I have an external hard disk formatted in exFat, I've copied my iPhoto library.
Then, I opened iPhoto and switched library, afterwards iPhto relunched and seemed to work fine.
iPhoto '11, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)
the snaser is maybe if you are lucky - lknowing that sooner or later your luck will run out - probably sooner
The iPhoto library is only supported on a volume formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) - if you put it on a exFAT drive you are extermely likely to lose data and maybe your photos
Why in the wrold would you risk your photos on a known improperly formatted drive?
LN
You're just stroing up trouble. It will exhibit problems eventually.
iPhoto needs to have the Library sitting on disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Users with the Library sitting on disks otherwise formatted regularly report issues including, but not limited to, importing, exporting, saving edits and sharing the photos.
See this article
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168
for more.
Thanks for your answer.
But I'm a little unsatisfied, the article you referenced says "Photo libraries should be stored on a locally mounted Mac OS X Extended drive for best performance."
Why should? Isn't it a must? Or is it a recommendation?
Why does iPhoto allows libraries on disks with other formats than Mac OS X Extended in the first plase?
What is the technical reason behind the use Mac OS X Extended over exFat?
JMS
I think, as a general rule, "why" questions are ones that can only be answered by Apple. Here, we're more about "how"...
That said, I think it important to recognise that an iPhoto Library is not just a file or even a collection of files. It's an ecosystem of interlinked databases, managing the photos, sharing, edits, books, slideshows, caches and metadata files. It really is a complex beast. This is true of apps like Aperture (which uses the same Library), Final Cut X and third party apps like DevonThink's databases. Bearing that in mind, I wonder why folks would expect it to run on a disk format created by and for an entirely different operating system, with a different system of arranging data on the disk and so on.
As to the "must" versus "should" question: It's your data, so feel free to try it out, but bear in mind the risks as explained to you. iPhoto doesn't "allow" where the Library is put. It has no ability to move a Library. They Finder does that.
Can iPhoto 9.5 access a library in an exFat volume?
