How to add keywords to photos & videos on iPhone in iOS 27

Find out how to add keywords to your photos and videos on iPhone and iPad in iOS 27 so you can easily search for them using those keywords and find them very quickly.

Unlike the Settings app search, which has been broken for a few years now, the Photos app search is decent. It already lets you search for generic terms like food and shows all matching food photos across cuisines and styles. Similarly, if you’re looking for a picture of your ID card, typing your name or ID name should bring that matching photo right up.

Still, some photos are too complex to describe in the search field. That is where adding manual keywords helps.

You can add whatever keyword you want to a photo or video (just make sure you remember it). Later, when you want to find that item, simply enter the keyword in the search box, and it will appear. You can even mark certain keywords as favorites and then filter your entire library based on them!

Apple says keywords are tags or labels that help you find your photos and videos easily.

I have about 15 images and videos that I need to send repeatedly to different people. So, I have added the same keyword (my business name) to them. And now, just typing that keyword in the Photos app search shows them to me.

Extra info: I also use a free app we developed called Paste Snippets to quickly enter the same repetitive text in my emails and messages.

macOS Photos app already supported adding keywords. With the latest update, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, the same feature is now available on smaller screens.

Note that adding keywords is in addition to the existing photo captions feature, which serves the same fundamental purpose: helping you find a particular photo or video quickly and easily. But unlike keywords, you can’t filter your library based on captions.

Add keywords to photos and videos in iOS 27

1) Update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 27 or iPadOS 27.

2) Go to the Photos app and open a picture, screenshot, or video.

3) Swipe up or tap the info icon ⓘ.

4) Tap Keywords at the bottom of the screen.

Tap info icon for photo followed by Add Keywords on iPhone

5) Type the desired keywords. You can add multiple keywords by tapping the checkmark key on the keyboard to add a line.

6) Finally, tap the checkmark icon to save the changes.

Adding keywords to a photo on iPhone in iOS 27

Search for photos and videos by added keyword

Go to the Photos app and tap the search button.
Type the recently added keywords in the search box; the relevant image should appear in the search results.
As you type, search suggestions appear in a small box. The one for keywords has Aa before it, and tapping it will show all photos and videos where you have added that keyword.

Searching using keywords in iPhone Photos

Keyword search worked instantly for me right after I added it. But if it doesn’t work for you, leave your iPhone charging overnight so everything can be indexed properly, and then keyword search should work well.

Edit added keyword

Swipe up on a photo and tap Edit in the keywords section to change it.

See all your keywords in one spot

The iOS 27 Photos app lets you see all your added keywords in one spot. You can rename, delete, or add keywords to favorites from there.

1) Open the Photos app and switch to the Collections tab.

2) Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.

3) Scroll down and tap Manage Keywords.

4) You’ll see all your keywords here. Tap one to rename it, delete it, or mark it as a favorite (more on it below). You can also add a keyword here, and then select it from suggestions when adding a keyword to a photo.

Add keyword to favorites and filter by it

Marking a keyword lets you add it to the new Keyword filter options when you’re in your photo library, albums, or collections. For instance, I can mark a keyword like ‘iDownloadBlog’ as a favorite and then select it as a filtering option to see all photos with ‘iDownloadBlog’ added as a keyword. Here’s how to use it.

1) Go to the Manage Keywords section, tap a keyword, and add it to your favorites.

2) Switch to the Library tab of the Photos app.

3) Tap the three-line icon at the top and select Keywords, followed by your favorite keyword(s) to see all those photos.