To change your designated Photo Library on your Mac, allowing you to switch between different collections of photos and videos, you need to open the Photos app while holding down the Option key. This action reveals a prompt that lets you choose which library to open and designate as the primary "System Photo Library."
Understanding the System Photo Library
Your Mac can manage multiple photo libraries, each containing its own set of images, videos, albums, and edits. However, only one of these libraries can be designated as the System Photo Library. This is the special library that syncs with iCloud Photos, shared albums, and is accessible by other applications like Mail, Pages, and Keynote via the Media Browser. If you have several libraries (perhaps one for personal photos, another for work, or an archived collection), knowing how to switch between them is essential.
Steps to Change Your System Photo Library
Changing which photo library your Mac uses is a straightforward process:
- Quit the Photos App: Ensure the Photos application is completely closed. If it's open, go to
Photos > Quit Photosin the menu bar, or right-click the Photos icon in the Dock and selectQuit. - Open Photos with Option Key:
- Locate the Photos app icon (usually in your Dock or Applications folder).
- Hold down the
Optionkey on your keyboard. - While still holding
Option, click to open the Photos app.
- Choose Your Library: A dialog box will appear, listing all photo libraries found on your Mac and any connected external drives.
- One of the libraries will be marked as "YourLibraryName (System Photo Library)," indicating the currently active one.
- Select the library you wish to open and designate as the new System Photo Library.
- Click the "Choose Library" button.
The Photos app will then open with the selected library. From this point forward, this chosen library will be recognized as your Mac's primary System Photo Library, interacting with iCloud Photos and other applications accordingly.
Practical Insights and Management Tips
Having multiple photo libraries can be useful for various reasons:
- Organization: Separate personal photos from professional projects or archive old collections.
- Storage Management: Store very large libraries on external hard drives to save space on your Mac's internal drive.
- Troubleshooting: If your main library becomes corrupted, you can create a new one to start fresh or try to repair existing ones.
Where are Photo Libraries Stored?
By default, your Photos library is stored in your user's Pictures folder: ~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary. You can move this file to another location, such as an external drive, but ensure the drive is formatted correctly (APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) for optimal performance.
Managing Multiple Libraries
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Create a New Library | Hold Option while opening Photos, then click Create New... in the library chooser. |
| Consolidate Libraries | You can import photos from one library into another. Open the target library, then go to File > Import and navigate to the .photoslibrary file of the source library. |
| Repair a Library | If a library is not opening or behaving strangely, hold Option + Command while opening Photos to bring up the "Repair Library" dialog. This can fix internal database issues. |
| Move a Library | Simply drag the Photos Library.photoslibrary bundle from one location to another (e.g., to an external hard drive). Remember to designate it as the System Photo Library if needed. |
When managing multiple libraries, always ensure that your most important and frequently updated photos are in the designated System Photo Library if you rely on iCloud Photos for syncing and backups.
