Help! Opened an older iPhoto library and now my current one is missing

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Level 1

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Help! Opened an older iPhoto library and now my current one is missing

Searching for a couple of old photos on a peripheral storage device, I accidentally opened an older saved version of my iPhoto library. When I tried to open the "regular" one on my Mac Mini today, it said a different version was the last used, and to plug in my storage device to get to it. Choosing a different list of photos in the menu, it's like it's a brand new (meaning empty!) library, and I see no choice for wherever my former library is. On a 1-10 distress scale this about a 9--the saved version on the storage device has photos up to 2018, but have I lost everything since then? If not, where is it and how do I get to it? Not saved on iCloud, so that's not an option.

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Nov 23, 2022 12:43 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 6

17,329 points

Nov 23, 2022 12:52 PM in response to lamafox

Try this: Quit Photos, then Option-click the Photos icon. This should bring up a dialog box that lists Photos Libraries that it has used in the past. The first one people usually use is called Photos Library.photoslibrary. Choose that.

Your Photos Library is usually in your Pictures folder, You can get there in the Finder menu by choosing Go>Home. You can just double click on the photoslibrary you find in Pictures.

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Answer 2

lamafox Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 23, 2022 1:17 PM in response to lamafox

Wait, got it! It's moved? Now a Photos Library icon not in the dock, with everything current. I can click on that and everything is there, whew! But new question—how do I get that restored as my default library when I open iPhoto?

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Answer 3

Nov 24, 2022 12:02 PM in response to lamafox

You can move the Photos Library back to Pictures, if you want, by just clicking and dragging it there.

In Photos>Preferences>General it lists Library Location. Verify that this is the library you want, and then click "Use as System Photo Library"

If "Use as System Photo Library" is grayed out, it means that library shown above is already the System Library.

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Answer 4

lamafox Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 23, 2022 1:13 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thanks for that advice. Still not getting there--when I option click I do get the box for Choose Library. It has just one, the new empty one. At the left is Other Library, if I click that I get a Pictures box with folder dates (2020) (2021), and Lightroom, and Lightroom Saved Photos, and finally Photos Libra...photoslibrary. When I click that last one, it's to the emptiness still. Head-scratching--all roads lead to emptiness?

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Help! Opened an older iPhoto library and now my current one is missing

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