How to Use Apple Intelligence for Semantic Search in Mac Photos

Select Language:

If you’re having trouble with the new AI-powered search features in Photos on your Mac, you’re not alone. Many users have tried using natural language phrases like “Photos from my recent trip to Germany” or “Rome monuments,” expecting these searches to find relevant images. However, these commands often don’t work the way they should, and only basic keyword searches seem to yield results.

Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to help get Apple’s semantic search up and running on your Mac:

1. Make sure your region is set to the United States. You can check this in System Settings under Region.
2. Set the language to English (US). This also can be found in System Settings, under Language & Region.
3. Keep your Photos library stored on an internal APFS drive. External drives or non-APFS formats might cause issues.
4. Verify that Apple Intelligence is enabled. You can do this in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements, then turn on options related to Siri and Photos.
5. Once everything is set, leave Photos open overnight. The system needs some time to index your photos and build the AI features properly.
6. If your indexing seems stuck, you might need to reset the photo analysis process. To do this, close Photos, then restart your Mac. Sometimes, deleting certain cache files related to photo analysis can help, but this step should be done carefully.
7. After the system has finished indexing, reopen Photos and try your semantic search commands again.

Following these steps should improve your chances of using natural language search successfully. Remember, these AI features are still evolving, and sometimes it takes a bit of patience to get everything working smoothly.