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Photos User Guide
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Table of Contents

Photos User Guide

  • Welcome
  • Get started
    • Overview of importing
    • Use iCloud Photos
    • Import from a camera or phone
    • Import from storage devices
    • Import from Mail, Safari, and other apps
    • Import from another photo library
    • Where are the items I imported?
    • Browse your photo library
    • Browse photo collections
    • View photos and videos
    • View photo bursts
    • See photo and video information
      • Find photos and videos by date
      • Find and name people and pets
      • Find group photos and videos
      • Find photos and videos by location
      • View photos and videos you recently saved
      • Find your travel photos and videos
      • Find receipts, documents, recently edited photos, and more
      • Find screenshots, Live Photos, and more by media type
      • Filter your photo library
      • Search for photos and videos
    • Use Live Text to interact with text in a photo
    • Use Visual Look Up to learn more about a photo
    • Isolate and share a photo’s subject
    • Delete photos and videos or recover deleted ones
    • Remove duplicates
    • Hide photos and videos from view
    • Add titles, captions, and more
    • Add keywords
      • Create and work with albums
      • Group albums in folders
      • Create Smart Albums
      • Watch memories
      • Personalize memories
      • Feature certain people and content less
    • Editing basics
    • Crop and straighten photos and videos
      • Add filters
      • Adjust light, exposure, and color
      • Remove distractions and imperfections
      • Remove red-eye
      • Adjust white balance
      • Apply curves adjustments
      • Apply levels adjustments
      • Adjust definition
      • Adjust specific colors
      • Reduce noise
      • Sharpen a photo
      • Apply a vignette
      • Change Photographic Styles
      • Change a Portrait mode photo
    • 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
    • Share photos and videos
      • Turn on Shared Albums
      • Create or join shared albums
      • Add, remove, and edit photos and videos in a shared album
      • Add and remove people in a shared album
      • 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
    • 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
    • Print your own photos
    • Order professional prints
    • Photo library overview
    • Create additional libraries
    • Back up your library
    • Restore from Time Machine
    • Repair your photo library
    • Change where photos and videos are stored
  • Photos settings
  • Keyboard shortcuts and gestures
  • Copyright and trademarks

Add keywords to photos and videos on Mac

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

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Select the photos you want to add keywords to.

  3. Click the Info button in the toolbar.

  4. 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.

  5. When you’re done, close the Info window.

Edit keywords using the Keyword Manager

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

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Select one or more photos, then choose Window > Keyword Manager.

    Keywords in the Keyword Manager window, with the Quick Group area at the top and an Edit Keywords button in the lower left.
  3. To assign keywords to the selected photos, click the keywords.

    To remove a keyword from the photos, click it again.

  4. 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, then select the keyword you want to change. Click Rename and type your changes, then press Return.

    • Delete a keyword from all your photos: Click Edit Keywords, select the keyword you want to delete, then click the Remove 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.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Choose Window > Keyword Manager.

  3. 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. You can also change the keyboard shortcut. See