I have a number of pdfs in my photo library. I am unable to export them. I can delete them to the recently deleted album, but I cannot export them from there either. I need the pdfs, so I don't want to just completely delete them. What should I do?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.6
How did you try to export the PDFs?
when I had to remove the PDFs from my library, because they were no longer supported, I could export them with "File > Export > Export unmodified original". It has no longer been possible to export the current edited version, bt exporting the unmodified original worked.
Have you tried that?
How did you try to export the PDFs?
when I had to remove the PDFs from my library, because they were no longer supported, I could export them with "File > Export > Export unmodified original". It has no longer been possible to export the current edited version, bt exporting the unmodified original worked.
Have you tried that?
Try using the shareware app Find Any File to search the Photos library package for any files with the application's for any file ending in .pdf.
FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.
You should be able to copy the file to the Desktop from the search results window.
Oh, that's easier. First duplicate the Library. You need something like Find Any File ($6), and just tell it to look in the Pictures folder (if that's where your new Library copy is) and find pdf. Copy them out and delete the Library package.
This is a case where you might have to open the library package and find them in the originals folders and copy them from there.
Right/Control click on the library and select "open package contents". You can then root around and look for the originals. Do not change anything in the library or you may corrupt it. Copying a file is fine though.
Sorry, there have been so many versions of Photos and iPhoto that I don't know where to find the originals by memory.
Originals is a folder inside the Library package. The Library has files and folders in it, just like a regular folder. But to keep people from messing around inside and corrupting the Photos database, you have to go though the right-click thing to see inside. So a "package" is a special kind of folder that looks like it's just a file.
That's why Keith Barkley said "do not change anything in the library or you may corrupt it." And it's why I said, "First duplicate the Library." I would only mess around with a copy, just in case.
Well, that answers a lot of questions-- except, how to get rid of them.
I'm guessing that you don't use iCloud,. You could pay for a month of iCloud ($3), and let all your Photos pictures be copied to iCloud.com. I'm pretty sure that iCloud won't copy the pdfs. Then, make a new Library, and have it populate from iCloud. Then you'll have a Library without pdfs, and you'll also have one with. You can delete all the non-pdfs from the original Library. Not bad for 3 bucks, if it really works. Not too bad even if it doesn't…
You don't want to print. You want to hit the 'pdf' button at the bottom and select "print to pdf".
How did you get PDFs into Photos? Photos won't let me import pdfs. How is the pdf displayed? What does the Info window show? What is the file size?
Or are we talking about different things thanI think we are?
The pdfs have been in Photos for a long time--several years, undoubtedly from when it was still possible to import pdfs. I am trying to reorganize a lot of files. They look at first like photos, but in the info window their titles end in pdf instead of jpeg or heic.
Here's a screen shot of the info window for one of them:
Thanks, but I do know how to get rid of them. I don't know how to extract them out of Photos so I can still have and use them. (I do use iCloud.) There are multiple explanations online about how to eliminate/trash/delete them from iPhotos, but not how to move or save them elsewhere. They would just go away, and I still need them. I just been making screen shots and using those, but it's not really a satisfactory solution. I appreciate your suggestions, though.
Bellen2 wrote:
I don't know how to extract them out of Photos so I can still have and use them. (I do use iCloud.) There are multiple explanations online about how to eliminate/trash/delete them from iPhotos, but not how to move or save them elsewhere. They would just go away, and I still need them.
Can you print them from Photos?
That's exactly my problem: they won't copy out. Or export. I get error messages when I try to do that. I can only make them disappear. Sorry I don't seem to be able to express exactly what the problem is somehow!
Bellen2 wrote: While I am aware of that option when printing in other programs, it is not there where I am in Photos and print.
That's weird. Here I'm printing a contact sheet in Photos as a pdf file:
I will try that--I'm travelling and don't have easy access to a printer till next week, but I will try it!
Removing PDFs from Photos on Mac Air
