Manage Two Photo Libraries

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Level 1

4 points

Manage Two Photo Libraries

I'm doing housekeeping on my existing phone in preparation for the new one and I want to start with a clean Photo Library while keeping the photos in the existing Library accessable either in iCloud or Photos.

As I understand Apple documentation to keep a second Library separate from the System Library sync has to be turned off making the photos only available on a single device.
As a workaround I have used Photos Takeout app to export the current Library and I have also made a physical copy of Photos Library.photoslibrary which I stored in iCloud. So I basically have to sets of backups. In addition to hourly backups with Time Machine.
The exports in iCloud I can browse but the file structure is such that it's pretty convoluted but doable. Importing the library into Photos on my MacBook would work but I can only access the library on the one device. It seems I simply need to deal with less than ideal browsing in iCloud and create a new System Library and be done with it.

Am I understanding correctly the limitations of what I'm trying to do? And is there, hopefully, a better solution?

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.1

Posted on Sep 27, 2024 3:01 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 7

22,832 points

Oct 1, 2024 5:03 AM in response to cowhow1

If you create an empty Library on your Mac and connect it to iCloud Photos, then that empty Library will fill with all the pictures in iCloud Photos. Photos insists the Libraries be the same, and it doesn't erase pictures that just aren't in another Library.

If I were you, I would duplicate the current Library, name it Archive, and put that someplace safe like an external drive. And then I'd go back to the System Library and delete the unwanted pictures--they will also be deleted from iCloud Photos and from the iPhone. If you do this, you'll then have all your pictures in an archive Library, and you will be left with just your favorite pictures in the Mac's System Library, and in iCloud Photos Library, and in your iPhone Photos Library.

Now, if you double click on the Archive Library you can see those pictures. If you double click on the new Library, you will see your favorites. You iPhone will just have favorites.

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Answer 2

Sep 30, 2024 11:32 AM in response to cowhow1

I'm afraid that " Photos Takeout app" is not something most people here will be familiar with-- it's not an Apple product. I'm not really sure what you are trying to do.

Many of us keep more than one Library. Only the System Library can be connected to iCloud Photos, and it really needs to be available all the time--not on an external drive that will be unplugged, for instance. Other Libraries you create behave perfectly normally, and, since they're not connected to iCloud Photos, they can be carefully disconnected.

You say, "…Photos Library.photoslibrary which I stored in iCloud…" I'm not sure what that means, but if you mean iCloud Drive, then that's not possible. By that I mean that a Photos Library that is moved to the Mac's iCloud Drive folder won't be copied to iCloud's iCloud Drive, and it won't work with Photos.

Most of us who use multiple Libraries depend on the trusted 3rd party app PowerPhotos ($30) to keep our Libraries straight.

If you give us more information, like just what you need to do with two Libraries, then we may be able to give some advice.

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Answer 3

cowhow1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 30, 2024 5:20 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

Basically I'm just exporting existing photos so as not to have 20GB of rarely viewed photos on my phone. The app you reference looks very useful. I'm going to download it.

I'm not trying to keep multiple libraries. I just want to start out with an empty library on my phone. Thinking about this if I create a new, empty, library as the system library on my Mac will that give me an empty library on my phone and eliminate the need to export anything?

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Answer 4

Oct 1, 2024 10:59 AM in response to cowhow1

Photos puts images into a relational database, and it requires a different style of thinking-- it reminds me of going from Algebra to Calculus, where you have to get away from thinking about the values of things and concentrate on the changes and relationships. Or something like that…

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Answer 5

cowhow1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 1, 2024 10:53 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thanks, Richard. That's very helpful advice. While I've supported Macs in higher education my experience with Photo Libraries is limited. So, I appreciate your help.

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Manage Two Photo Libraries

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