How do I open old photos?

You would normally double-click on the individual photo files to open them, if the photos are stored as individual files and if the photos are not residing in a collection such as the library of iPhoto app or its Photos app replacement.

Are you encountering any error or diagnostic messages when you tey to open these photos? If so, what are the error messages or diagnostics shown?

What app was used for the photos in the old environment?

How did these photos get from where they were stored and onto where they are now on that external storage device? What command(s), or sequences, or drag-and-drop, or export requests were used?

Are these photos possibly store in a format not supported by Mac? Maybe some app-specific format from the old system? If you’re not sure about the formats, what are a couple of the file types used? Maybe .jpg? .png? .tiff? Something else?

You would normally click on the photos to open them, if the photos are stored as individual files and not in the library of iPhoto app or its Photos app replacement.

Are you encountering any error or diagnostic messages?

Are these photos in a format not supported by Mac?

Additionally… If your Mac is still running OS X 10.10, that’s ~six versions back and could use an update to at least OS X 10.11, and preferably to macOS 10.13 or newer, if your iMac supports a newer macOS version. If you’re not sure, use 🍎 > About This Mac, and post the iMac model year for your 21.5” iMac.

if you dragged those three app files from your old Applications folder over to that external storage, that saved three old versions of those photos-related apps. Not your photos.

Do you still have any backups of your old Mac?

How did you transfer your old data to your new Mac.

Chapy1012 Said:

"How do I open old photos from 2015?"

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What to Do:

Would double-click on them. Also, check iCloud, and see if they reside on there. As long as your device has Photos enabled in iCloud, then they should be found (and accessible) in there. Go Here: https://www.icloud.com/photos