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User profile for user: arcrisp
arcrisp Author
User level: Level 1
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Opening an iPhoto Library in the new Photos Application from an External Hard Drive, then changing my mind... If erased from Photos on my Mac Mini, will it erase from my External Hard Drive?

I opened an old iPhoto library (2010~2015) from an external hard drive (by double-clicking it) on my new Mac Mini, but the photos are old and not the relevant ones I thought I was opening. So I don't want the photos in the Photos application right now. I ejected the external hard drive and then opened Photos to see if they copied over or just opened from the iPhoto icon in the external hard drive. It was the latter -- opening only when the external hard drive is connected.


My question is if I delete all the items from the Photos application on the Mac Mini, will it permanently delete all the items from my iPhoto library backup on the external hard drive?


Thank you for any assistance!

Mac mini, macOS High Sierra (10.13.6)

Posted on Nov 9, 2018 8:53 PM

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User profile for user: léonie
léonie
User level: Level 10
198,559 points

Posted on Nov 10, 2018 3:58 AM

So I don't want the photos in the Photos application right now.

Photos is storing the photos in a Photos Library. When you opened the iPhoto Library in Photos, the Photos.app should have created a new Photos Library on your external drive, in the same folder as the old iPhoto Library. Photos will by default open the library you used most recently, but you can switch to different libraries by double-clicking the library you want to open. Create additional photo libraries in Photos on Mac - Apple Support


You can delete the library on the external drive, that Photos created, if you do not need the photos in Photos. The new Photos Library will have the same name as the iPhoto Library, but the filename extension will be .photoslibrary and the icon will show a fan of three pictures with the rainbow flower.

Your old iPhoto Library should still be there, with an icon showing a camera.

Can you find the two libraries on the external drive?

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User profile for user: léonie
léonie
User level: Level 10
198,559 points

Nov 10, 2018 3:58 AM in response to arcrisp

So I don't want the photos in the Photos application right now.

Photos is storing the photos in a Photos Library. When you opened the iPhoto Library in Photos, the Photos.app should have created a new Photos Library on your external drive, in the same folder as the old iPhoto Library. Photos will by default open the library you used most recently, but you can switch to different libraries by double-clicking the library you want to open. Create additional photo libraries in Photos on Mac - Apple Support


You can delete the library on the external drive, that Photos created, if you do not need the photos in Photos. The new Photos Library will have the same name as the iPhoto Library, but the filename extension will be .photoslibrary and the icon will show a fan of three pictures with the rainbow flower.

Your old iPhoto Library should still be there, with an icon showing a camera.

Can you find the two libraries on the external drive?

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Opening an iPhoto Library in the new Photos Application from an External Hard Drive, then changing my mind... If erased from Photos on my Mac Mini, will it erase from my External Hard Drive?

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