Have you ever tried search for files using Spotlight only to get buried by a bunch of irrelevant results? If so, this quick tip should help you clean up your Spotlight results.

Spotlight has a handy feature that allows you to exclude certain directories from the Spotlight results. You can use it to exclude junk email folder, temporary directories and even Time Machine backup volumes. It’s pretty easy to setup.

First, open up the Spotlight Preferences Pane. Click System Preferences -> Spotlight.

Next, click the Privacy Button

This opens up a list of directories that you wish to exclude from your results. Choose them and click ok. You’ll see the directories appear in the Privacy list.

Hope that helps you keep your Spotlight results more relevant.