After years of incremental tweaks, Spotlight is taking center stage in macOS Tahoe 26, in what Apple calls its biggest update ever. Here’s everything that’s new.
With this release, Apple wants to evolve Spotlight from a simple file and app launcher into a fully-fledged productivity layer across macOS, much like Alfred and Raycast users have used for years.
A faster, more relevant Spotlight
Spotlight now aims to be the fastest way to browse and interact with content on your Mac. It uses on-device intelligence to surface the most relevant files, apps, shortcuts, and actions based on your context. That includes recent activity, daily routines, shortcuts, and even what’s on your clipboard.
File results are ranked and grouped by relevance, and users can now filter results on the fly for even more precise searches.
System and app actions, built in
One of the headline changes is support for system and app actions directly from Spotlight. This means you can quickly do things like:
- Create a calendar event
- Send an email or message
- Start a timer or voice memo
- Play a podcast
- Run Shortcuts
- Trigger app-specific commands, including menu bar items
All without leaving the keyboard, or switching apps.
Apple says Spotlight now exposes hundreds of these actions, and developers will be able to surface even more using the App Intents API. Actions are context-aware, and many offer parameter fields directly in the Spotlight UI, so users can fill out a subject line, recipient, or reminder text without needing to open the full app.
Quick Keys: new muscle memory for Mac
macOS Tahoe 26 introduces Quick Keys, short character strings that serve as keyboard shortcuts for frequent actions. For example, typing sm can send a message, while ar adds a reminder.
According to Apple, these Quick Keys are generated automatically based on your usage. It’s a new layer of muscle memory for Spotlight power users, and one that closely echoes features in third-party launchers like Alfred.
iPhone apps and app mirroring
Thanks to Apple’s growing Continuity stack, Spotlight can now surface and launch iPhone apps via iPhone Mirroring. During the demo, Apple used Headspace as an example of an iPhone-exclusive app that could be launched and controlled directlyfrom Spotlight on macOS.
Clipboard history, now native
Another new addition is clipboard history, available directly within Spotlight. Users can now search and browse previously copied items. That includes text, links, and images, with a visual preview column on the left side of the Spotlight window, and an easy way to check from which app or context that specific content was copied.
Spotlight + Shortcuts + Apple Intelligence
In macOS 26 Tahoe, Spotlight also gains deeper integration with Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence. In the WWDC demo, Apple showed how a user could trigger a custom “Create Tagline” shortcut from Spotlight, automatically passing in content from the clipboard and getting AI-generated suggestions in return.
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Are you excited about the new Spotlight? Was the demo enough to make you consider migrating from a third-party app? Let us know in the comments.
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