Photo app not allowing me to change import location

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rcandrewz Author

Level 1

8 points

Photo app not allowing me to change import location

For some reason, the Photo app is not allowing me to use an external drive to import photos and videos.

Attached is the screenshot; that function is greyed out.

When I select Show in Finder and select the external drive and folder I want files to go to, nothing happens.

The Use as System Photo Library remains greyed out.

Am I missing a step, or is this not what is being implied?

Thanks in advance for any help resolving the issue or understanding the function.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 13.6

Posted on Oct 18, 2023 8:31 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Old Toad

Level 10

210,633 points

Oct 18, 2023 8:39 AM in response to rcandrewz

If the Use as System Photo Library button is greyed the library is already the System Photos Library.

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Answer 2

rcandrewz Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 18, 2023 9:28 AM in response to Old Toad

Ah, okay, so I was misunderstanding that function.

How do we change where photos and videos are imported instead of the System Photo Library?

I unselected Importing: Copy items to the Photo library and did not get a prompt to where I wanted them to go.

Does this mean they will go where I have Safari's downloads targeted to go?

Thanks, Old Toad.

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Answer 3

markwmsn

Level 6

15,647 points

Oct 18, 2023 11:35 PM in response to rcandrewz

If you want to import photos and videos onto an external drive instead of into your Photos library, use the Image Capture utility instead of the Import function of Photos.

Using Import in Photos without "Copy items to the Photos library" means that Photos will just capture thumbnails and index them as being in the input location (camera card or wherever). The input location has to remain available for editing, printing, or viewing in detail. This is known as a Referenced image, and Photos supports them badly. (The old Aperture program had decent tools to maintain the links; Photos doesn't.)

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Photo app not allowing me to change import location

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