Add keywords in Photos on Mac (2024)

macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Ventura 13

macOS Monterey 12

macOS Big Sur 11.0

macOS Catalina 10.15

macOS Mojave 10.14

macOS High Sierra

Select version:

Modifying this control will update this page automatically

Photos User Guide

Welcome
Get started
- Overview of importing
- Use iCloud Photos
- From a camera or phone
- From storage devices, DVDs, and more
- From Mail, Safari, and other apps
- From another Photos library
- Where are the photos I imported?
- Browse your photos
- View individual photos
- Play video clips
- Play Live Photos
- - View memories
  - Personalize memories
- View photo bursts
- View photos others have shared with you
- Interact with text in a photo using Live Text
- Use Visual Look Up to learn about a photo
- Isolate and copy a photo’s subject
- Add titles, captions, and more
- Add keywords
- - Show specific types of items
  - Find photos by text, content, or date
  - Find photos of a person or pet
  - Find photos by location
- - Create and work with albums
  - Group albums in folders
  - Create Smart Albums
- Delete photos or recover deleted ones
- Remove duplicates
- Hide photos from view
- Photo editing overview
- Editing basics
- Crop and straighten photos
- Use a filter to change a photo
- - Adjust a photo’s light, exposure, and more
  - Retouch photos
  - Remove red-eye
  - Adjust a photo’s white balance
  - Apply curves adjustments
  - Apply levels adjustments
  - Adjust definition
  - Apply changes to specific colors
  - Reduce noise
  - Sharpen a photo
  - Change a Portrait mode photo
  - Apply a vignette
- Write or draw on a photo
- Use other apps when editing in Photos
- Change a Live Photo
- Change a video
- Edit a Cinematic mode video
- - What is iCloud Shared Photo Library?
  - Set up or join a Shared Library
  - View a Shared Library
  - Add photos to a Shared Library
  - Remove photos from a Shared Library
- - What are shared albums?
  - Turn on Shared Albums
  - Create shared albums
  - Add, remove, and edit photos in a shared album
  - Add or remove subscribers
  - Subscribe to shared albums
- Use Messages and Mail to share photos
- Use AirDrop to share photos
- Share photos using other apps and websites
- Export photos, videos, slideshows, and memories
- Export a Live Photo as an animated GIF
- Export a still photo from a video
- Create slideshows
- Create projects using third-party apps
- Order professional prints
- Print your own photos
- System Photo Library overview
- Create additional libraries
- Back up the Photos library
- Restore from Time Machine
- Repair the library
- Change where photos and videos are stored
Photos settings
Keyboard shortcuts and gestures
Copyright

Keywords are tags or labels you add to your photos to help you easily find them. After assigning keywords to photos, you can search for photos by the keywords associated with them.

Open Photos for me

Add or remove keywords in the Info window

In the Photos app on your Mac, select the photos to which you want to add keywords.
See Also
Remove parts of an image with the Eraser Tool
Click the Info button in the toolbar.
In the Info window, click the Add a Keyword field (or the field where other keywords appear if you’ve already added some), then type a keyword and press Return to add it to the photos.
As you type, Photos suggests keywords that you’ve used before. To delete a keyword, select the keyword and press Delete.
When you’re done, close the Info window.

Add or remove keywords in the Keyword Manager

You can use the Keyword Manager to assign keywords to selected photos and manage your list of keywords.

In the Photos app on your Mac, select one or more photos.
Choose Window>Keyword Manager.
To assign keywords to the selected photos, click the keywords.
To remove a keyword from the photos, click it again.
To edit the keywords list, do any of the following:
- Add a keyword to the keywords list: Click Edit Keywords, click the Add button (+), then type the new keyword.
- Edit a keyword: Click Edit Keywords, click the keyword you want to change, click Rename, then type your changes.
- Delete a keyword from all your photos: Click Edit Keywords, select the keyword you want to delete, then click the Delete button (–).
- Add or change a keyboard shortcut for a keyword: Click Edit Keywords, select a keyword, click Shortcut, then type a keyboard shortcut.

Set up a quick-pick list of frequently used keywords

You can create a “quick-pick” list of your most common keywords so you can assign them more quickly. After your quick-pick list is set up, you can use keyboard shortcuts to assign the keywords to selected photos.

In the Photos app on your Mac, choose Window>Keyword Manager.
Drag keywords into the Quick Group area of the Keyword Manager.
Photos gives each keyword in your quick-pick list a keyboard shortcut, so you can quickly assign the keyword to a photo.
Keywords that you add to the Quick Group area also appear in the Filter By pop-up menu. You can then choose a keyword in the menu to show items with that keyword. See Show specific types of items in Photos on Mac.

Search for photos by keyword

In the Photos app on your Mac, click the search field in the toolbar.
Type a keyword in the search field.
As you type, suggested searches appear below the search field. You can type multiple words separated by a space to search for multiple keywords.
To display all your photos again after you’ve finished a search, click Cancel.

See alsoFind photos by text, content, or date in Photos on MacFind photos by location in Photos on MacFind and identify photos of people and pets in Photos on Mac

Helpful?

Thanks for your feedback.