View Mac Photos Library From Another User
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.
- 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.
- Store imported files outside the Photos library. In the Photos app on your Mac, choose Photos Preferences, then click General. Deselect the “Copy items to the Photos library” checkbox. Now, when you import photos or video, Photos leaves the files in their original location and accesses them as referenced files.
- Mar 18, 2020 The default location is Users username Pictures, and it's named Photos Library. Drag your library to its new location on the external drive. If you see an error, select your external drive's icon in the Finder, then choose File Get Info.
- Jan 29, 2020 Learn how to move your Photos library to another drive to save space on your Mac. Your Photos library holds all your photos, albums, slideshows and print projects. If your library is large, and you want to free up storage space on your Mac, turn on iCloud Library and use Optimise Mac Storage, or move your photo library to an external drive.
Jan 12, 2020 OS X hides the Library folder, which is used often in Mac troubleshooting. Here's how to get it back. The user's Library has long been a go-to location for troubleshooting issues with individual applications or components shared by multiple applications. Library folder on mac sierra. View Hidden Files and Folders on Your Mac With Terminal. May 30, 2019 Despite the fact that Apple keeps the Mac Library folder hidden from users, it’s good to learn how to show the Library folder on Mac. You may need to access the Library folder when you need to clear cache, remove the app’s leftovers, edit preference files manually, etc.
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.
How to transfer photos from icloud library to mac. Jan 05, 2020 If you want your Mac's photos to wirelessly sync to all your other iOS devices and computers, you want to set up iCloud Photo Library: Apple's photo sync service lets you back up your images on all your devices, as well as access them — online or offline — on said devices.If you're willing to pay for the extra iCloud storage space, you can store an incredible amount of photos and videos.
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.
Once the command is executed, you will see the Library Option clearly visible and permanently unhidden in the top menu-bar of your Mac.
Photos Library 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.
I've had a multi-Mac household pretty much since college, rocking a laptop and desktop in addition to miscellaneous iOS devices throughout the years. Dropbox and iCloud sync made most of the pains of using several Macs disappear, but iPhoto was always a problem. My laptop is tiny! My iPhoto library, not so much.
Thankfully, Photos for Mac — paired with iCloud Photo Library's Optimize Storage feature — makes working with and syncing multiple Macs a breeze. Here's how you can do it.
How to use Photos and iCloud Photo Library with multiple Macs
Here's a quick, simple breakdown on setting up your Macs to support Photos and iCloud Photo Library.
I recommend starting with your biggest iPhoto library; it'll usually be on your desktop Mac. When you open Photos for the first time, your library should import automatically; if it prompts you to create a new library, your Photos library may be stored in another location on your Mac, and you may need to manually open it.
Once you've imported your biggest library on your Mac, make sure iCloud Photo Library is turned on and syncing. You can do this by following these steps:
- Launch Photos on your Mac.
- Click Photos in the menu bar.
Select Preferences (or do this quicker by pressing ⌘,).
Source: iMore
Click on the iCloud tab.
Source: iMore
Check off the box for iCloud Photos.
- You can also check off the box for Download Originals to this Mac if you have the space.
- You can check off Optimize Mac Storage to save space on your Mac by only saving a percentage of images and video locally — the rest will be thumbnails that you can click on to download when you want to.
Source: iMore
Now, open your other Mac, and launch Photos. If you have an iPhoto library on that secondary Mac, follow the same steps as above — import your library, then turn on iCloud Photo Library. If you have duplicates of the same photo on each computer, iCloud should automatically resolve those conflicts when it syncs, providing you with just one version of your photos when the sync process finishes.
If you don't have an iPhoto library on your secondary Mac, create a new library in Photos and turn on iCloud Photo Library. If you want to save storage space on this secondary Mac, make sure Optimize Mac Storage is selected: This will save a certain percentage of images and video locally to your device, while providing thumbnails of all the others for you to download at your leisure.
After you've set up all your Macs with Photos and the sync process has finished, you're now good to go. From here on out, any time you add photos, they'll sync to every computer you've set up with Photos.
What syncs, what doesn't sync
Photos for Mac syncs a lot more than just your original photos and videos. According to a support document on Apple.com, here's what else you should expect to see sync:
- All folders and albums
- Smart Albums
- Keywords
- Memories
- Searchable keywords
- Key photo selections
There are a few things iCloud Photo Library won't sync, however. Here's Apple's list:
- Books, cards, calendars, and slideshows
- Keyword shortcuts
- Unused keywords
- Last imported album on the Mac in question
- Names and faces in the People album
For those not using iCloud Photo Library
If you've chosen not to enable iCloud Photo Library, Apple still offers you free syncing of your last 1000 photos via My Photo Stream, which doesn't count toward your iCloud disk space.
This will sync and download images you've imported or taken on other devices, but you won't have the option to optimize your storage or sync your albums.
Octoober 2019: Updated for macOS Catalina.
Serenity Caldwell contributed to an earlier version of this guide.
macOS Catalina
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Find Photo Library On Mac
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