Guide to Disabling mediaanalysisd, photoanalysisd, and photolibraryd on macOS

These processes (mediaanalysisd, photoanalysisd, and photolibraryd) are related to Photos app analysis tasks, including facial recognition, object categorization, and organizing photos. They can consume a significant amount of CPU and memory. While disabling them may stop automatic photo analysis, it can also limit some features of the Photos app. Below is a unique and straightforward guide to managing and disabling these processes.

Step 1: Quit the Photos App & Background Syncing

Ensure the Photos app is closed. Many of these processes run in the background even after the app is closed to continue syncing and analyzing data.

1. Force Quit:
   • Open the Activity Monitor (Search “Activity Monitor” using Spotlight).
   • Look for mediaanalysisd, photoanalysisd, and photolibraryd.
   • Select each process and click the “X” button to force quit.

   This only temporarily stops the processes. To disable them from restarting, follow the steps below.

Step 2: Disable Background Processes Using Terminal Commands

You can stop macOS from launching these services using Terminal commands.

1. Open Terminal:
   • Press Cmd + Space and type “Terminal”.
2. Run the following commands:
   • To disable photoanalysisd:

     launchctl disable gui/$(id -u)/com.apple.photoanalysisd

   • To disable mediaanalysisd:

     launchctl disable gui/$(id -u)/com.apple.mediaanalysisd

   • To disable photolibraryd:

     launchctl disable gui/$(id -u)/com.apple.photolibraryd

3. Verify the changes: After running the commands, check if the processes are still active:

   ps aux | grep -E 'photoanalysisd|mediaanalysisd|photolibraryd'

   If nothing shows up or the processes are not running, you’ve successfully disabled them.

Step 3: Disable Photos App Access to iCloud (Optional)

If you are syncing your photo library with iCloud, these processes will frequently re-trigger for synchronization. Disabling iCloud Photos can reduce background activity.

1. Open System Preferences → Apple ID.
2. Select iCloud from the sidebar.
3. Uncheck Photos.

This will stop macOS from syncing your photos to iCloud.

Step 4: Re-enable the Processes (If Needed)

If you want to restore these processes:

1. Open Terminal.
2. Run the following commands:

launchctl enable gui/$(id -u)/com.apple.photoanalysisd 

launchctl enable gui/$(id -u)/com.apple.mediaanalysisd 

launchctl enable gui/$(id -u)/com.apple.photolibraryd

Additional Tips:

• Energy Saver Settings: Turn off “Wake for network access” to prevent background syncing.
• Use Optimized Storage: If your system is slow due to Photos syncing, you can enable Optimized Mac Storage to save space and reduce performance impact.

By following these steps, you can stop photo-related processes that consume system resources while keeping your Mac running smoothly.