What Is Corespotlightd on Mac: How to Fix High CPU Usage by This Process?

Detailed explanation of corespotlightd process in macOS and solutions for excessive CPU usage

corespotlightd is an integral part of the Spotlight search function that comes with macOS system. It allows developers to add data to the Spotlight index so that content in third-party applications can also be displayed in Spotlight search results. For example, many Mac users prefer to use third-party mail clients instead of the included Mail app. corespotlightd (also known as Core Spotlight) allows Spotlight to view the mail content in these applications so that you can find them when you search - provided that the developer adds this feature.

Corespotlightd causes too high CPU usage for Mac?

corespotlightd usually requires more CPU and RAM resources on Mac to periodically index data so that you can quickly find results when you perform Spotlight searches. The process is also triggered when you change files, add or delete external disks, or update applications.

However, if corespotlightd's CPU and RAM usage continues to be high, it may indicate that there is a problem with the process itself or the data that Core Spotlight attempts to index.

Common reasons for excessive CPU usage in corespotlightd:

1. Indexing data volumes: When connecting storage devices (such as hard drives or flash drives) to a Mac, data on those devices is indexed, which is usually one of the main reasons for the high CPU usage of corespotlightd.

2. Spotlight cache issue: The cache issue prevents Spotlight from correctly indexing data, causing the corespotlightd process to constantly try to index files, entering an infinite loop, resulting in high CPU and RAM usage.

3. Hardware Limits: While Spotlight doesn't require a super powerful Mac, we found that corespotlightd may cause old machines to run slow due to hardware limitations, especially when using newer macOS versions of more powerful Spotlight searches (returning data from more sources).

4. Software Errors: Errors in macOS and third-party software (especially those that prevent Core Spotlight from working properly) can also cause corespotlightd issues, including excessive CPU usage that causes MacBooks to overheat.

How to solve the problem of excessive CPU usage of corespotlightd on Mac?

Try the following methods to solve the problem of excessive CPU usage of corespotlightd:

1. Stop the corespotlightd process:

   • Open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities).
   • Find the corespotlightd process and select it.
   • Click the “X” button and select “Force Exit”.

   

2. Restart Mac: Restarting your Mac is usually the best way to solve background process problems.

   

3. Reindex disk: This forces corespotlightd to stop indexing data and start over.

   • In System Settings, select Spotlight > Search for Privacy.
   • Click the “ ” button, select your disk, and select “Select”.
   • After about a minute, select your disk in the Privacy window and click the "-" button.

   

4. Update macOS: Installing the latest macOS update can fix errors that cause problems with corespotlightd.

   

5. Clear Spotlight cache: Clear and rebuild the Spotlight cache to ensure that corrupt cache files do not cause problems with corespotlightd. (The method is the same as reindex disk)

6. Exclude unnecessary index files: If you find that some files or folders cause the corespotlightd CPU usage (usually particularly large files), you can exclude them from the Spotlight index.

   • Select Spotlight in the sidebar of System Settings.
   • Select Search Privacy.
   • Click the “ ” button.
   • Locate and select any file or folder you want to exclude from the index and click Select.

   

Summarize

Spotlight is one of the most useful features in macOS, but its accompanying corespotlightd process can sometimes encounter problems, resulting in higher than normal use of CPU and RAM. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to solve this problem, as mentioned above. Use MacKeeper's memory cleaning tool to free up RAM on your Mac, thereby improving system performance.

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