Not Finding Photos Library after Sequoia Update.

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Level 1

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Not Finding Photos Library after Sequoia Update.

M2 MacMini w/ external 2tb NVME, and external 4tb NVME Time Machine.

My Boot Drive lacked space for the update. I offloaded some folders (NOT Photos) to make space, installed, all good ....EXCEPT Photos can't find my Photos Library.... and neither can I.

1) where should it be? ... If I search for pictures I find a few folders with 10-50 pictures each, but no "Photos Library".

2) or, I find lots of random old picts. But it includes random Album Art, System Icons, actual photos etc.

Where should I look? On the Boot, the 2tb external, or in the Time Machine 4tb?

I looked in the Time Machine backups (which I've never needed or used), but don't find any "Pictures" folder, or "Photos Library"...?

Any hints would be greatly appreciated

Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)

Posted on Feb 23, 2025 4:55 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

léonie

Level 10

203,517 points

Feb 24, 2025 12:08 AM in response to FUBAR555

Your photos library is a closed package containing the photos. A search for photos will not find the library itself.

You may want to search your external drive for .photoslibrary to find the library itself.

After typing .photoslibrary into the search field of theFinder click "Kind: Photos Library":

Start the search from a Finder window on your external drive.

It is strange, that your search has been showing you Album Art, System Icons, etc. If these item are coming from your Photos Library, the library itself may have become damaged.

Has your external drive been prepared as described here: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support ?

How did you move the folders to the external drive? Your Photos Library has been in your Pictures folder, by default, unless you changed this.

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Not Finding Photos Library after Sequoia Update.

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