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Jan 3, 2016 11:43 AM in response to RileyByarsby judysings,Hi RileyByars,
If I understand your question, you have used the Photos app in the past, and now you are not able to access your photos because of the error message above? What happens when you click on "Open Other"? On most computers, the photo library or libraries are stored in the Pictures folder in your home folder. Only one library can be your System Library, which other software applications have access to. So, you will either need to select the library that you were using as your System Library, or designate a new one. The resource below will explain this in more detail:
Get started with Photos for OS X
Updating from iPhoto happens automatically
In many cases, if you have a single iPhoto library in your Pictures folder, your entire library — including your photos, videos, projects, albums, and so on — automatically appears in Photos the first time you open it.
Migrating more than one photo library
If you have more than one photo library on your Mac, then Photos will ask which one you want to upgrade the first time you open it. Photos allows you to open and work with libraries created in iPhoto or Aperture.
To migrate another photo library manually:
- Quit Photos.
- Hold down the Option key and open Photos.
- Select the library you want to open.
- If the library you want isn’t listed, click Other Library. Navigate to the library you want and click Open.
You can also drag the library you’d like to open to the Photos icon in the Dock. Or you can click Create New to create an all-new, empty library.
Photos can use libraries from iPhoto 8.0 or later and any version of Aperture. If you’d like to migrate a library from iPhoto 7 or earlier, use Apple’s free iPhoto Library Upgrader tool to prepare your library first.
About your new Photos library
- Photos stores your library in the Pictures folder on your Mac by default.
- If you upgrade an iPhoto or Aperture library, your Photos library will be stored in the same location as the original library. Photos uses the same master files as iPhoto or Aperture, so you won’t need double the space to run both apps.
- Photos turns iPhoto Events into albums, which you’ll find in a folder called iPhoto Events in the Albums view.
- Some metadata, like star ratings and flags, will be transformed into keywords, so you can easily search for them. Learn more about how Photos handles Smart Albums and content and metadata from iPhoto and Aperture.
- If you’re using multiple libraries, you might need to designate a System Photo Library, so iCloud and other apps, like Mail and iMovie, can access the photos you want to use.
Designate a System Photo Library in Photos
Photos in your System Photo Library are available in apps like iMovie, Pages, and Keynote. You can also sync them to iOS devices and Apple TV via iTunes. And if you want to use your own images as your desktop picture or screen saver, the images need to be in your System Photo Library before you can select them in System Preferences.
If you have only one photo library, then it's the System Photo Library. Otherwise, the first photo library that you create or open in Photos will become the System Photo Library. If you have more than one library, you might need to designate a System Photo Library, so other apps can access the photos and videos you want them to use.
Follow these steps to designate a System Photo Library:
- Quit Photos.
- Hold down the Option key, then open Photos. One of the photo libraries is already designated as YourLibraryName (System Photo Library).
- Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library.
- After Photos opens the library, choose Photos > Preferences from the menu bar.
- Click the General tab.
- Click the Use as System Photo Library button.
If you open a second or different library in the Photos app, and you haven't designated it as the System Photo Library, other applications will use photos from the original System Photo Library. Hold down the Option key when you open Photos to see which library is set as the System Photo Library.
Happy New Year!



