Is there a maximum number of images Photos can handle as 'Referenced' files?
I spent 3 days building a library of referenced photo files, and when I finished the new library wouldn't open.
I don't know how many files I loaded into the library, but likely several hundred thousand files.
It didn't crash, per se, it just went un-responding. The Photos repair tool did no good!
iMac 27″, macOS 11.5
No, there is no such limit.
However, running Photos in referenced mode is simply storing up problems. The app simply does not have the tools to manage the files. Should the path to the files change for any reason you could find yourself reattaching the file folder by folder, or even image by image. There is no way to import or delete files using Photos, all of these basics are multi-step operations using the Finder. In the past few weeks we've had several; folks on here with referenced ;libraries who had major issues as they needed to move their collections to a larger disk, for instance.
If you want to use a referenced library the best advice is to use an app that has the tools to support this way of working.
No, there is no such limit.
However, running Photos in referenced mode is simply storing up problems. The app simply does not have the tools to manage the files. Should the path to the files change for any reason you could find yourself reattaching the file folder by folder, or even image by image. There is no way to import or delete files using Photos, all of these basics are multi-step operations using the Finder. In the past few weeks we've had several; folks on here with referenced ;libraries who had major issues as they needed to move their collections to a larger disk, for instance.
If you want to use a referenced library the best advice is to use an app that has the tools to support this way of working.
Referenced images in Photos
