I have a 2015 iMac and iMovie support for this version stopped sometime back. I have a 2 tera byte file with home movies that I wish to access. However, the system keeps returning the message “iMovie Library XXX” is already in use by XXX. How do I overcome this issue?
iMac 27″, macOS 10.15
You might also take a look at this link to see if anything in there helps you:
“iMovie Library” is already in use by “us… - Apple Community
-- Rich
Your external drive is not formatted properly. An iMovie library can only be stored on a drive that is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS. Otherwise it won’t work properly, which may account for the problem you are having, and is why it does not have the box for ownership.
Reformat the drive per the above or transfer your library to a drive that is so formatted. Be aware that reformating a drive erases all data that is on it. So before reformatting you must transfer or back up to another drive all data that you want to keep.
— Rich
Close iMovie and then try double clicking on the library's icon in the Finder to cause iMovie to open.
Also, if your library is located on an external drive, control-click on the drive's icon, and click on Get Info. At the bottom of the Get Info box, check the box that says "ignore ownership on this volume". See if that cures the issue.
-- Rich
Thanks Rich. I tried your first suggestion and it did not work.
For the second, my external drive does not show the box for ownership.
iMovie Library XXX is already in use by XXXX
