How to force face scanning Mac

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Level 1

60 points

How to force face scanning Mac

I have a new MacBook Pro and I have placed our large Photo archives on an external hard drive. I have added all pictures to photos but used the option to not MOVE the photos into the library file so that the library on the Mac SSD wouldn't grow out of control. I have successfully added about 440,000 photos. Yesterday while I had photos loaded all the time and was still adding the odd photo it said it scanned 88,767 photos.

I have disabled sleeping on my Mac and the photo app was open and thought last night it while I was sleeping it would scan many more photos. To my disappointment it had scanned NO more photos.

I then closed the photo app and didn't use my Mac for a few hours, and it again has scanned no additional photos.

So, what is the trick to make it Scan all Photos for faces?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Dec 26, 2021 6:37 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Joe Dawson Author

Level 1

60 points

Dec 31, 2021 7:54 AM in response to Joe Dawson

So it turned out to do the last 21,000+ images having the photos app OPEN at night was required to finish the scan.

I spoke to Apple Support and the said you don't need to keep it open but it became clear after multiple days of no additional progress that this wasn't working. Two more additional days with the app open and now it looks to be done.

By done I should say it still says photo scanning will continue in the background but all photos have been scanned.

Basically no one an Apple support really know how the face scanning worked or what background process is being used. I was pushed up through a few levels of support and no one really could explain how it works or why some days no new images get scanned and the next day many images get scanned.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

210,591 points

Dec 29, 2021 10:05 AM in response to Joe Dawson

I know that when scanning for faces and objects Photos searches every frame of every video in the library. If you have lots of videos that will take some significant time.

Also if you leave Photos open but in the background, i.e. bring another app to the front like the Finder or whatever, the photoanalysisd process will continue as long as you don't shutdown the Mac.

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Answer 3

Dec 26, 2021 6:58 AM in response to Joe Dawson

Joe Dawson wrote:

I have a new MacBook Pro and I have placed our large Photo archives on an external hard drive. I have added all pictures to photos but used the option to not MOVE the photos into the library file so that the library on the Mac SSD wouldn't grow out of control. I have successfully added about 440,000 photos. Yesterday while I had photos loaded all the time and was still adding the odd photo it said it scanned 88,767 photos.

I have disabled sleeping on my Mac and the photo app was open and thought last night it while I was sleeping it would scan many more photos. To my disappointment it had scanned NO more photos.

I then closed the photo app and didn't use my Mac for a few hours, and it again has scanned no additional photos.

So, what is the trick to make it Scan all Photos for faces?

see—

How do I force Photos to scan for faces and identify them?

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250938557?answerId=251780957022#251780957022

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Answer 4

Dec 29, 2021 7:55 AM in response to Joe Dawson

Joe Dawson wrote:

If anyone has any additional information they can add as to how this whole thing works it would be great.

You can submit your Feedback and how you think it should work, directly to the Product Team —

https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos/

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Answer 5

Joe Dawson Author

Level 1

60 points

Dec 26, 2021 7:07 AM in response to leroydouglas

Thanks Leroyduglas,

That however didn't answer the question. Why the scanning of photos for faces has stopped. I had read that article prior to posting this question. And I am still stuck at 88,767 photos scanned for faces and some 350,000+ still waiting to be scanned. I want to know what I need to do to make it continue progress on that scanning. Even if it is SLOW I would like to see SOME progress and not be stuck on 88,767 photos scanned forever.

Joe

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Answer 6

Joe Dawson Author

Level 1

60 points

Dec 29, 2021 6:25 AM in response to leroydouglas

Well I have learned a little more.

The "photoanalysisd" process is the thing that finds faces.

So the next night rebooted my MacBook Pro before bed open the photo app as that stats the photoanalysisd process. Than I closed the Photos app (the photoanalysisd will should continue to run).

In the morning I went from having only 88,767 photos scanned to having 350,000+ photos scanned and now only 80,000+ remaining to scan.

The next night I repeated the process and I went from having 80,000+ photos remaining to scan to 21,600+.

The next night I again repeated the process and again 21,600+... So not one more photo scanned.

I also noticed that the photoanalysisd had exited when I closed the photos app for some reason last night. And this morning when I did open photos and closed it photoanalysisd exited. The third time I ran photos the photoanalysisd did not exit! No idea why!

This whole process of getting your initial phots scanned and the whole photo library process as JUST a background task is NUTS. You should 100% have the option to say do it now and manually start the processing of your library. It is fine to have the background option but a full I WANT TO DO THIS NOW option should exist.

If anyone has any additional information they can add as to how this whole thing works it would be great.

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