I accidentally relaunched iPhoto and lost all my photos

Try Rebuilding the iPhoto library and post back with the results.

Also are you backing up your computer using Time Machine?

If not you are risking losing all of your data. Begin backing up TODAY by getting an external HD and using TM, there is no reason to not have a backup of all of your data.

There are 9 different versions of iPhoto and they run on 9 different versions of the Operating System. The tricks and tips for dealing with issues vary depending on the version of iPhoto and the version of the OS. So to get help you need to give as much information as you can. Include things like:

- What version of iPhoto.

- What version of the Operating System.

- Details. As full a description of the problem as you can. For example, if you have a problem with exporting, then explain by describing how you are trying to export, and so on.

- History: Is this going on long? Has anything been installed or deleted? - Are there error messages?

- What steps have you tried already to solve the issue.

- Anything unusual about your set up? Or how you use iPhoto?

Anything else you can think of that might help someone understand the problem you have.

Yes you absolutely do, not having any backup is extremely poor computing. You probably use your computer for other things than just photos, like maybe your finances, or other important information. Working without a backup will eventually come back and bite you when you accidentaly erase something or even worse when your hard disk crashes. iCloud won't help you then!

iCloud is there to make your data available to you on multiple devices, not to be a backup solution.

Nothing from you Mac is backedup to iCloud - if you care about your photos and other data you must always have a good backup - I run time machine for hourly backups and have a daily clone for a second backup plus do an occasional off site abackup

LN

Do I really need to back up everything in the time machine (I've never used it) if I have iCloud? My photo library restored itself within 10 minutes.

iCloud does not bstore your photos permanently. It streams newly added photos to your devices, but will remove older photos from iCloud after a month or when the limit of 1000 photos i reached. You have to download photos from the photo strem to your iPhoto Library and to backup the iPhoto library, if you want to keep your photos.

Kiowa,

I made the same mistake as you. I was wandering if you can tell me what you exactly did to have your photos restored back to the orignal iphoto library? Thank you!!

-Helen

Actually i got it all back!! Thanks anyway!! phew.

I have a similar issue - can you explain how you got the photos to come back???

I hit relaunch while iPhoto was still open, and it reverted to the older version of my iPhoto library rather than the newest one. I can't find the pictures anywhere. Can someone please help!

I have an old Macbook from 2009.

Close iPhoto

Hold down option and reopen iPhoto

This should give you the option to select which library you would like to open

Select your original iPhoto library

Everything should be there