Find and name photos of people and pets on Mac

The Photos app sorts photos and videos of people, dogs, and cats in the People & Pets collection (or the People collection if no pets appear). You can name a person, dog, or cat directly from a photo or video in your photo library, or in People & Pets.

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Name a person or pet in a photo or video

When you name a person or pet in a photo or video, they’re automatically added to People & Pets and their name attaches to other photos and videos in your library.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Double-click a photo or video to open it, then do one of the following:

    • Choose View > Show Face Names. Click the name (or click “unnamed”) under a person or pet, type a name, then press Return (or choose a name that appears as you type).

    • Click the Info button in the toolbar. Click the Add button, drag the circle to position it over the person or pet if necessary, click the Name field and type a name, then press Return.

      You can click the Add button multiple times to name multiple people or pets in a photo or video. To remove a name that you added to a person or pet, Control-click the circle over the person or pet, then choose This is Not [name].

To stop showing names in photos and videos, choose View > Hide Face Names.

Name a person or pet in the People & Pets collection

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

    Note: If you use iCloud Shared Photo Library, you must choose Both Libraries from the Library pop-up menu in the toolbar to see items in People & Pets.

  3. Double-click a person or pet to see the photos of that person or pet.

  4. Click the More button in the toolbar, then click Name this Person. Enter a name (or choose a name that appears as you type), click Next, then click Done.

    All the photos in the collection are assigned the name. If you want to change the name, double-click the person or pet and change the name.

Change the key photo for a person or pet

You can change the photo that represents a person or pet in the People & Pets collection. This is the photo you double-click to see all the photos and videos of that person or pet.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Double-click a person or pet.

  4. Control-click a photo, then choose Make Key Photo

Mark a person or pet as a favorite

Mark the people or pets that you interact with the most as favorites so it’s easier to find them in the People & Pets collection.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Click the Favorite button on a photo of a person or pet to mark them as a favorite.

    To remove them from favorites, click the Unfavorite button.

Change names or labels

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Control-click the photo or video with a person or pet whose name you want to change, then choose Rename.

  4. Enter a name (or choose a name that appears as you type), click Next, then click Done.

Sort People & Pets alphabetically or manually

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Click Sort, then do one of the following:

    • Sort alphabetically: Choose Sort by Name.

    • Sort manually: Choose Sort by Custom Order, then drag a key photo to a new position.

Remove a person or pet

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Control-click the item, then choose Hide this Person.

  4. Click Hide from People & Pets Album.

Tip: If you prefer, you can feature a person or pet less frequently instead of removing them. See Feature a person, a place, or holidays less often.

When you use iCloud Photos, People & Pets is kept up to date on all your devices.

Merge duplicate people or pets

If you find more than one group of photos that have the same person or pet, you can merge them.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Select the people or pets that you want to combine.

  4. Control-click one of the selected items, then choose Merge [number] People.

Confirm additional photos of a person or pet

When Photos suggests additional photos of a person or pet, you can review them and confirm a name to apply.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. Click Collections in the sidebar, then click People & Pets (or People).

  3. Double-click a person or pet.

  4. Click the More button, then click Review More Photos.

  5. Click Yes or Not to accept or reject each suggestion.

  6. When you’re finished reviewing photos, click Done.

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