Spotlight Search in Evernote for Mac

[kempster 8]

I just upgraded to a MacBook Pro... and Spotlight no longer searches and finds my Evernotes.

 

I want to use Spotlight to search my notes... Can anyone help?  Is it a configuration thing?

 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

What versions of Evernote and Mac OS are you running?

[Metrodon 2,184]

I believe it's an issue that comes with Mavericks  - whether it's on Evernote's end or Apple's I'm not sure. But it has been mentioned on here before and commented on by Evernote staff.

 

 

Found it - http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/45607-spotlight-doesn’t-find-any-evernote-notes/

[kempster 8]

Thanks, guys...

EVERNOTE: Version 5.4.3 (402230)

MACBOOK: OS X 10.9

 

I think I'm current.  Thanks for the link to the discussion... it looks like Evernote and Apple are talking - and working on a FIX?  Hope so... I got to liking Spotlight as ny Evernote Search Engine.

 

Sounds like you guys do, too.

 

Ken

[Jackolicious 808]

We are aware of the issue and working with Apple to get a fix in place. This issue affects all versions of Evernote from the Mac App Store on OS X 10.9.

[kempster 8]

Thanks, Jackolicious... I'll be watching for the patch... Keep up the good work... I appreciate the reply.

 

Kempster

[Metrodon 2,184]

I think it affects the direct download version too....

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I think it affects the direct download version too....

 

 

Maybe so, but not for me. I wonder why. Maybe it has to do with how I updated or something like that.

[derrickpsu 5]

Is there any updates on this? I use this feature quite often, and was waiting for an update. There was one launched today (an update for Mac OS X), but it still doesn't appear to be working. I've seen a couple of threads on this topic, but none seem to have a concrete answer.

 

Please help!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Is there any updates on this? I use this feature quite often, and was waiting for an update. There was one launched today (an update for Mac OS X), but it still doesn't appear to be working. I've seen a couple of threads on this topic, but none seem to have a concrete answer.

 

Please help!

Hi. Welcome to the forums.

My advice would be to use the direct download, which works and has more functionality.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=135

[derrickpsu 5]

 

Is there any updates on this? I use this feature quite often, and was waiting for an update. There was one launched today (an update for Mac OS X), but it still doesn't appear to be working. I've seen a couple of threads on this topic, but none seem to have a concrete answer.

 

Please help!

Hi. Welcome to the forums.

My advice would be to use the direct download, which works and has more functionality.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=135

 

 

Thanks, that's what I just ended up doing just now. I like to keep everything to App Store downloads, but oh well. Does the direct download auto update?

 

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw the option in the preferences. Thanks!

[groovebak 20]

I used the direct download of EN on a new Macbook Pro and it seems to be working just fine for me.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

 

 

Is there any updates on this? I use this feature quite often, and was waiting for an update. There was one launched today (an update for Mac OS X), but it still doesn't appear to be working. I've seen a couple of threads on this topic, but none seem to have a concrete answer.

 

Please help!

Hi. Welcome to the forums.

My advice would be to use the direct download, which works and has more functionality.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=135

 

 

Thanks, that's what I just ended up doing just now. I like to keep everything to App Store downloads, but oh well. Does the direct download auto update?

 

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw the option in the preferences. Thanks!

 

 

Glad I could help. And, thanks again to the developers who are willing to produce two versions of the app.

 

I actually avoid the appstore for my apps whenever possible. Apps generally have options for auto-updates, you can get access to betas, the apps have more functionality, and they are updated more frequently. I'm not against he appstore in concept, but in practice, it degrades my experience on the Mac.

[derrickpsu 5]

 

 

 

Is there any updates on this? I use this feature quite often, and was waiting for an update. There was one launched today (an update for Mac OS X), but it still doesn't appear to be working. I've seen a couple of threads on this topic, but none seem to have a concrete answer.

 

Please help!

Hi. Welcome to the forums.

My advice would be to use the direct download, which works and has more functionality.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=135

 

 

Thanks, that's what I just ended up doing just now. I like to keep everything to App Store downloads, but oh well. Does the direct download auto update?

 

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw the option in the preferences. Thanks!

 

 

Glad I could help. And, thanks again to the developers who are willing to produce two versions of the app.

 

I actually avoid the appstore for my apps whenever possible. Apps generally have options for auto-updates, you can get access to betas, the apps have more functionality, and they are updated more frequently. I'm not against he appstore in concept, but in practice, it degrades my experience on the Mac.

 

 

I'm sure that's all true, and maybe I'll change my ways someday.   The main reason I try to stick to the App Store, is that it's a very easy way to keep my Apps in sync across devices. Meaning, I don't forget what I installed on one machine. And, I never have to worry about 'backing up' the app.

[kempster 8]

I'm just glad to have Evernote back in SPOTLIGHT.  It save me a ton of time and frustration.

 

THANKS to this forum, I got it fixed. 

[projectshave 1]

I re-installed Evernote directly from the website, not Appstore. Evernote still does not appear in Spotlight searches. How can I debug this? Shouldn't it appear as a data source in Spotlight preferences? 

 

Evernote Version 5.5 (402491 Direct). 

Mac OS X v. 10.9.2

Late-2013 retina MBP 13"

 

Thanks. 

[ScottLougheed 1,316]

Hmmm I am on exactly the same machine and software as you, and I have no problem with spotlight bringing up evernote results.

 

Check your settings in System Preferences>Spotlight>Privacy to see if you've excluded anything that might cause this to be the case. 

 

Also you can try forcing a re-index of your entire hard drive by following these directions:

http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/17/rebuild-spotlight-index/

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I re-installed Evernote directly from the website, not Appstore. Evernote still does not appear in Spotlight searches. How can I debug this? Shouldn't it appear as a data source in Spotlight preferences? 

 

Evernote Version 5.5 (402491 Direct). 

Mac OS X v. 10.9.2

Late-2013 retina MBP 13"

 

Thanks. 

 

I had the same reaction as Scott. This does sound odd, because it ought to work. However, for whatever reason, you may need to re-index. Let us know if that helps. 

[John Christopher Jones 29]

 

I re-installed Evernote directly from the website, not Appstore. Evernote still does not appear in Spotlight searches. How can I debug this? Shouldn't it appear as a data source in Spotlight preferences? 

 

Evernote Version 5.5 (402491 Direct). 

Mac OS X v. 10.9.2

Late-2013 retina MBP 13"

 

Thanks. 

 

I had the same reaction as Scott. This does sound odd, because it ought to work. However, for whatever reason, you may need to re-index. Let us know if that helps. 

 

 

You can manually trigger a re-import of just Evernote notes with the following command in Terminal:

 

mdimport -r /Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter

[projectshave 1]

John Jones' mdimport command worked. 

 

To help Evernote debug this, here's more info on my situation. I had installed Evernote from the App Store. Upon reading in this forum that the direct download software works with Spotlight, I used AppDelete to remove Evernote. Then I re-installed the software from this site. Spotlight still didn't work. 

 

Before I used that mdimport command, I used mdimport -L to see what was registered: 

 

    "/Users/myHome/.Trash/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter",

    "/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter",

    "/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Microsoft Outlook.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Outlook.mdimporter",

    "/Users/myHome/.Trash/AppDelete Evernote 10.06/:Applications/Evernote 10.06.00 AM.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter"

)

 

Notice that Spotlight continues to track the deleted versions of Evernote AND the new version. So I cleared out the Trash and ran mdimport -r on the correct directory and now it works. mdimport -L only lists the correct Evernote directory. 

 

So if someone asks about this problem again, one thing to check is if there are multiple Evernote apps listed as Spotlight plugins. Like me, they may have failed to delete the App Store version properly. 

 

Unrelated point: Evernote is grouped under Documents. It would be cool if Evernote were listed as a separate plugin, if that's possible.

 

Thanks for your help, everyone! 

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

 

John Jones' mdimport command worked. 

 

To help Evernote debug this, here's more info on my situation. I had installed Evernote from the App Store. Upon reading in this forum that the direct download software works with Spotlight, I used AppDelete to remove Evernote. Then I re-installed the software from this site. Spotlight still didn't work. 

 

Before I used that mdimport command, I used mdimport -L to see what was registered: 

 

    "/Users/myHome/.Trash/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter",

    "/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter",

    "/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Microsoft Outlook.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Outlook.mdimporter",

    "/Users/myHome/.Trash/AppDelete Evernote 10.06/:Applications/Evernote 10.06.00 AM.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/EvernoteSpotlightImporter.mdimporter"

)

 

Notice that Spotlight continues to track the deleted versions of Evernote AND the new version. So I cleared out the Trash and ran mdimport -r on the correct directory and now it works. mdimport -L only lists the correct Evernote directory. 

 

So if someone asks about this problem again, one thing to check is if there are multiple Evernote apps listed as Spotlight plugins. Like me, they may have failed to delete the App Store version properly. 

 

Unrelated point: Evernote is grouped under Documents. It would be cool if Evernote were listed as a separate plugin, if that's possible.

 

Thanks for your help, everyone! 

 

 

Glad to hear you got it sorted. I've got some directions on how to switch the apps here, if anyone runs into this problem and needs them in the future.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=135

[TanjaLewis 0]

OK. 

 

It looks like there is a fix to having my Evernote notes show up in my Spotlight searches. But when I read your replies through I become a little nervous, because even though I do understand computers ok - I'm no expert.

 

And some of you mentions procedures, I don't dare try.

 

Have I understood this correctly (by the way both my Evernote and IMac are running the latest versions of things)

 

• First I need to delete everything Evernote related from my Imac. (How do I do that the best/easiest way?)
• Then I need to download the Evernote app fra the website instead of from the App store
• Then I need to get all my notes back from my back up in the web version (how do I make sure, that it synchronizes 'the right way'?)
• If this doesn't do it - there's talk about reindexing??

 

I really really miss this feature - spotlight is such a cool tool - but I'm afraid of messing things up. If any of you have the patience to go through the fixes and spell it out clearly (not taking too much computer knowledge for granted - only the basics), then I would be very grateful for your help.

 

PS: The 'mdimport command' talk 'scares' me....

 

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

OK. 

 

It looks like there is a fix to having my Evernote notes show up in my Spotlight searches. But when I read your replies through I become a little nervous, because even though I do understand computers ok - I'm no expert.

 

And some of you mentions procedures, I don't dare try.

 

Have I understood this correctly (by the way both my Evernote and IMac are running the latest versions of things)

 

• First I need to delete everything Evernote related from my Imac. (How do I do that the best/easiest way?)
• Then I need to download the Evernote app fra the website instead of from the App store
• Then I need to get all my notes back from my back up in the web version (how do I make sure, that it synchronizes 'the right way'?)
• If this doesn't do it - there's talk about reindexing??

 

I really really miss this feature - spotlight is such a cool tool - but I'm afraid of messing things up. If any of you have the patience to go through the fixes and spell it out clearly (not taking too much computer knowledge for granted - only the basics), then I would be very grateful for your help.

 

PS: The 'mdimport command' talk 'scares' me....

 

Hi. Just follow my directions here.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=135

[TanjaLewis 0]

Hi Christopher

 

Great thank you - it looks very cool, I will try out your instructions right away.

I hope it will work, I'll update in this thread 

 

Kind regards

Tanja, Copenhagen Denmark

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Hi Christopher

 

Great thank you - it looks very cool, I will try out your instructions right away.

I hope it will work, I'll update in this thread 

 

Kind regards

Tanja, Copenhagen Denmark

 

Great! Please let us know how it works out. I'll just reiterate the recommendation to backup. You probably won't need it, of course, but it is a great relief to know it is there just in case. As for your account, once it is installed, assuming you have no local notebooks, all you do is login to your account. Evernote will take care of the rest

[kempster 8]

Hey Tanya... it worked for me... I'm using it all day every day... Love having my Evernotes in Spotlight... it really speeds things up.

 

Ken

 

PS  I don't know why the APPLE app doesn't get fixed.  Oh well.

[TanjaLewis 0]

It worked it worked ...thanks so very much for your fine guide and guidance 

[macgabe 0]

I've rebuilt my mac Spotlight index and done the mdimport thing. Neither made any difference.

The Evernote icon doesn't appear in Spotlight preferences (should it?)

And when a search for a word that is within Evernote is made in Spotlight (or Alfred) nothing comes up.

I haven't downloaded the non-AppStore app because frankly not worth the hassle.

Has this been fixed yet?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I've rebuilt my mac Spotlight index and done the mdimport thing. Neither made any difference.

The Evernote icon doesn't appear in Spotlight preferences (should it?)

And when a search for a word that is within Evernote is made in Spotlight (or Alfred) nothing comes up.

I haven't downloaded the non-AppStore app because frankly not worth the hassle.

Has this been fixed yet?

 

There's no hassle. Just get rid of your appstore stuff, download, install, and Evernote will take care of the rest. This problem has been occurring off and on (I think) for a very long time now (years?). I wouldn't hold your breath. And, there are no benefits whatsoever to using the appstore. In fact, sometimes (as in this case) it is inferior.

[Metrodon 2,184]

You seem to be going through a load of hassle just to stay with the App Store version, I have no idea why. Simplest solution as Grumps points out is to just the direct download app.