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To add keywords to a photo or video on iPhone, open the item in the Photos app, open its Info panel, choose Add Keywords, type your keyword, and tap Done. Keywords then let you find that item later by searching for the word. Apple’s guide, Add keywords to photos and videos on iPhone, describes this workflow for iOS 27. The steps below follow that guide, along with the related search, management, and iCloud.com options.
Apple defines keywords this way: “Keywords are tags or labels you add to your photos and videos to help you easily find them.” (Apple Support, Add keywords to photos and videos on iPhone.)
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How to add keywords to a single photo or video on iPhone
The iPhone workflow works on one item at a time. Apple’s instructions cover opening and editing each photo or video individually.
- Open the Photos app and tap the photo or video you want to label.
- Open the Info panel by tapping Info, or by swiping up on the item.
- Choose Add Keywords.
- Enter one or more custom keywords. Apple’s guide notes that you can enter several keywords separated by spaces.
- Tap Done.
- Close the Info panel by swiping down.
Keep keywords short and consistent, such as receipts, passport, or Lisbon trip, so the same word returns the same set of items when you search.
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
How to add more keywords to a photo that already has them
If an item already has keywords, the Add Keywords option is replaced by a keyword field. Open the item’s Info panel, tap Edit in the keyword field, and enter the additional keywords. Apple’s iOS 27 guide describes this as the way to add more keywords to an existing item.
How to find photos and videos by keyword
Keywords are searchable through the Photos Search tab. To retrieve tagged media:
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Tap Search in the Photos app.
- Enter the keyword.
- Select the suggested result that matches your keyword.
Apple says keyword suggestions are marked with an Aa icon, which distinguishes them from other kinds of results. To narrow a search, enter several keywords separated by spaces.
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How to manage your keyword list in Photos
Keyword management is handled from the Collections area rather than from individual photos. Go to Collections, tap the profile icon in the top-right corner, and choose Manage Keywords. Apple lists the following actions:
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Add to Favorite: pins a selected keyword to the favorites list.
- Rename: changes the text of a selected keyword.
- Delete: removes a selected keyword.
- Add Keywords at the bottom of the screen: creates a new keyword.
Renaming or deleting a keyword affects how it appears in search, so review the list before removing anything you use often.
How to add keywords on iCloud.com
Apple also documents keyword editing in Photos on iCloud.com. Open an item, open Info, and then choose Add Keywords or Edit. This is an optional web workflow. Apple’s iCloud.com guide, Add star ratings, captions, keywords, and more in Photos on iCloud.com, states that keyword search on iCloud.com requires allowing Data Access and Search. The web controls are not necessarily identical to the iPhone app, so check the iCloud.com guide for the layout you see.
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
Keywords versus captions
Keywords and captions both help you find media, but they serve different purposes. Apple describes captions as text that describes a photo or video and makes it easier to find in Search. Keywords are short labels for retrieval. The two should not be treated as interchangeable.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11| Feature | Keywords | Captions |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Short tags or labels to help you find items | Descriptive text about the photo or video |
| Where Apple documents adding it | iPhone Info panel and Collections (Manage Keywords); iCloud.com Info panel | Photo and video information on iPhone (Apple Support Canada guide) |
| Search behavior | Found through Search by entering the keyword | Described by Apple as making items easier to find in Search |
Apple’s guide on photo and video information is at See photo and video information on iPhone.
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
What the instructions do not cover
- Bulk tagging: the iPhone instructions describe one item at a time. Apple’s guide does not establish a separate bulk keyword workflow, so do not plan on tagging a whole library in one step.
- iOS version: the steps above are from Apple’s guide for iOS 27. If your iPhone runs an earlier version, menu names and layout may differ.
- Web and phone parity: the iCloud.com controls are documented separately and are not guaranteed to match the iPhone app.
For the full iPhone reference, see Apple’s Add keywords to photos and videos on iPhone guide.
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