iMac macOS 11.6.2. Photos App Show/Hide Sidebar gone?

Thank you so much for the reply and answer. There’s keyboard shortcut under help in the menu and did a search for Side bar and nothing came up. Nowhere can I find “⌥ - S”. I noticed that “Control -1/2/3/4/5” did different things, not the

Command-1/2/3/4/etc listed. I don’t have the function key selected in system preferences.

When you say make the Photos window very small, the sidebar disappears? Or the slide bar that makes the pictures smaller are larger? Then there’s the icon in the upper left which removes the spaces between the pictures, but that doesn’t do anything for the sidebar. And in “Edit Mode”, which is found in the menu bar? I’m not in front of the computer at the moment.

“Option-S”. I’m trying to understand the last part of your explanation,

“Then you can show a strip of all photos below the enlarged photos with the shortcut ⌥S.”

hopefully, I’ll be able to figure it out with these instructions once I’m in front of me new iMac.

I thought it had something to do with changing display options in accessibility in system preferences. I selected “Increased contrast“ because I couldn’t see the dividing column bars which were invisible to me in the Finder window, there are black lines in a black dark background, one in dark mode which I prefer for viewing. Much easier on the eyes. I’m wondering if 30 years of working at CRTs did something to the guy with all those electrons bombarding. :-) To see them I had to select the “Always“ show scrollbars under general in system preferences, but then you could only move the columns from the very bottom, which is not convenient. Selecting accessibility/display “increase contrast” outlines everything in the finder Winder with a fine white line to my surprise. All these years I’ve never noticed that you could do that. I thought this is what made the sidebar option disappear.

Best, Seth

OK, I see what you mean about making photos window small, very small, very narrow. But it’s so narrow you can only see three or four pictures in a row at a time. And I think edit mode you mean selecting a picture and “show edit tools?” Then you only see one large picture with all the added tools on the right and option - S will show a row of tiny pictures at the bottom, which you can scroll back-and-forth, but they are so small to really see what the pictures are, unless you select it for the edit window above.

When did the sidebar icon, hide/show, and under the view menu disappear? I recall frequently using the icon in the upper left corner, as you see in most apps?

Photos app this icon option was very useful. It’s weird you have to make the photos windows so narrow.

however, the sidebar does eventually vanish. I wish you could keep the window wide and remove the side bars as before.

Best,

Seth

I am using Big Sur, so that’s when the icon for show/hide sidebar disappeared?

I tried the Full screen mode hoping the view option at the bottom might bring the icon back or the option to show / hide the sidebar, but it does not seem to do anything at all if it is selected or not, and wether in full screen mode or not. Not sure what that option at the bottom of the view menu does. It does reference to the sidebar, but not showing when in full screen mode, but it’s always there anyway. I wonder what that selection you can tic on or off does? I go to full screen mode and the sidebar is there whether I select that last item in the view menu. I think you’re right, it’s a small bug.

I have the option to upgrade to Monterey and wonder does the show/hide sidebar icon or view menu restore this option?

I’ve been reluctant to upgrade until I’m comfortable with my new iMac, although it’s the latest 2020 iMac 27 inch. I have a feeling I won’t be able to afford a 27 inch Apple Silicon iMac since I need logic pro RAM memory needs of at least 32–6 4 GB and at least 512 GB SSD or 1 TB SSD. Those are going to be expensive options now, if the forecast I’m reading everywhere are accurate and one can no longer buy third-party memory. It's really disappointing to see Apple do this if that is indeed the case, and it seems to be so looking at their new M1 iMacs, with a 4:3 ratio screen, an entry level was only two connections? Back in the 90s I bought some dead-end desktop iMacs for my office and did not research at all just trusting in Macintosh, but were pretty much trash after a few years and some macOS updates, not functioning properly with the memory limits and not being able to upgrade the ram on those machines. They seemed to have disappeared completely from history. I don’t see them listed anywhere in the history of Apple or Macintosh computers. They were the usual PC desktop appearance with bulging sides and smooth corners. Do you remember those iMacs from 1996 or so?

It’s was so strange and so surprising when those M1 iMacs came out with the 4:3 ratio 24 inch screen. Like going backwards in time.

If you’re using Monterey let me know about the show/hide sidebar Photos app if I upgrade to Monterey?

Best, Seth