How to Label Faces in Google Photos

To assign a label to a face in Google Photos, click or tap the search box and then select a face. Then, type a name so that you can easily find pictures of this person in Google Photos. You’ll be able to change label names at any time, remove photos from labels, and group similar faces under the same label. You’ll also be able to hide certain faces from the search results! This wikiHow teaches you how to use Google’s Face Grouping feature to improve your searches in Google Photos.

Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Labeling Faces Using Mobile App

  1. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 1
    1
    Tap the Google Photos icon. It's the multicolored pinwheel icon on your home screen or in the app drawer.
  2. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 2
    2
    Make sure Face Grouping is on. Otherwise, you won’t be able to group by face.[1]
    • Tap profile photo or initials and select Photos Settings.
    • Tap Group similar faces.
    • Make sure the "Face Grouping" switch is in the On position. (You can turn this off at any time)
    • To label pets as well as people, toggle on the "Show pets with people" option.
    • Tap the back arrow to return to Photos.
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  3. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 3
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    Tap Search. It's at the bottom of the screen. The search menu will expand, containing a row of several small face photos.
    • If you don’t see any faces, this feature is unavailable in your country.[2]
  4. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 4
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    Tap View All next to the row of faces. Now you’ll see all the faces identified by Google in your photos.
    • Don’t panic if you see two photos of the same person in this list—you’ll be able to group them later.
  5. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 5
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    Tap a face to label. A new screen will appear, with that person’s face at the top and the words "Add a name" at the top.
  6. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 6
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    Enter a name for this face. Tap "Add a name," and then type a name for this person. Because labels are just to help you search your photos, nobody will see this name except you.
  7. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 7
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    Tap Done to save the label. Now you can label additional faces the same way.
    • If you have multiple groupings of the same face, you can merge them by giving them the same name.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Labeling Faces Using Website

  1. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 14
    1
    Navigate to http://photos.google.com. You can use Google’s Face Grouping feature to label similar faces, making it possible to find photos by searching by a person’s name. If you’re not already signed in to Google Photos, do so now.
  2. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 15
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    Make sure Face Grouping is turned on. Before you can assign labels to and group similar faces, you must make sure the feature is enabled (and available in your area).[3]
    • Click the gear at the top-right corner.
    • Click Group Similar Faces.
    • Toggle on the "Face grouping" option.
    • To label pets as well as people, toggle on the "Show pets with people" option.
    • Click your browser’s back button to return to your photos.
  3. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 16
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    Click in the search box. A list of face icons will appear near the top of the expanded search menu. If you don’t see a photo of the face you want to label, click the right arrow to view more faces.[4]
  4. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 17
    4
    Click a face photo to label. Don’t worry if you see the same person in multiple face photos. You’ll be able to group them later.
    • Don’t panic if you see two photos of the same person in this list—you’ll be able to group them later.
  5. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 19
    5
    Enter a name for this face. Click "Add a name," and then type a name for this person. Because labels are just to help you search your photos, nobody will see this name except you.
  6. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 20
    6
    Click Done. Now when you search for that name in the search field, photos of that person will appear in the results.
    • If you have multiple groupings of the same face, you can merge them by giving them the same name. You'll be asked to verify whether the faces are the same—if you confirm, the faces will be merged.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Removing Photos from a Label

  1. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 26
    1
    Open Google Photos on your device. Start by opening Google Photos on your mobile device or by pointing your web browser to http://photos.google.com.
  2. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 15
    2
    Click in the search field. If you're using the mobile app, tap the Search icon at the bottom instead. The search menu will appear, and you’ll see the list of faces near the top.
  3. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 27
    3
    Type the label into the search field. You should see the label appear at the top of the search results.
  4. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 28
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    Select the label from the search results. Now you’ll see that label’s page, containing all photos associated with that face label—including the one(s) that don’t belong there.
  5. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 29
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    Click the ⁝ menu at the top right corner of the page. A brief menu will appear.
  6. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 30
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    Select Remove Label Results. A circle will appear at the top left corner of each photo. This is so you can select multiple photos at once if you wish.
  7. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 31
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    Click or tap the circle to select a photo to remove. You can click or tap multiple photos to select more than one.
  8. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 32
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    Click or tap Remove. This link is at the top right corner of the page. Once clicked, the face label will be removed from the photo.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Renaming or Removing a Label

  1. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 33
    1
    Open Google Photos. Start by opening Google Photos on your mobile device or by pointing your web browser to http://photos.google.com.
  2. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 23
    2
    Click in the search field. If you're using the mobile app, tap the Search icon at the bottom instead. The search menu will appear, and you’ll see the list of faces near the top.
  3. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 34
    3
    Type the label into the search field. The label you want to change should appear first in the search results.
  4. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 35
    4
    Select the label from the search results. Now you’ll see that face label’s page, containing all photos associated with that face label.
  5. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 36
    5
    Click the three-dot menu at the top right corner. A menu will appear.
  6. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 37
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    Select Edit Name Label to rename the label. To change the current label name to something else:[5]
    • Backspace over the current label name.
    • Type a new name for the label.
    • Tap the back arrow to save your changes.
  7. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 38
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    Select Remove Name Label to delete the label. The photos will not be deleted, just the label will be removed.
    • The next time you search for something in Google Photos, you’ll notice that the face formerly associated with this label will now appear in the list of label-less faces. You can add a new label at any time.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Hiding Faces from the Search Results

  1. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 39
    1
    Open Google Photos. You can choose to hide all photos that match a certain face whether or not you’ve given it a label. Use this method if there’s a person who appears in your photos that you don’t want to see in your search results.[6]
  2. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 30
    2
    Click in the search field. If you're using the mobile app, tap the Search icon at the bottom instead. The search menu will appear, and you’ll see the list of faces near the top.
  3. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 31
    3
    Click or tap View All or the right arrow to view all faces. In addition to showing all faces, you’ll also see a three dots at the top-right corner of the screen.
  4. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 32
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    Click the three-dot menu and select Hide & Show Faces. If you’re using the website and not the mobile app, this link is called Show & Hide Faces.
  5. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 43
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    Click a face you want to hide. This can be anyone you don’t want to look at right now.
    • To hide more than one face, click or tap more faces in the list.
    • You’ll be able to unhide this person by returning to this page and clicking their face.
  6. Image titled Label Faces in Google Photos Step 44
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    Click Done to save. This is at the top right corner of the screen. Now when you search for photos, you won’t see this person’s face in your search results.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    What if the person I want to add is not in the "whole bunch of people"? How do I get it added to the list of possibilities, i.e. have Google recognize a new face?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Unfortunately, Google is still adding to their photo technologies, and you can't really add a face to the list of possibilities. The more photos you have of that person, the more likely it is to be picked up by the algorithm as a face.
  • Question
    Can I name my dog's picture in Google Photos?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes, Google Photos recently added a pet feature. If you have enough recognizable photos of your pup, he/she will show up as a face under "People & Pets" and you will be able to label them.
  • Question
    What if my "Settings" doesn't have the option "Group similar faces"?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    That means that you are in a country or territory where this feature is not currently supported.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128838?vid=0-283839649050-1476750656210&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&oco=1
  2. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128838?vid=0-283839649050-1476750656210&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&oco=1
  3. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128838?vid=0-283839649050-1476750656210
  4. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128838?vid=0-283839649050-1476750656210
  5. ↑ https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6128838?vid=0-283839649050-1476750656210&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&oco=1
  6. ↑ http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/10/28/google-photos-v1-8-allows-users-to-hide-identified-people-apk-download/

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 263,141 times.
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Co-authors: 6
Updated: August 23, 2022
Views: 263,141
Categories: Google Applications
Article SummaryX

"When you label your friends' faces in Google Photos, you can easily find photos of them in your library just by searching for their names. To get started, make sure Face Grouping is enabled—open the Google Photos mobile app, or head to photos.google.com on the web. If you're using the mobile app, tap your profile photo or initials and select ""Photos settings."" On a computer, you can open Photos Settings by clicking the gear at the top-right corner. Next, scroll down, select ""Group similar faces"" on the menu, and then enable ""Face Grouping"" if it's turned off. If you want to label pet faces as well as humans, toggle on the ""Show pets with people"" switch. Now, return to the main Google Photos screen by tapping the back button on your phone or tablet, or by clicking ""Google Photos"" at the top-left corner of the website. Now it's time to label some faces. If you're using the mobile app, tap ""Search,"" and then tap ""View all"" next to the row of faces. On a computer, click the ""Search"" bar at the top, and then click the arrow next to the row of faces. Click or tap a person's face to see all of the pictures Google has found of them in your library. To label a face, click ""Add a name,"" type a name into the blank, and then select ""Done."" Click the back button to return to the face list, and then select another face to label. Don't worry if you see the same face twice in the list—when you assign the same name to another face, you'll be able to merge the faces into one. Now that you've labeled some faces, you can find photos of your friends, family, and pets by searching for their names in Google Photos.

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