Merge Photos Libraries Mac Sierra
Apr 08, 2015 iPhoto and Aperture both support multiple libraries. So what do you do if you want to consolidate them all before migrating to Photos on your Mac? Photos for OS X does let you work with multiple libraries, but it doesn't let you import them and combine them all together into a single, unified library. At least not yet. If you have Aperture, however, you can import and consolidate. Mar 03, 2019 Photos 2.0 on Sierra can read the sidecar files on import - so exporting with XMP files will transfer the metadata to the new library. You will have to recreate the albums as well.Merge the libraries with PowerPhotos: PowerPhotos is a tool to manage Photos Libraries. You can easily browse libraries in turn and move photos between libraries. How to Combine Multiple Photos Libraries Into a Single Library. 1) Launch Photos while holding down the option key. 2) The Choose Library dialog box will appear. Select the library you wish to use as your main library from the list, and then click the Choose. 3) In the Photos app, select. PowerPhotos lets you organize your Photos libraries on the Mac. You can split a library into smaller ones, merge libraries together, find duplicate photos, and more. 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. Harald wrote, “Do I import them one after another into the new Photos for Mac? And which one will be the default System Photo Library?”. IPhoto Library Manager can merge multiple libraries.
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 Photo Library and use Optimize Mac Storage, or move your library to an external drive.
Before you start, be sure to back up your library.
Prepare your drive
You can store your library on an external storage device, such as a USB or Thunderbolt drive formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).1 Find out how to check the format of your external storage device.
To prevent data loss, Apple doesn't recommend storing photo libraries on external storage devices like SD cards and USB flash drives, or drives that are shared on a network.
Move your Photos library to an external storage device
- Quit Photos.
- In the Finder, go to the external drive where you want to store your library.
- In another Finder window, find your library. 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. If the information under Sharing & Permissions isn't visible, click , then make sure the 'Ignore ownership on this volume' checkbox is selected. If it's not selected, click to unlock it, enter an administrator name and password, then select the checkbox.2
- After the move is finished, double-click Photos Library in its new location to open it.
- If you use iCloud Photo Library, designate this library as the System Photo Library.
Delete original library to save space
After you open your library from its new location and make sure that it works as expected, you can delete the library from its original location.
In a Finder window, go back to your Pictures folder (or whichever folder you copied your library from) and move Photos Library to the trash. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash to delete the library and reclaim disk space.
Open another Photos library
If you have multiple libraries, here's how to open a different one:
- Quit Photos.
- Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos.
- Select the library that you want to open, then click Choose Library.
Photos uses this library until you open a different one.
Learn more
If you have a permissions issue with your library, you might be able to resolve the issue by using the Photos library repair tool.
1. You can't move your library to a disk that's used for Time Machine backups.
2. If the volume isn't formatted APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or has been used for Time Machine backups but hasn't been erased, this checkbox will either not be present, or won't be selectable after unlocking. Erase and reformat the drive for this option to be available.

Photos for OS X does let you work with multiple libraries, but it doesn't let you import them and combine them all together into a single, unified library. At least not yet. If you have Aperture, however, you can import and consolidate multiple Aperture and iPhoto libraries there first, then get the merged library into Photos for OS X. It's a work around, but it works.
How to import multiple libraries into Aperture
- Launch Aperture on your Mac.
- Click on File > Import > Library..
- Find the library you want to import. (If you don't see it, try looking in your *Pictures** folder.
- Click on Import.
- Repeat steps 2-3 for every additional library you want to import.
How to import your consolidated library into Photos
If you haven't setup Photos for OS X yet, you can simply select the new, combined library as the one to import when you do.
Jul 21, 2011 This is how to locate your library Folder on macOS & Mac OS X Code: /Library. This is how to locate your library Folder on macOS & Mac OS X Code: /Library. How to insert images into word. Ever since Lion (OS X 10.7), Apple has hidden your personal Library folder (/Library) by default. In Lion and Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8), you could make the folder visible, but it required some work. How to go in library on mac. Mar 19, 2017 quick and easy tutorial on finding the library folder on your macbook or Mac. Please like the video if you found it helpful! See you next time!
- How to setup and start using Photos for OS X
If you have setup Photos for OS X already, you can simply open the new library like any other. (And once you're sure you're happy with it, delete your old library.)

- How to work with multiple libraries in Photos for OS X
- How to delete your old library after migrating to Photos for OS X
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