Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Just like Wikipedia, you can contribute new information or corrections to the catalog. Sep 27, 2016 A lot of Mac tutorials mention the Library folder, which is where your macOS applications store things like settings and caches. Some settings can only be changed by editing files in the Library. But the Library is hidden by default.
Back up your library
Before following any of these steps, it's a good idea to create a backup of your photo library, even if you use iCloud Photos. You can use Time Machine, use a third-party backup solution, or copy the library to an external drive. By default, your photo library is stored in the Pictures folder within your home folder.
Make sure that your software is up to date
Photos is part of the Mac operating system. You can avoid or fix many issues by running the most up-to-date version of macOS. Learn more about updating the software on your Mac.
If you use RAW images in Photos, learn more about the digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
If you have trouble migrating an existing iPhoto or Aperture library to Photos
You might see an alert message when you first open Photos or migrate an existing iPhoto or Aperture library. Learn what to do if Photos can’t copy or create a library.
If the Media Browser isn't showing your photos and videos
Use the Media Browser to make images from your photo library available in other apps, like Pages and iMovie. The Media Browser shows only the contents of the Photos library designated as the System Photo Library. If you have more than one Photos library—and the one you're using isn't set as the System Photo Library—the Media Browser won't show its contents.
Follow these steps to designate the current library as the System Photo Library:
- Choose Photos > Preferences.
- Click the General button at the top of the Preferences window.
- Click Use as System Photo Library.
If you're having other issues with Photos
If you're experiencing other issues—like missing or blank photo thumbnails, unexpected behavior, or if Photos won’t open—try to see if it's an issue with your library by following these steps.
Create a new Photos library and see if your issues persist:
- Quit Photos.
- Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos.
- In the dialog that appears, click Create New.
- Give your new library a name, then click OK. Note whether Photos opens successfully with this new library.
To return to your main Photos library, quit Photos. Then open it again while holding the Option key, select your main library, and click Choose Library.
Alternatively, you can open Photos in another user account on your Mac and note whether Photos opens successfully.
If Photos opens with the new library, or in a different user account, it might mean that there's an issue with your library. Follow the steps to use the Photos library repair tool on your main Photos library.
Learn more
- Learn how to create and order print products like books or calendars in Photos with Project Extensions.
- Get help with iCloud Photos.
Macs have tons of keyboard shortcuts that let you jump from one place on your Mac to another within milli-seconds. While the apps that you install on your Mac have their own keyboard shortcuts, the default system also has its own shortcuts to help you switch between various system panels on your Mac.
One of the commonly done tasks by many users on a Mac is opening the Library folder. There are various reasons as to why you may want to do so and it varies user by user. If Library happens to be the folder you visit too frequently, you can set up a keyboard shortcut that will take you there with a single keystroke.
It is one of the great features of Macs that lets you define your own keyboard shortcuts for your own tasks.
Open Library Preferences Mac
Let’s see how you can create a keyboard shortcut to open the Library folder on your Mac quickly:
How To Open Library Macbook
Quickly Launching the Library Folder using a Shortcut on Your Mac
You don’t need a third-party app to do the job as it can be done right from the settings panel on your Mac.
Click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select “System Preferences” to be taken to the system settings panel for your Mac.
When the system settings panel opens, click on the option that says “Keyboard.” That is where you can see and define keyboard shortcuts for your Mac.
Once you are inside the keyboard settings panel, click on the “Shortcuts” tab on the top to view the shortcuts settings.
From the left-hand side menu, you need to click on the option that says “App Shortcuts.” Since you will be launching the Library folder using the Mac’s built-in file explorer app called Finder, you will define its shortcut here in the app shortcuts panel.
Click on the + (plus) sign at the bottom of the shortcuts to add a new shortcut to the list.
My Pc Library
On the screen that follows, you will be required to enter three values for the fields.
From the Application drop-down menu, select “Finder” as that is the app that you will launch the Library folder with.
In the Menu Title field, enter “Library.” Make sure you only enter that word, or it won’t work.
In the Keyboard Shortcut field, define the shortcut that you would like to use to get to the library folder on your Mac quickly. Make sure this shortcut is not already used on your Mac with other items.
When you are done, click on “Add” to add the shortcut to the list.
From now on, you can simply press the keyboard shortcut that you defined above to get access to the Library folder on your Mac. As soon as the shortcut is pressed on your keyboard, Finder will quickly launch the Library folder on your screen.
So, that was how you could quickly open the Library folder using a keyboard shortcut on your Mac.
Open Library Mac
Let us know how this worked for you in the comments below!
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