macOS process library
What is mediaanalysisd on Mac?
mediaanalysisd analyzes the photos and videos on your Mac to recognize what’s in them. That work supports features like searching Photos for objects and scenes, Live Text, and Visual Look Up. It runs in the background and does much of its work when your Mac isn’t busy with other things.
- Part of
- macOS’s Media Analysis framework, used by Photos and other system features.
- Safe?
- Yes. It is part of macOS.
- Can I quit it?
- You can, but macOS starts it again and the analysis continues later.
The short answer
A busy mediaanalysisd usually means there’s a lot of new media to analyze: after a macOS upgrade, after turning on iCloud Photos, or after importing a big library. It’s temporary. Leave your Mac on power and let it finish.
Normal use
What mediaanalysisd usually looks like.
Once your library has been analyzed, mediaanalysisd mostly sits idle and wakes briefly when you add new photos or videos.
After big changes it can run for hours or longer, depending on the size of your library. Videos take more work than photos.
Why mediaanalysisd uses so much CPU or memory
- A macOS upgrade
Updates can bring new analysis models, which means your library gets analyzed again.
- Turning on iCloud Photos
Photos arriving from iCloud on a new Mac all need analyzing on that Mac.
- Importing a large library
Thousands of new photos and videos, from a camera, a phone, or another library, are queued for analysis.
- Lots of video
Video files are much bigger than photos and take longer to process.
How to calm mediaanalysisd down
Start at the top. Each step is more disruptive than the one before.
- Let it finish on power
Leave your Mac plugged in and awake, for example overnight. Background analysis tends to make the most progress when the Mac is idle.
- Hold off on big imports
If you need your Mac’s full speed now, wait to import more photos and videos until a better time.
- Quit apps you don’t need
Freeing up CPU and memory lets analysis finish sooner and leaves more room for what you’re doing.
- Update macOS
Go to System Settings → General → Software Update.
- Restart
If it stays busy for days with no new media, a restart can clear a stuck run.
Seeing it in Spare
Find what it’s reacting to.
mediaanalysisd does most of its work in the background, often while you’re away. Spare’s “While you were away” summary and its Recap window show how busy your Mac was and which workloads used the most CPU, so you can tell whether background work is still going on.
Spare treats mediaanalysisd as a system task and never offers to stop it.
Common questions
About mediaanalysisd
Is mediaanalysisd a virus?
No. It is part of macOS and analyzes your media for features like Photos search and Live Text.
Why did mediaanalysisd start after I updated macOS?
Updates can trigger your library to be analyzed again. It’s temporary and stops once the work is done.
Can I turn off mediaanalysisd?
There’s no supported way to switch it off, and Photos search and related features depend on it. It quiets down once your library is analyzed.
How long does mediaanalysisd take?
It depends on how many photos and videos you have. Small libraries usually finish quickly. Very large ones can take days of idle time.
Related processes
Sources: MacSecurity: What is mediaanalysisd on Mac?. Reviewed October 6, 2026.
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