Apr 01, 2020 Designate a System Photo Library in Photos If you have multiple photo libraries on your Mac, you can choose one to be the System Photo Library. The System Photo Library is the only library that can be used with iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream. Apr 21, 2015 I successfully migrated from iPhoto library to this new Photos Library in April.17th, and everything seems okay except for some minor bugs. But from yesterday on, I started Photos and got this message 'Can't open Photos Library, try another.' If I try reading iPhoto or Aperture Library.
The Library Menu item is hidden by default on Macs, to prevent the possibility of inexperienced users deleting important files in the Library Folder. In this article, you will find different methods to reveal the hidden Library Menu and access the Library Folder on your Mac.
Access Library Folder On Mac
The Library Folder on your Mac contains Preference Files, Caches, and Application Support Data.
While regular Mac users may not find the need to access the Hidden Library Folder, advanced Mac users will at times come across the need to access files inside the Library Folder for troubleshooting and other purposes.
One example of the need to access the Library Folder on Mac would be to rebuild the Database Files in the Library Folder, in order to fix Launchpad related issues like Apps Missing From Launchpad or deleted Apps showing up in the Launchpad.
Before going ahead with the steps to Access the Hidden Library Folder on your Mac, you need to be aware that ~/Library Folder contains important Data and Files related to Mac User Accounts.
Hence, make sure that you are accessing the Library Folder for a good reason and you do know as to what you are trying to achieve.
Access Hidden Library Menu Option On Mac
Follow the steps below to access the Hidden Library Menu option on your Mac.
1. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac. This will reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar of your Mac. You can also click on the Finder Icon in the Dock of your Mac to activate the Go Option.
2. Next, click on the Go option in the top menu-bar of your Mac.
3. While you are still on the Go option, press and hold the Option key on your Mac and then click on the Library option that appears when you press down the Option Key.
Note: Press the Alt Key in case you are using a Windows keyboard with your Mac.
4. Clicking on the Library Menu option will take you straight to the Library Folder on your Mac.
Access Library Folder On Mac Using “Go to Folder” Option
Another way to access the Library Folder on your Mac is by using the Folder Option on your Mac.
1. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac to reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar. You can also click on the Finder Icon in the Dock of your Mac to activate the Go option.
2. Next, click on the Go option from the top menu-bar on your Mac and then click on Go to Folder… option in the drop-down menu (See image below).
3. In the search window that appears, type ~/Library, and click on the Go button.
This will immediately take you to the Library Folder on your Mac.
Permanently Unhide the Library Menu Option On Mac
You can permanently unhide the Library Menu Option in the top-menu bar on your Mac by using the Terminal Command. The process is reversible and you can easily go back to the default hidden Library Menu Setting by using the Terminal command once again.
1. Click on the Finder icon in the dock of your Mac to activate the Go option in the top Menu bar of your Mac.
2. Next, click on the Go option in the top menu-bar and then click on the Utilities option in the drop-down menu.
3. On the Utilities window, open the Terminal App by clicking on it.
4. Next, type chflags nohidden ~/Library/ and Press the Enter key to submit your command for execution.
Can't Open Photos Library On Mac
Once the command is executed, you will see the Library Option clearly visible and permanently unhidden in the top menu-bar of your Mac.
As mentioned above, you can always go back to the default hidden Library option on your Mac by executing a simple command in the Command Prompt Window.
1. To hide the Library option, type chflags hidden ~/Library/ in the Command prompt window (See image below)
2. After typing the Command, hit the Enter key on the Keyboard of your Mac to execute this Command.
Once the Command is executed, you will see the Library Menu option becoming hidden.
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People love taking pictures. That's one of the reasons camera phones becomes standard feature. That is also why photo management feature is crucial for any personal computer. And if you are a Mac user, one of the most popular photo management apps is iPhoto.
But sometimes you need to move your iPhoto library. One of the reasons is because photos and videos can quickly fill out your hard drive. So it might be a good idea to store them on the dedicated external drive. Another possible reason is when you want to switch to a more recent Mac version.
How do you move your iPhoto library to another location?
Back Up Your iPhoto Library
Before doing anything to your library, it's better to back it up. If anything happens, you won't lose any of your precious memory. Routine backups also protect you from image files become corrupted or are unintentionally erased from your hard disk.
You can set up an external hard drive and use it with the Time Machine application to back up your photos. The app will automatically make regular backups of your computer, including your entire photo library. Just make sure that you quit iPhoto periodically before backing up or the Time Machine can't do a full backup of your library.
Create a New iPhoto Library Or Switch Between Libraries
One way that you can use to move your iPhoto library is to create multiple libraries. The advantages of taking this path are you can better organize your photos, albums, slideshows, projects (such as books, cards, and calendars), and then switch between the libraries.
For example, you could keep separate libraries for your personal photos and your work photos. Or, if you have a child who takes photos, you can keep his or her photos in a separate library.
The caveat is that you can only modify items (such as albums) or edit photos in one library at a time.
Here are the steps to create a new iPhoto library:
How To Open Photos Library On Mac
- Quit iPhoto. Hold down the Option key as you open iPhoto.
- In the window that appears, click Create New. Type a name and choose a location to store the new photo library. Click Save.
To switch between photo libraries:
- Quit iPhoto. Hold down the Option key as you open iPhoto.
- Select the library you want to switch to. Click Choose.
If you want to move photos from one library to another, use this steps:
- Export the photos from the active library. This action doesn't delete the photos from the library.
- Switch to the library you want to add them to.
- Import the photos into the new library.
Move Your iPhoto Library to a New Location/Mac
Open Icloud Photo Library On Mac
Even though you can use the multiple libraries tricks to move your photos to a different location, you can also move it by using a simple drag and drop.
- First, quit iPhoto. In the Finder, choose your home folder (it's usually named after you).
- Open the Pictures folder (in the home folder) to locate the iPhoto Library file.
For moving iPhoto library to a new location:
- Drag the iPhoto Library file to a new location on your computer.
- But the process doesn't stop here. You have to tell iPhoto the new location of the library. Open iPhoto. When it can't find the library, it will ask you the location.
- In the window that appears, select the library you want, and then click Choose.
For copying iPhoto library to a new Mac:
- Connect your external hard drive. When it displays on Finder, drag the iPhoto Library folder or package to external hard drive.
- Eject the hard drive from your old Mac and connect it to this new one.
- Now open iPhoto on the new computer. Hold down the Option key on the keyboard, and keep the Option key held down until you are prompted to create or choose an iPhoto library.
That's for how to move iPhoto library to a new location or a new Mac. If you unfortunately lost some important photos during the transfer, you can use Any Data Recovery for Mac. This app is a complete Mac data recovery solutions to recover all types of files from Mac's hard drive, including recovering photo on Mac, and also from other portable devices like USB flash drive, external hard drive, SD card, iPhone.
Recover Unlimited Mac Data for You
- Recover data deleted, formatted or lost on Mac;
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