How do I restore my iPhoto library from a time machine back up of a macbook pro to an iMac?

Unfortunately, you can't just retrieve your iPhoto library only with TM.

Why do you think that? Don't use Migration Assistant. Launch Time Machine. If you enter Time Machine, you can select any individual photo Library to restore selectively. It will work for iPhoto Libraries, Photos Libraries, Aperture Libraries. Open your Pictures folder or the folder with your iPhoto Library before you enter Time Machine, with the Pictures folder as the frontmost Finder window. Go back in time to the date where you want your library to be restored from. Select the library and click "Restore .... to ....".

I enabled "Show Time Machine in the Menu Bar" in the System Preferences > Time Machine. Then I can click the Time Machine menulette in the main menu bar to enter Time Machine, when I want to restore individual files and folders from Time Machine.

Try the following on the libraries you've tried to restore:

Starting Over From Scratch With a New Photos Library.

1 - launch Photos with the Option key held down and create a new library.

2 - open your old library package with the Finder as shown in this screenshot:

3 - locate the Master folder in the old library and drag it onto the Photos icon in the Dock.

This will create a new library with the same Moments as the original library but will not include the metadata, albums, books slideshows and other projects.

Note: your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.

Once the import is complete verify that the new library has all of your photos and working properly before deleting the older, problem library.

This may get you your original photos back but not the edited versions nor the organizational effort you've put into them.

Sorry but can't find solution in this thread.

migration assistant does not give me an option to only restore my photos library. Instead, it restores an 1Tb iMac backup to an 512Gb (256 free space) macbook. cleary this won't work.

In many forums on the net I can see people dragging the photos library from the TM backup to finder: I have tried this 3x times, never succeeded as photos app gives error message at 95%: can't restore this libary

for now, my 96Gb library is just gone.

just to document what I'm saying, I have made a video:http://sendvid.com/8o0k6exo

here you can see that there is no way to only select my pictures folder (that's where my photos library is). When I select this folder, migration assistant automatically selects my library folders as well. I don't need my other stuff that's in my library folder (70Gb iTunes,....), I just want to restore my photos library. So, the only option is to restore my library folder as well, which messus up my current library, or creates an new account which I really don't need.

Furthermore, the only option OSX is giving me, is impossible: I don't have enough space left for the restore of my complete library. I do have enough space (110Gb) to restore my photos library, but clearly apple does not want this:

https://pictub.club/image/sIYbc7

Been trying to restore my photos library for days now. Something tells me that this could have been done easier...

léonie, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but your solution does not match for my problem, as my photo library that is in TM backup, is from another mac (iMac) which I sold. So if I launch time machine from my new MacBook, I won't be able to go back in time and restore my photo library as you described.

But thanks anyway, I appreciate the effort.

LarryHN wrote:

you can't just retrieve your iPhoto library only with TM. You have to retrieve all data and applications

Incorrect - you can restore just the iPHoto library using TimeMachine

if you would be so kind to share how you manage to restore just the photos library using TM, thanks. Please notice that I'm talking about an photos library (not iPhoto) and that it is a library from a TM backup from another mac. watch my movie in previous post: apple forces to restore the whole library folder, there is no option to only restore the photos library. If you know how to, the please share. I have read this (and many other threads), and I can't find a solution.

LOst all my photos from the past 10 years

One week later: tried to use migration assistant on a brand-new iMac with plenty of space.

Unfortunately migration assistant gets stuck on the "loading back up" window.

I've tried everything to restore my photo library, with 10 years of photos.

I thought Time Machine was designed for customers not to worry about they're back up. At least that's what Apple promise.

Unfortunately in my case it's just the opposite. For the first time in years I want to use Time Machine to restore my photos library on the new computer. And time maching is not doing what it promised. On the beautiful website and other advertises Apple's backup system is just great. I just want customers to know that in reality that's not always true.

I'm not a Newby with mac and computers, i've been around.

I've learned my lesson as well:

Please notice that I'm talking about an photos library (not iPhoto) and that it is a library from a TM backup from another mac

Perhaps if you posted on either of the correct forums, either the Photos one, or the Mac OSX one for whichever version of the OS you have, you might get more help.

You can switch to the Time Machine backup of another Mac - see Pondini's FAQ:

How can I see my backups, or the backups for a different Mac?

I just tested this again and I can browse the backup from my old Mac if I hold down the options key while clicking the Time Machine menulette in the main menu bar. This will bring up the option "Browse other backup disks" instead of "Enter Time Machine".

Another option would be to restore your old Mac completely to an external drive by restoring the backup using the Recovery partition. Then you would have a copy of your old Mac on the external drive and copy the library using the Finder.

thanks for helping out léonie!

unfortunately, when selecting "browse other backup disk" my time machine backup data is not listed. 😟

not sure what you mean by "using the recovery partition"... gone do some research here. thx

you won't believe this: after more then one week trying to restore my photos library I finally managed to restore it (thank you léonie for the Pondini link. Great!)

and then after opening and restoring 95% of my library: "The library could not be opened. Photos has attempted to repair the library "Photos Library", but is unable to open it 😠😠😠😠

this is a bloody nightmare!

OMG Apple!!!

Photos and iPhoto have same workflow.

And topic says "restore with time machine".

For me it seems clear that I have posted an issue of which other people have had.

You have a Time Machine issue and you're posting in the iPhoto forum, which is almost dead these days. You're posting in a thread that's more than three years old. So you're posting about a Time Machine issue with your Photos Library and you're doing it in a forum that has nothing to do with either app in an almost dead section of the forum. I know, stupid of me to suggest other places to post - you know, the ones where folks who know about those apps hang out.

Still, you're welcome.

thank you léonie. unfortunately powerphotos can't open my library: "the library could not be loaded: could not determine the version of the database at [external drive]"

and all I did was use Time Machine as it should. 10 years of photos.....

Thank you so much for this information! Finally it worked! All my edits are gone, and all flagged and favourite photos aren't marked any longer. So **** of a job to edit 10 years of photos again, but at least I have my photos back!! 🙂

Hesitating if I ever should use Time Machine or Photos again. Maybe search for alternative .....

thanks again!

Here's what I did: Open new finder window->Select your back up drive->locate the iPhoto folder->Right click it and select "Show Package Contents" you should be able to find you pictures under one of the folders there. Leave that window open and launch photos app with the control key held. Select Create New Library. Then click and drag from the finder window to the Photos app icon on your dock. You may then import your photos. Hope this helps!