In this guide, we walk you through features that make it easier to quickly find the right photo or video on your iPhone or iPad. Most of these also work on Mac.
Note that the first few tips below are only available on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate.
Enable star rating
Just as you can rate movies and Uber rides with 1 to 5 stars, the updated Photos app on iOS 27 and macOS 27 lets you rate your pictures and videos with stars.
Once you have done that to a few photos, you can use this rating system as a filter to see just those images that are marked 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 stars. You can also select multiple star ratings (like all media with 5 and 4 stars) to filter your library and quickly find what you’re looking for.
I mark some of my best photos as 5 stars so I can find them quickly. Similarly, I mark screenshots I only need to reference for a short while (like payment screenshots) with 1 star, then periodically delete them all.
You can decide what works best for you and use this star rating feature accordingly.
Use photo keywords
Another lesser-known new feature in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Photos app is the ‘Add Keyword’ option, which you can access by swiping up on a picture or video.
Add the desired keywords to a photo and then you can find it quickly by entering the keyword in the Photos app search bar. You can add multiple keywords to a single photo. You can even mark some keywords as favorites and then filter your entire photo library based on your selected favorite keyword(s).
Add title or captions
Similar to keywords, you can swipe up on a photo or video and add a title or caption. When you need to find this photo, simply type the caption in the search bar to see it instantly in the results.
Use the filter option
This is powerful, but not many people use it.
In the Library tab of your Photos app, tap the three-line icon at the top to find a bunch of useful options. Start with the Filter section that lets you see:
- Only your favorites
- Edited photos
- Pictures people have shared with you in Messages, and you saved them to your device (Tap View Options and select it if you don’t see it under ‘Filter:’)
- Pictures and videos you have recorded on this or previous iPhones
- Stuff that is not part of an album
- Media you have marked with 1 to 5 star ratings
- Only Photos, Videos, Screenshots
- Only pictures marked with favorite keywords
Once you have worked through your narrowed-down media, tap the same three-line icon and select Remove Filter or All Items to return to full library view.
Use Collections tab
The Collections tab in the iOS Photos app has several pre-made sections and categories that organize your images and videos. For instance, the new Identity Documents Utilities section in iOS 27 brings together all photos you took of your ID cards, passports, and such.
Similarly, if you take spatial photos, RAW photos, or Panoramas, you can see them all in one place under their respective sections in the Media Types category.
Other tips
Use Search properly: The Photos app search is powerful. Describe what you are looking for in plain English (like family pictures from beach day), and it will surface relevant photos, provided you have them in your library.
Add to albums and album folders: Adding photos and videos to albums is a great organization tip that lets you find those items quickly when you need them. You can go further by arranging several albums into album folders.
So, you can have an album for your child’s 1st birthday to see all those pictures. Next year, you can create another album for their 2nd birthday and put both albums in an album folder named ‘Joe’s Birthday.’ Add all future birthday albums to this folder; you get the idea…
Use favorites: Marking some of your best photos and videos as favorites (heart) lets you see them all in one place.
Use Hidden: This is yet another place where you can keep some sensitive items that you don’t want others to peek into. The Hidden folder is secured by your device’s Face ID, Touch ID, and passcode.
What do you do to better organize your photo library on iPhone or iPad?
- New features added to iPhone Photos app in iOS 27
- 11 features I wish iCloud Photos had
