What to Know

• On Home or Lock Screen: Swipe down from the middle>enter search term > select result or tapShow More.
• iOS 16 and later: TapSearchat the bottom of the Home Screen and use shortcuts from search results.
• iOS 17 or later: Perform quick actions within search results in Spotlight.

This article explains how to use the Spotlight Search feature on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 and later.

How to Open the Spotlight Search Screen

Instead of hunting through page after page of apps, use the iPad's search feature to find what you're looking for quickly.

Spotlight Search searches your entire iOS device including your music, contacts, and email, and it searches outside your iPad or iPhone to bring in results from the web and the App Store.

To open Spotlight Search on your iPad or iPhone, swipe down from the middle of the screen to view the search field.

You can open Spotlight on the Lock or Home Screen in iOS 16 and later.

On iPad, you'll see the Spotlight Search screen and search bar at the top of the display. This box also contains other options, such as Siri Suggestions, Weather, and Calendar events.

On iPhones and iPads, you can choose which apps appear in Spotlight Search fromSettings > Siri & Search> selected app >Show App in Search.

On iPhone, this search bar appears toward the middle of the Home Screen, and results display above the search field.

How to Use Spotlight Search 

You can search for anything on your iPad or iPhone, including contacts and email messages. Spotlight Search can also search inside apps, so you might see results from a recipe app or a phrase saved in Notes or a text message. 

You have several options when searching for and interacting with Spotlight Search results. Here are a few.

Search for Specific Apps

Open the Spotlight Search screen and start typing the app's name in the search field. To open the app you're looking for, tap the icon that appears in the search results.

Perform Quick Actions

Some apps present helpful shortcuts and quick actions from Spotlight Search on an iPhone.

For example, in iOS 16, searching for the Timer app brings up a timer shortcut, which you can set and monitor right from Spotlight.

In iOS 17 or later, you may be able to perform actions for certain apps directly from Spotlight. Option include:

• If you search for Airplane Mode, the toggle feature appears as a top result.
• You could also search Shazaam in Spotlight and use the Recognize Music quick action to learn details about a song.

Find Songs

The feature can also save you time browsing your device's song library. Instead of opening the Music app and scrolling through a lengthy list for a particular item, open Spotlight Search and start typing in the name of the song or band. The search results quickly narrow, and tapping the name launches the song in the Music app.

Search Restaurants and Businesses

You can also search nearby businesses like restaurants.

For example, if you type a particular restaurant name or cuisine in the search field, you may see nearby recommendations within certain apps like Yelp or Doordash, the option to search the web, or a Search Maps option to view locations and driving directions.