Photos Version 9.0 (661.0.111) on Sonoma 14.6.1 search function does not work. I have iCloud storage and the searches work on my phone and iPad

I found this today and it seems to have fixed my very frustrating problem. AFTER making a back up of your library... control click on it and choose "show package contents" then follow these steps (someone in another thread posted this)

There is a folder inside that container called Database with a sub folder called "Search". After ensuring I had a backup of my photos library AND a copy of the contents of this database folder in the library, I deleted all the files and the folder called "search".

I then launched the photos app and it rebuilt the database. Viola, keyword search is working now.

Mike, same issue here! Same version of photos, same OS, same Chip (M1 Mac Studio).

Search does not work or only finds a dozen photos where it's supposed to find hundreds.

Any help is highly appreciated!

And same here. None of the online "solutions" work. I am looking for photos taken at a location, but there is no "Places" link on the menu bar, and no option to choose "Nearby photos" once you do find a picture taken at that location. It would be really useful to be able to do this. Using Safari, running Sonoma 14.6.1

I'm having the same problem. Same software but on an M1 mac studio. I feel like this started after the last update. I've been in contact with Apple Support but so far they have not been able to help me. I have reinstalled the OS, rebuilt the photo library several times which requires a long time for photos to sync with iCloud. It seems like an issue with the index file because if I add a keyword to a photo and then search a year I'll get some albums and memories (but not all) and it says indexing under the search box. I've left photos open and running for days on end and it doesn't help. I have the library on an external drive. It's been set up like this for almost two years and WAS working perfectly. It's driving me crazy.

It's likely not the update, since most of us are not having problems. This is what I wrote someone else:

I think that I would wait a bit-- the new macOS, Sequoia, may come out this week, certainly in the next few weeks. The problem is not with Photos, but with your Library. (Mine works OK.) But when you upgrade, the Photos Library will be upgraded to work with Sequoia, as well. So upgrading might fix it. Maybe not, but if waiting isn't a big problem, that might be the easiest thing to try.

citromike wrote: I just recently realized that I cannot do searches on the iCloud database

The functions available on Photos at iCloud.com are pretty basic-- well, maybe less than basic, since there's no search function. I know that a search field has in the past been a route into bypassing safeguards, so this the lack of function may be a security feature. Just guessing, here...