Q: My iphoto library has disappeared. How do I find it?

Download and use Find Any File to search for a file named "iPhoto6.Library".  It's a file unique to all iPhoto libraries. 

FAF an search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, packages and system files.  If there's another iPhoto library hiding somewhere on your hard drive FAF will find it.

OT

Thank OT, but the Apple advisors tried the customized search route and no additional iPhoto6.Library file was located.

What did they use?  If they just used Spotlight they could have missed it.

Spotlight, but for God's sake it was Apple you'd think they know what they're doing!

Not really - we get quiet a few people here where Apple Geniuses and advisors have made bad mistakes

I guess I totally agree that You'd think they know what they are doing - but never assume it

LN

Duly noted Larry but that iPhoto Library is still missing.  The drive is with a data recovery company now otherwise I'm afraid the love of my life would be leaving me now.  I'm still dumbfounded as to how this library file just disappeared.

I had something similar happen to me. I was mucking about with parental controls, and it somehow prevented one user account from seeing the iphoto pics on the admin account (in retrospect, I wish I had never created 2 accounts on the same Mac- it's been more trouble than it's worth). I thought the library had disappeared, and neither Find any File (mentioned above) or spotlight could find it, but when I switched over to the other account, there it was. I removed parental controls, gave the user admin privilges, and the library came back. It might be time to pick up an old Polaroid camera again and just avoid all these headaches.

very long story very short:

i call it the "gold nugget backup":

-buy a stack of the best quality DVD+R

-buy a few DVD+RW  ( rewritables ) for practicing

-backup ( for iPhoto, using "File",  "Export"  lotta options there, hence the "practicing" ) what you would NEVER want to LOSE on a DVD+R

-make copies of that DVD that you will leave at friend or relative's place

P.S.: I will make this a ( much ) longer story if anyone ( ) dares to vilify this method that will prevent terrible grief to many users !

My iPhoto library has also disappeared. This has happened twice in the last 2yrs. A long chat and a long phone call with Apple support turned up nothing. I did not delete the library. It has not been renamed/moved by me. It is fine to suggest back-ups (which I've done). It is fine to suggest human error, but this problem has appeared here a number of times and needs some response from the vendor other than, "There's nothing we can do."

Well if you want a response from the vendor then you need to talk to the vendor - they are not here - the is strictly a user to user volenteer forum and no one here can espond to you except to assist you with your problem (which is specific to you - is not an iPhoto issue (iPhoto can not "lose the library" - only the OS or the finder can do that) = and no one here can help you withpout context and details

and the solution to lost data be it software error, ahrdware error or human error is most certainly a good, solid backup - bad thing will happen and a good solid backup is the solution to bad things

LN

Did you create a new library?  I did and finally figured out to go back and open a previous pic from a week ago and restore, it worked for me.  (Look at the file path at the bottom and click on that iPhoto, that is how I found my other library).  Good luck.

Thanks for your reply, LN. I have spoken at length with the vendor, and I'm aware of the nature of this forum. Obviously this issue is not specific to me - as is evident from the number of others posting the exact same issue. It is to those people that my original post was directed. Your post is certainly not helpful; more spiteful and childish for some reason.

I'd love to hear from the others to whom this has occurred. I've tried the fixes that have been posted by others but to no avail.

Cheers

You got a clear and exact answer

and the solution to lost data be it software error, hardware error or human error is most certainly a good, solid backup - bad thing will happen and a good solid backup is the solution to bad things

YOu need to restore yours

LN

I tried the command alt buttons while opening iPhoto and it gave me the option of choosing from 3 libraries. It turns out it had just created a new iPhoto library and when i clicked on my name my old library came back. THANK SO MUCH FOR THE HELP!!!!!

I hope this gets to you. my iphoto library of about 10000 photos disappeared overnight. I had loaded several hundred new photos and then run time machine. I have "backups" via time machine and that is the only 'cure'? totally *****. any advice is appreciated and assume I don't know anything.