Mar 18, 2020 Your Photos library holds all your photos, albums, slideshows, and print projects. If your library is large, and you want to free up storage space on your Mac, turn on iCloud Photo Library and use Optimize Mac Storage, or move your library to an external drive. Before you start, be sure to back up your library. All library services for students, faculty and staff will continue online. This shift to online-only will remain in place until at least April 7th, but could change based on any new developments. Please visit the Library’s COVID-19 response web page for more information regarding Library services.
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Photos User Guide
When you import photos and videos into Photos, they’re copied to the Photos library in the Pictures folder. If you prefer, you can store photos and videos outside the Photos library (for example, in a folder on your Mac or on an external drive) and still view them in Photos. Files stored outside your library are called referenced files.
Referenced files aren’t automatically uploaded and stored in iCloud, and they aren’t backed up along with the rest of your files when you back up your photo library—you must back them up manually. To avoid manually backing up referenced files, you can move or consolidate the files into your library.
Store imported files outside the Photos library
Libraries Masters Photos Machine
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In the Photos app on your Mac, choose Photos > Preferences, then click General.
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Deselect the “Copy items to the Photos library” checkbox.Now, when you import photos or video, Photos leaves the files in their original location and accesses them as referenced files.
Find a referenced file in the Finder
Libraries Masters Photos Mac Pro
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In the Photos app on your Mac, select a referenced file.
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Choose File > Show Referenced File in Finder.
Copy referenced files into a Photos library
You can copy referenced files into your photo library so they’re easier to back up and are automatically stored in iCloud if iCloud Photos is turned on.
Libraries Masters Photos Mac Free
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In the Photos app on your Mac, select the files that you want to copy into the photo library.
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Choose File > Consolidate.
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Click Copy.
See alsoCreate additional photo libraries in Photos on MacBack up the library in Photos on MacRestore a library from Time Machine in Photos on MacRepair your library in Photos on Mac