You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

2 imovie libraries

I have 2 imovie libraries. One with 82 G and one with 71 G. They seem to have the same items in them. I would like to clear up space. Can I delete one of them? I've backed both onto an external hard drive and I have a Passport back up as well.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Sep 4, 2020 11:47 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 4, 2020 1:00 PM

If you are sure that both libraries are working (able to open and edit projects, share out movies, contain all of your media), and they both contain the same items, then you can delete the smaller library. Since one library is 10 GB larger they can't have exactly the same content. So I am assuming that the larger library contains everything that the smaller library has, plus 10 GB of additional data.


Before deleting one of the libraries open iMovie in the other library (the one you want to keep) and select the library's name in the iMovie side bar. Then do a File/Consolidate Library Media to make sure that all media is copied and included in the library. Then go to your Projects browser and select all of the projects as a group, and do a File/Consolidate Project Media.


Personally, for safety you might consider just keeping them both since you have an external drive. That would be your call, of course.


-- Rich




5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 4, 2020 1:00 PM in response to hwrite

If you are sure that both libraries are working (able to open and edit projects, share out movies, contain all of your media), and they both contain the same items, then you can delete the smaller library. Since one library is 10 GB larger they can't have exactly the same content. So I am assuming that the larger library contains everything that the smaller library has, plus 10 GB of additional data.


Before deleting one of the libraries open iMovie in the other library (the one you want to keep) and select the library's name in the iMovie side bar. Then do a File/Consolidate Library Media to make sure that all media is copied and included in the library. Then go to your Projects browser and select all of the projects as a group, and do a File/Consolidate Project Media.


Personally, for safety you might consider just keeping them both since you have an external drive. That would be your call, of course.


-- Rich




Sep 4, 2020 1:45 PM in response to hwrite

There are 4 ways to open a Library:


  1. Go to your Movies folder in the Finder (Go/Home/Movies). Double click on the library's icon and it will open in iMovie.


2.Open iMovie while holding down the Option key and in the box that appears navigate to the library that you want to open.


3.Double click on the iMovie icon in the Applications folder, doc, or Launchpad and iMovie will open in the library in which it last opened.


4. From within iMovie, do a File/Open Library.



Odd that a 71GB library would just appear without explanation.


-- Rich

2 imovie libraries

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.