Deleting photos from Photos

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Level 1

4 points

Deleting photos from Photos

I tried cleaning up my massive library of photos but have not created any disk space despite deleting roughly 100GB worth.

I deleted photos from the Photos App and then went through the 'recently deleted photos' folder and permanently deleted the photos.

I previously used iPhoto and migrated to Photos when iPhoto was no longer supported. I tried opening iPhoto to view the library of migrated photos but this app is no longer available. Finder indicates I am using over 500GB for each of the Photos library and iPhoto migrated library (clearly this is not the case as my hard drive is only 1TB).

I have heard that moving the iPhotos library to the trash would help but am hesitant to do this.

My desktop uses OS X Yosemite (10.10.5) with 1TB which is now almost full. Photos app is version 1.0.1

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Mar 24, 2016 3:41 PM

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Answer 1

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Mar 24, 2016 4:38 PM in response to kboatc01

If you are not using and have no plans to use iPhoto then archive the iPhoto library (just in case) and delete it - Photos and iPhoto use hard links to the original an previews ad as long as one hard link to a file exists the file space will not be released - when you trash the iPhoto library all of the space will be released

LN

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Answer 2

kboatc01 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 24, 2016 6:03 PM in response to LarryHN

Is there a way to archive the old iPhoto library without having access to iPhoto? When I upgraded I lost the ability to use iPhoto.

Also, is the library not the place that the original is stored? If I delete that won't all my links be lost as well?

I am very concerned with losing my photos, I have about 60,000.

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Answer 3

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Mar 24, 2016 6:10 PM in response to kboatc01

The only way is without using iPhoto - the library is a package and you archive it using the finder by dragging to another drive that is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) - the iPhoto application is in no way involved in archiving (or backing up) a library

And no - your originals are stored on your internal disk and the library has hard links to them - as I originally posted

Photos and iPhoto use hard links to the original an previews and as long as one hard link to a file exists the file space will not be released - when you trash the iPhoto library all of the space will be released

Deleting either library has no effect on the other library

and of course if you are concerned about your photos the only solution is to have a couple of great backups at all times - I use Time Machine for hourly backups and also have a daily bootable clone of my entire system including my Photos plus an occasional off site backup

LN

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Answer 4

kboatc01 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 24, 2016 6:50 PM in response to kboatc01

To summarize: I use TimeMachine and have all my libraries backed up. I can simply delete the '.migratedphotolibrary' file and that won't delete any actual pictures, just links. When I do that, any deleting I do in Photos will actually delete from my computer.

Sorry for the apparent thick headedness but when my Mac is telling me I have a file that is 554.3GB (migratedphotolibrary) as well as another that is 528 GB (Photos Library) I have a hard time trusting that the file size is not what it says it is. I'm getting there but it feels like I'm deleting a mass number of photos.

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Answer 5

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Mar 24, 2016 8:51 PM in response to kboatc01

yes - you are seeing double counting of space because with hard links each library looks like the file is part of the library

Photos saves disk space by sharing images with your iPhoto or Aperture libraries - Apple Support

When Finder reports the file size of your Photos library, it includes all your originals and previews. It may look like your remaining iPhoto or Aperture library is taking up twice the space on your hard drive, but it isn't—your images exist only in one location, even though you may have more than one photo library.

again

Photos and iPhoto use hard links to the original an previews ad as long as one hard link to a file exists the file space will not be released - when you trash the iPhoto library all of the space will be released

Deleting either library has no effect on the other library

LN

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Answer 6

kboatc01 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 24, 2016 9:49 PM in response to LarryHN

It appears to have worked. I now have more free space on my computer, though the amount of GB in my Photos library and the amount the library shows in Finder don't match. Hopefully, that corrects itself with a reboot or something.

Thanks for your help!

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Answer 7

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Mar 25, 2016 7:24 AM in response to kboatc01

Of course it worked

and the size shown in the finder is never the same as the size in photos - Photos shows the size of your photos - essentially what you would get if you exported the originals of all photos - the finder shows the size of the entire library including database support files and versions of photos - two different things that are never the same and should not be

You are welcome

LN

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