macOS27 System Settings not listing Applications

As you are expecting, going to System Settings > General > Storage and clicking the (i) next to Applications should show all of your installed apps.

If yours only shows Safari, then that is not expected behavior. The first thing to try is to rebuild the Spotlight index.

Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

If that doesn’t work, Copy/Paste this into Terminal. sudo will ask for your password. Just type the password and hit return. It won't show anything on screen. Those two commands essentially nuke all the Spotlight records then force a reindex. You may need to restart or log out/in after running the commands.

sudo mdutil -X /; sudo mdutil -i on /

If the above steps do not work, you will need to reinstall macOS. That can be done without deleting your data, though I would certainly recommend having a backup first.

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

I have seen one prior report of this, on macOS 26 Tahoe. For that user, rebuilding the Spotlight index did not correct the issue, but reinstalling macOS did.

IIf System Settings >> General >> Storage >> Applications shows only Safari after updating to macOS 27, this differs from Apple's description of the Applications category, which is intended to show apps installed on the Mac, excluding system applications. Apple: Find and delete files on your Mac

First, check Apple menu  >> About This Mac and note the exact macOS 27 version and build number. Then check System Settings >> General >> Software Update to make sure there isn't a newer update available.

Next, open Finder >> Applications and confirm that your other applications are present. In System Settings >> General >> Storage >> Applications, note whether the list has finished calculating, whether only Safari is listed, and what storage amount is shown for Applications. 

If your apps are installed on a different volume rather than the macOS startup disk, note that as well.

It would also be helpful to know how many times the Mac has been restarted normally using Apple menu  >> Restart since macOS 27 was installed.

Then start the Mac in Safe Mode and check the same Storage view. 

Does Applications still show only Safari? Apple says Safe Mode can help determine whether a problem is related to software that loads when the Mac starts up. Apple: Start up your Mac in safe mode

If another user account is available, check System Settings >> General >> Storage >> Applications there as well. Does it still show only Safari?

Apple's current macOS 27 release notes do not document this specific Storage >> Applications behaviour as a known issue. Apple: macOS 27 release notes

JJGraphics wrote:

1. None of that resolves the issue.

The Mac is fully up to date on macOS27.0.1

2. Apps are installed on the Mac, all are present and function normally.

3. The Storage list has finished calculating.

4. The Mac has been re-started multiple times since macOS27 was installed when the issue first appeared and also since the update to macOS 27.0.1 was installed.

5. The issue persists in Safe Mode.

6. The issue persists in another user account.

To avoid a game of 20 questions   

Download the Application Etrecheck  ( External Link ) directly from the Developer.

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer.

It makes a coherent and readable inventory of both the Hardware and Software used on the computer 

The application is free or paid for added features. 

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 

Post back the Full Report - Share Report >> Copy , then  paste  >>>> using the Additional Text Icon  <<<<

FIXED!

1. EtreCheck showed nothing wrong.

2. Reinstalling macOS27 did not resolve the problem.

3. Spotlight re-index solved the problem and considerably reduced the System Data.

Thanks to all who made suggestions!

John

JJGraphics wrote:

Since updating to macOS 27, System Settings &gt; General &gt; Storage &gt; Applications only shows Safari.

First of all, that "Storage" display is worse than useless. It's confusing and misleading. If this is your only complaint, then I suggest you ignore it. You aren't missing anything.

That display is driven by Spotlight. Have you made any changes to Spotlight? Can you search apps normally in Siri, Finder, and that awful new replacement for the old LaunchPad?

Generally speaking, Spotlight is really problematic. It was rewritten for macOS 27. It's too early to say if it performs any better. I haven't seen any evidence that it does. It's possible that you have some 3rd party apps that have Spotlight plugins that have gone insane. You could disable those in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions.

But again, if this is your only problem, count your blessings and leave well enough alone.

None of that resolves the issue.

1. The Mac is fully up to date on macOS27.0.1
2. Apps are installed on the Mac, all are present and function normally.
3. The Storage list has finished calculating.
4. The Mac has been re-started multiple times since macOS27 was installed when the issue first appeared and also since the update to macOS 27.0.1 was installed.
5. The issue persists in Safe Mode.
6. The issue persists in another user account.

I've also noticed, too, that my MacBook has been running OVER 300 during the first 7-10 minutes, too. Is this something else, or indirectly related with this issue? I'm running 27.0.1, too, and the issue has not gone away.

Also, I'm concerned about using such a powerful tool as 'mdutil'. Periodically running this command to fix the app index isn't a solution...it's a band-aid.

rad2026 wrote:

I've also noticed, too, that my MacBook has been running OVER 300 during the first 7-10 minutes, too. Is this something else, or indirectly related with this issue?

OVER 300...what? If you mean over 300% CPU activity, keep I mind that the 'denominator' is based on the number of cores. For example, my M4 Pro MBP has 14 CPU cores, so 'maxed out' would be 1400% CPU utilization.

I'm running 27.0.1, too, and the issue has not gone away.

The current version of macOS is 27.2.  

See: Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

Also, I'm concerned about using such a powerful tool as 'mdutil'. Periodically running this command to fix the app index isn't a solution...it's a band-aid.

If you need to run it periodically, there is something else going on. Personally, I have never needed to force Spotlight to reindex my Mac or run mdutil or other Terminal commands to 'fix' a problem.