Bottom Line: It is safe to clear mediaanalysisd cache containers. macOS Photos app uses background AI models to index faces, memories, and text OCR across your photo library.
Why Does macOS Photos Analysis Cache Exist?
When your Mac is idle and plugged into power, macOS runs background daemons (mediaanalysisd, photoanalysisd) that scan photos for facial recognition, pet detection, scene analysis, and Live Text OCR indexing.
- Primary Purpose: Local AI indexing for visual search, memories, and facial grouping inside Photos.app.
- Storage Impact: Large photo libraries with 50,000+ images generate 2 GB to 15 GB of analysis database files.
- Location: Stored in
~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mediaanalysisd/Data/Library/Caches.
What Happens If You Delete Photos Analysis Cache?
- System Safety: ✅ 100% Safe to Delete. Original full-resolution photos remain 100% safe.
- Background Re-indexing: macOS will pause visual search until photos are analyzed again when idle.
- Reclaimed Storage: Frees 2 GB to 15 GB of SSD space.
How to Clear Photos Analysis Cache
# Clear mediaanalysisd cache container
rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mediaanalysisd/Data/Library/Caches/*Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why is photoanalysisd using 100% CPU on my Mac?
After importing thousands of new photos or installing a major macOS update, photoanalysisd runs background machine learning models to index images. The CPU spike stops automatically when indexing finishes.
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