The operating system of Mac computers is designed to be used by multiple users. Often several family members or work colleagues share a Mac: They take turns surfing the net, editing pictures or reading emails. In the best case scenario, you use separate user accounts for this (see below), but some users find this too strenuous and all users use the same login details. In this case, the aim is to prevent other users from stumbling across certain content – for example, to be able to prepare a birthday surprise in peace. macOS offers ways to do this, albeit some quite convoluted ones. In a blog post, Howard Oakley summarizes the currently known methods of putting Spotlight, Time Machine, Overview and iCloud in their place. Hide objects from Spotlight
In the Spotlight entry in the system settings, you can specifically exclude content from the search results. If you switch off certain entries from “Results from apps” and “Results from system”, they no longer appear in search results. They are still indexed. If you want to prevent this, you will find the “Search function data protection” button at the bottom. Here you define folders that should not be searched. The disadvantage: Anyone who knows this setting can view this list and find out which folders should remain unsearched.
The settings dialog “Spotlight/Data protection of the search function” hides content – and at the same time reveals the whereabouts.
Better hiding by file name (and beginning)
Direct manipulation of the folder name is less noticeable: If the folder name begins with a period or ends with “.noindex,” its contents remain hidden from Spotlight. Another method is based on a probably unintentional special case: If a text file begins with “LG” or “HGA”, its contents are also hidden from Spotlight.
There are different methods to hide folder contents from Spotlight.
Prevent uploading to iCloud Drive
Apple’s file syncing uses the iCloud Drive folder to sync content with other devices. If you don’t want that, simply move the content elsewhere. In special cases you can define a temporary exception – for this purpose append “.nosync” to the folder name. As long as you do not remove this addition, the folder and its contents will remain on this device. By removing the file name extension, you share the folder and its contents with all devices – and if it is in a folder shared with other iCloud users, they will also see it. For example, teachers can make homework available in the class’ shared folder at the end of the lesson.
iCloud considers a file folder with the addition “.nosync” to be unsuitable.
Overview (Quicklook)
macOS generally creates a thumbnail for every file that can be found using the Finder. Press when the document is selected +Y or the spacebar, a floating window also appears with an overview of the contents. This cannot be prevented for specific folders. Oakley only knows one exception: files in the ~/Library/Messages/Attachments folder do not get a preview – but only when accessed via Finder. The detour via the open dialog of the “Preview” program, among other things, displays Quicklook previews.
Quicklook doesn’t work in the attachments folder in the Messages app – at least in the Finder.
Exception for Time Machine backups
If you want to exclude a folder from regular data backup, open the “General/Time Machine” entry in the Settings app and click on “Options”. Use the plus icon to add folders that Time Machine should ignore. External drives are automatically added here – if you want to back them up, go the other way and delete them from the list. A commenter on Oakley’s post added to the series of suggestions by pointing out that folders ending in “.nobackup” would also be excluded from backup in certain versions. However, this no longer seems to work in macOS 26 (Tahoe).
macOS File Services Exceptions
| service | Settings dialog | File extension |
| Spotlight | Search Spotlight/Privacy | .noindex |
| iCloud | (none) | .nosync |
| Quicklook | (none) | (no) |
| Time Machine | General/Time Machine/Options… | (.nobackup?) |
More sustainable: Individual user accounts
In general, it is worth the effort to create a separate user account for each user under “Users & Groups”. This ensures privacy and everyone can use the browser, file management, messaging and photo apps and mail program for their own purposes. If you want to spontaneously grant visitors access to your Mac without giving them access to your digital identity, also activate the guest user account – this is completely reset every time you log out.
For guests, it is worth using the “Guest User” account, which is completely reset when you log out.
