Apple has published a new support document detailing how Spotlight indexing works across its devices and offering three tips to accelerate the process ahead of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 releases. The new indexing system creates a searchable catalog of device data for Spotlight and the new Siri AI, and must run separately on each device. Apple notes initial indexing can take hours or days depending on data volume, but incremental updates are faster.

To speed up the process, Apple recommends: the device is not in use, connected to power, and connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet for potential data downloads. Mac users can track progress via an indicator in the Spotlight or Siri window after pressing Command-Space. On iPhone and iPad, a notification in Settings indicates Search and Siri are still optimizing.

Mail may also show a separate notification for email indexing. Apple previously laid groundwork with iOS 26.6 to optimize the index ahead of the major update. The support document also covers troubleshooting unexpected search results.