What is photoanalysisd on Mac?
By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Last reviewed
Analyses your photos in the background for Memories, People and searching by what's in them.
photoanalysisd processes your photo library in the background to power Memories, People & Pets and searching for things like 'beach' or 'dog'. The analysis happens on your Mac. It often runs when your Mac is idle and plugged in, and it can take a long time for a big library, after which it calms down.
- Category
- Apple service
- Made by
- Apple
- Safe to quit:
- With care
Shown in Activity Monitor as photoanalysisd
Why is photoanalysisd using so much CPU or memory?
- A new or large photo library being analysed
- After a macOS update, when analysis may be redone
- Importing many new photos
What to do
- 1Leave the Mac plugged in and idle (for example overnight) so it can finish
- 2Quit the Photos app; analysis often runs while it's closed and the Mac is idle
- 3Restart your Mac if it seems stuck for days
Safe to quit? With care.
macOS relaunches it later; quitting only delays the analysis.
Related guides
Related processes
Part of the Taskglass Process Library