How To Change The Library Photos Folder In Mac

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  3. How To Change The Library Photos Folder In Mac Computer
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When your iPhoto Library becomes to large to stay on your internal hard drive, it’s time to move it to an external or network drive. First you must locate the iPhoto Library file, which should be located in your Pictures folder. Open a new Finder window by clicking on its logo in the dock. Import the photos into the new library. Move Your iPhoto Library to a New Location/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).

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Photos User Guide

By default, the photos and videos you import into Photos are stored in the Photos library in the Pictures folder on your Mac. When you first use Photos, you create a new library or select the library that you want to use. This library automatically becomes your System Photo Library. See System Photo Library overview.

WARNING: To avoid accidentally deleting or corrupting a Photos library, do not alter the contents of a library in the Finder. If you want to copy, move, or transfer files, first export them from the Photos library; do not manually access or change the library in the Finder.

If you import items from a storage device or another folder on your Mac, you can have Photos leave the items in their original locations so they don’t take up extra space on your Mac.

Although storing files outside your Photos library is a great way to save space on your Mac, be aware that:

  • If you use iCloud Photos, photos and videos that are outside the Photos library aren’t stored in iCloud and won’t be accessible to any other Mac or device that uses iCloud Photos.

  • If you disconnect the device where the files are located, or move or rename the files in the Finder, Photos won’t be able to locate them.

Tip: If you use iCloud Photos, another good way to save space is to turn on Optimize Mac Storage in iCloud preferences. iCloud Photos then places smaller photo files on your Mac as needed, but all the full-size photos and video are still accessible to your Mac from iCloud.

See alsoImport photos from storage devices and DVDs using Photos on Mac

Learn how to access the hidden Library folder in your Home folder on your Mac so you can tweak app settings and access app files.

Inside the home folder on your Mac is a Library folder that stores app-specific files and settings, personal settings, and some data. The files and settings in the Library folder should be left alone for the most part. But, you may want to tweak the settings for an app, which may require accessing the Library folder. Or, maybe an app backs up data to the Library folder and you want to copy that to an external drive.

As of Mac OS X Lion (10.7), the Library folder in your home folder is hidden by default. That doesn’t mean you can’t get to it. It’s hidden so you don’t accidentally delete settings and data, damaging apps in the process. So, if you decide you want to access the Library folder, be very careful.

Today we’re going to cover different ways of accessing the hidden Library folder in your home folder and how to make it permanently available in Finder.

What is the Path to the Library Folder?

The Library in your home folder is written as ~/Library. The tilde (~) character is a shortcut for your home directory. For example, on my Mac, that would expand to /Users/lorikaufman/Library.

Access the Library Folder Using the Go to Folder Option

If you want to access the Library folder only occasionally, you can use the Go to Folder option in Finder.

Open Finder or just click on the desktop. Head to Go > Go to Folder, or hit Cmd + Shift + G.

Type:~/Library in the Go to the folder box on the dialog box and click Go or press Enter.

If you have one or more Finder windows open, the Library folder opens in the currently active window. If no Finder windows are open, a new one opens to the Library folder.

Access the Library Folder Using the Terminal

If you prefer using the command line, you can access the Library folder using the Terminal.

Go to Utilities > Terminal in the Applications folder. To access the Library folder directly in the Terminal, type:cd ~/Library at the prompt to switch to the Library folder.

You can type:ls at the prompt to get a detailed folder listing. You can work with the files in the Library folder directly on the command line. Just be careful.

You can also use the Terminal to open the Library folder in a Finder window. Type:open ~/Library at the prompt and hit Enter.

How To Change The Library Photos Folder In Mac Pdf

Access the Hidden Library Menu Option in Finder

The Library folder is available on the Go menu in Finder, but it doesn’t show on the menu by default.

To temporarily show the Library option on the Go menu, open the menu and press the Option key. The Library folder shows up between Home and Computer on the Go menu. Keep the Option key pressed while you move your mouse down the menu and select Library.

If you’re using a Windows keyboard with your Mac, press the Alt key.

Library Pictures

Show the Library Folder Permanently in Finder

If you access the Library folder often, you can permanently show the Library option on the Go menu and the Library folder in your Home folder.

Open Finder and head to your Home folder using the left pane or by pressing Cmd + Shift + H. Then, go to View > Show View Options, or hit Cmd + J.

A dialog box displays with options you can set for your Home folder. Check the Show Library Folder box at the bottom of the dialog box. The Library folder now shows up in your Home folder in Finder windows and the Library option becomes permanently available on the Go menu.

Folder

How To Change The Library Photos Folder In Mac Computer

When you permanently show the Library folder in Finder, you can hit Cmd + Shift + L to open it in a Finder window, in addition to selecting the Library option on the Go menu.

How To Change The Library Photos Folder In Mac Download

Happy Tweaking, But Be Careful

The Library folder is hidden by default for a good reason. So, before tweaking settings and changing files in the Library folder, make sure you know what you’re doing.