mediaanalysisd using high CPU on a Mac: what it analyses, and when it stops
mediaanalysisd scans photos and videos for faces, objects and text. It mostly works while the Mac is idle. Why it spikes, how long it lasts, and what it saves.
What is mediaanalysisd?
It analyses photos and videos: who is in them, what objects and scenes, which text can be selected, what Visual Look Up can identify. Photos, Spotlight and Live Text use the results. It runs as you, from /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MediaAnalysis.framework.
On our Mac it had been running for eight hours and sat at 0.0% CPU with 2 to 11 MB of memory: nothing new to analyse.
Why is mediaanalysisd using so much CPU?
- A large import into Photos, or turning on iCloud Photos on a new Mac.
- A macOS update that brings new analysis models, which means analysing the whole library again.
- Video, which costs far more than still photos.
It is built to work when the Mac is idle, and does most of it while plugged in. Using the Mac pauses it; leaving it on charge overnight lets it finish.
Can I stop mediaanalysisd?
You can quit it, and macOS starts it again. There is no switch for the analysis itself. Letting it finish is the real fix; on a large library that can take a night or two. Its results are stored on disk, which is covered in the Photos analysis cache.
See it live
Free Mac's System tab ranks every process by processor use and energy impact, once a second, and marks the ones macOS will not let you quit as protected. See also photoanalysisd and what energy impact means.
Related: photoanalysisd and the bird process.
Common questions
What is mediaanalysisd on a Mac?
A macOS process that analyses photos and videos for faces, objects, scenes and text, for Photos, Spotlight and Live Text.
Why is mediaanalysisd using so much CPU?
It is working through new photos or videos, often after an import or a macOS update. It settles when done.
Can I disable mediaanalysisd?
Not with a setting. Quitting it only pauses it; let it finish, ideally on charge overnight.