Lost iPhoto photos

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Level 1

8 points

Lost iPhoto photos

Problem #1:

I have just performed a time machine backup of my iMac 2009 model, with the intent to completely wipe it and restore it to factory settings.

Before wiping it I have attempted to check my iPhoto library.

iPhoto will not access my photos, instead I am getting a window saying “which iPhoto library do you want to use?” with no available options in the window...

The Mac is running OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and my current version of iPhoto is 9.6.1 (910.42)

Please help? I have thousands of photos I cannot loose...

Problem #2:

After I restore my Mac to factory settings, how do I access my iPhoto photos from time machine? Or am I better off importing all iPhoto’s to photos library. And stop using iPhoto all together?

Thanks

Posted on Feb 27, 2019 12:52 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,320 points

Mar 1, 2019 11:04 AM in response to timbayside

By default - ie. unless you or someone else moved it - the iPhoto Library lives in your Pictures Folder. Have a look. Is it there?

To restore an iPhoto Library:

https://support.apple.com/en-ie/HT202321

That's a 10 year old machine. I'm not sure how well the newer Photos app will run on it. The goodness is that migrating to Photos does no damage to the iPhoto Library, so trying is free... ;)

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Answer 2

timbayside Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 4, 2019 2:02 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thanks,

I found the iPhoto library (Kind of) it was found in pictures>Originals (there was no iPhoto folder) and then only photos up until 2012 could be found.

I checked out the link above, which I do want to try but thought I’d ask- to restore the iPhoto library, is the only way through time machine?

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

194,785 points

Mar 4, 2019 2:17 AM in response to timbayside

Yes, you need run Time Machine to restore a working library. If you just copy the library from the Time Machine backup in the Finder the internal links in the databases my not be restored properly.

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,320 points

Mar 4, 2019 9:51 AM in response to timbayside

I found the iPhoto library (Kind of) it was found in pictures>Originals

That's not an iPhoto Library.

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Lost iPhoto photos

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