Cannot unlock iPhoto library

Can we assume you're referring to an iPhoto library on your Mac? If so:

With the amount of information you've provided it's impossible to offer a solution. We can't see your computer so we need to know the details of your problem and setup, i.e.:

• what version of iPhoto are you using?
• what system version are you running?
• what is the exact message you're getting?
• what fixes have you tried?
• where is your library located?
• did you apply any updates or upgrades just prior to the problem occurring?
• are you running a "managed" or "referenced" library?

• what type of Mac?
• how much free space on your boot drive?

Wild guess:

Couple of things to try:

Restart your mac and try launch iPhoto again.

If that fails:

Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.

Look there for a file called ‘iPhoto’Lock.data or similar. Drag it to the Desktop. Make no other changes. Start iPhoto. Does that help?

If not: Where is your iPhoto Library stored? If it's on an External Disk, what format is that?

Download iPhoto Library Managerand use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)

This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.

Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.

Since deleting the iPhoto’Lock.data file didn't help try this fix by Linc Davis:\

Linc Davis

Re: how do i unlock iphoto

May 25, 2014 11:11 AM (in response to sledhed89)

This issue can be caused by sharing the photo library on a network (against Apple's advice) or by opening it in more than one local user account at the same time. You may be able to clear the error by logging out or restarting the computer. If not, do as follows.

Quit iPhoto if it's running, locally or on any file-sharing client. Select the iPhoto Library in the Finder. Usually it's in the Pictures folder, but you may have moved it somewhere else. Right-click or control-click the library icon and select

Show Package Contents

from the popup menu. In the folder that opens, navigate to

Database/apdb/lockfile.pid

and move that file, if it exists, to the Trash. Close the Finder window.

Credit for this observation to ASC member Elijahg.

How did the rebuild by iPhoto Library Manage go?

You can find the amount of free space on your boot drive by selecting it on the Desktop and typing Command + i to bring up its Info Window. There you'll see:

You can try the following. It will import all full sized originals that are in your Masters folder. If you get only 364 then the other have been removed from the library and probably the hard drive.

Starting over from scratch with new library

Start over with a new library and import the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from your original library as follows:

1. Open the library package like this.

2. Launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.

3. Drag the subfolders of the Masters folder from the open iPhoto Library package into the open iPhoto window a few at a time.

This will create a new library with the same Events (but not necessarily the same Event names) as the original library but will not keep 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.

This will show you how many original image files you have.