10 VM solely to run OL so I can search emails.

The net is full of posts concerning the topic with all kinds of attempts to resolve. Here in apple land apples response is nothing but crickets?

2019 Pro Big Sur 11.2.3. 2.4 32G 2667 DDR4

The only fix I have not tried is to backup to Time Machine and reinstall Big Sur and try again.

Questions Apple? Can I get reimbursed for the Win10 Lic or vFusion I had to install so I can perform the basic function of searching in emails?

Answer 17

mia1511 OP

May ’21

I just bought my MacBook Air M1 chip a couple weeks ago and have the same problem, don't know if it was a coincidence but the problem popped out when I updated to Big Sur 11.2.3. It works again when I restarted my com but the problem keeps recurring and it's quite odd that I have to restart my com every time I want to use it.

Edit: so I saw a comment on another website saying that switching off the wifi and switching it back on helps. Tried to do that and my spotlight is working again.

Answer 18

yauhenifromvilnius OP

May ’21

Same issue. Apple, please, fix it

Answer 19

iplanetcn OP

Jul ’21

I have the latest macOS Big Sur installed, but the spotlight works not properly.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) Version 11.5 (20G71)

Apple! Please fix this BUG as soon as possible !!!

Answer 20

Partha79 OP

Aug ’21

I have migrated from old mac to new mac using migration assistant. Have the same problem. Its on big Sur. Apple, pLease fix this.