How to stop Spotlight sending search data to Apple

Updated 2026 · 4 min read

Every time you type in Spotlight with Suggestions enabled, your keystrokes leave your Mac — sent to Apple's servers and, in some cases, to Bing. Turning this off takes two minutes and keeps your searches entirely local.

What data actually leaves your Mac

When Spotlight Suggestions is enabled, macOS sends your search query to Apple as you type — not just when you press Return. Apple uses this to fetch web results, news articles, maps, and App Store results in real time. Apple's privacy policy notes that queries may also be forwarded to Microsoft Bing to power web suggestions.

That means a search for something private — a medical condition, a person's name, a sensitive file — is transmitted as you type it, associated with your approximate location and a session identifier. For most everyday searches this is a minor concern. For some users it's a firm no.

How to turn it off in System Settings

Open System Settings → Siri & Spotlight.
Scroll to the Search Results section and uncheck Spotlight Suggestions.
Also uncheck Suggestions & Recent Searches — this covers the Look Up feature in Safari and other apps.

Both boxes need to be unchecked for a complete opt-out.

The Terminal command

Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities) and run:

# disable Spotlight lookup suggestions (stops data leaving your Mac)
defaults write com.apple.lookup.shared LookupSuggestionsDisabled -bool true

To reverse it:

# undo — re-enable Spotlight lookup suggestions
defaults write com.apple.lookup.shared LookupSuggestionsDisabled -bool false

Do it in one click

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How to verify it's working

After applying the setting, open Spotlight and type a search term you'd never look up locally — something like a news headline or a random web phrase. If Suggestions are off, you'll see only local results: apps, files, contacts, and calendar events. You won't see a "Siri Suggested Website" or a news carousel. That's confirmation the network calls have stopped.

What you give up

Spotlight won't fetch web results, news, App Store listings, or maps while you type. It becomes a fast, local launcher and file searcher — which is what many power users prefer anyway. If you need a web result, open a browser and search there. You get explicit control over what leaves your machine.