Gmail results in Spotlight
After you add a Gmail account, the app registers Gmail-derived search items with Core Spotlight so they can appear in the normal macOS Spotlight search experience.
macOS utility for Web Gmail users
Toybird Webmail Indexer
Search selected Gmail metadata from the standard macOS Spotlight window without setting up Apple Mail or downloading full message bodies.
What it does
Designed for Web Gmail
Toybird Webmail Indexer is for people who use Gmail in a browser and do not want to set up Apple Mail just to find messages from Spotlight.
Open results in Gmail
When you choose an indexed result, the app opens the matching Gmail conversation in your default browser using the signed-in Google account.
Metadata-first indexing
Toybird Webmail Indexer is intentionally limited to message metadata. It uses Gmail metadata access to read information such as subject, sender, recipients, date, labels, unread/starred/important state, attachment presence, message ID, and thread ID.
The app does not fetch full Gmail message bodies, does not download attachment files, and does not request permission to send, delete, or modify your email.
Snippets are optional per Gmail account and are off by default. If enabled, Gmail’s short snippet may be included in the local Spotlight index for that account. You can turn snippets off again and rebuild the index without snippets.
Free to start, one-time upgrade
Free: most recent 30 days
The free download indexes Gmail metadata from the most recent 30 days for each connected account.
Full History Access
An optional one-time in-app purchase unlocks longer history ranges: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, or all mail. No subscription is required.
Restore or redeem
The Upgrade screen includes Restore Purchases and Apple’s offer-code redemption flow. Pricing and code availability are shown and managed by the App Store.
Account and app controls
Multiple Gmail accounts
Add more than one Gmail account and manage snippets, history range, reindexing, and removal separately for each mailbox.
Pause, resume, remove
Pause a long-running sync, resume it later, or remove an account. Removing an account deletes its local metadata, saved tokens, and Spotlight index items.
Background and menu bar settings
Choose whether the app launches at login, appears in the menu bar, and performs background syncing. Reopen the app from Applications or Spotlight whenever you need its window.
How it works
- Open Toybird Webmail Indexer on your Mac.
- Click Add Gmail Account.
- Sign in on Google’s official sign-in page in your default browser.
- Allow Gmail metadata access.
- The app indexes the most recent 30 days first so results can become searchable quickly.
- If Full History Access is active, choose a longer range and let older metadata index afterward.
- Search from the standard macOS Spotlight window and open a result in Gmail.
Toybird Webmail Indexer stores Gmail-derived metadata locally on your Mac. It does not send Gmail metadata to Toybird Labs servers or third-party analytics services.
System Requirements
Toybird Webmail Indexer requires macOS 13 or later and a Google account with Gmail access. A browser session signed in to the target Google account is recommended when opening Gmail results.
Gmail is a trademark of Google LLC. Toybird Webmail Indexer is an independent Toybird Labs app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC.