## Commands

Disable the index:

    mdutil -i off /

Enable the index:

    mdutil -i on /

Erase the current Spotlight index:

    mdutil -E /

## Help

    Usage: mdutil -pEsa -i (on|off) -d volume ...
    	Utility to manage Spotlight indexes.
    	-p             Publish metadata.
    	-i (on|off)    Turn indexing on or off.
    	-d             Disable Spotlight activity for volume (re-enable using -i on).
    	-E             Erase and rebuild index.
    	-s             Print indexing status.
    	-a             Apply command to all volumes.
    	-V vol         Apply command to all stores on the specified volume.
    	-v             Display verbose information.
    NOTE: Run as owner for network homes, otherwise run as root.

## Sources:

* http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man1/mdutil.1.html
* http://www.mikesel.info/disable-spotlight/
* http://osxdaily.com/2007/03/22/how-to-completely-disable-spotlight/

## Special files:

There is a thorough recent non-ai article here: https://eclecticlight.co/2024/07/09/excluding-folders-and-files-from-time-machine-spotlight-and-icloud-drive/

### Special Files still working in Sequoia

* Ending an file or folder in `.noindex` will disable indexing of the folder. Example `mkdir private-folder.noindex`. In former times it was .no_index, so beware the change. Similar is .nosync for keeping files out of sync with icloud.

### Special Files working until ventura
* On the root `/` directory of a internal or external Volume `.metadata-never-index` will turn of indexing for the whole drive. Use the terminal to `sudo touch \.metadata-never-index` for the root drive. Or use `\Volumes\NAMEOFVOLUME\.metadata-never-index` for another drive. 
* On the root `/` directory of a (competing) boot drive with a version of OS X you can intelligently disable indexing by using `.metadata_never_index_unless_rootfs` to prevent the data from the drive to appear unless it is the boot drive. Use the terminal to `sudo touch \.metadata_never_index_unless_rootfs`. Or use `\Volumes\NAMEOFVOLUME\.metadata_never_index_unless_rootfs` for another drive.