I moved my Photo Library. How can I insure that it is OK to delete the old one?

Question

I moved my Photo Library. How can I insure that it is OK to delete the old one?

I copied my Photo library to an external drive, following the instructions from Apple.

It seems to be working OK. The new library was updated today when I added photos.

But the older library was also updated earlier today, long after I moved and started off the new one.

How can I insure that all my old photos are OK in the new location and it is being used.

With Music, I can right-click and see the location of my files. But with Photo, it is all kept a mystery.

I don't want to throw out the old Photo Library without being absolutely certain the transfer is complete.

I am using Ventura on a 2017 iMac 27" and getting ready to move to my new M4 Mac mini Pro.

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Nov 5, 2024 8:27 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

210,443 points

Nov 5, 2024 10:24 AM in response to Lawrence Hammer

Open each library in turn, go to the "All Photos" view and check the number of photos and videos at the bottom of the window:

If they are the same then the moved library has all of the photos that the original library had.

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

197,147 points

Nov 5, 2024 9:46 AM in response to Lawrence Hammer

When you open Photos and use the command "Photos > Settings" and look at the General tab of the Preferences, you can see at the top of the panel, which Photos Library is currently opening Photos. Click the button "Reveal in Finder".

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Answer 3

Nov 5, 2024 10:12 AM in response to léonie

Thanks. That tells me what is being used now.

Does that mean that everything in my Photos, which are thousands of pictures, are in that file?

I have lost photos before by throwing out the originals and found out that Photo (or iPhoto) was only pointing to them. Even now, I find photos that cannot find their 'original' and I have to reload the pictures from my files.

I like Photos but find its file management to be unreliable.

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Answer 4

léonie

Level 10

197,147 points

Nov 5, 2024 10:37 AM in response to Lawrence Hammer

" Even now, I find photos that cannot find their 'original' and I have to reload the pictures from my files."

You should fix this, before you copy the library to an external drive.

if there are still photos in your original library, where the originals are missing, they will not have been copied to the external drive.

Have you checked your copied library with a smart album with the rule "Photo > is > Referenced"? If this smart album is not empty, all photos in this album need reconnecting to their originals and then consolidating into the library.

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Answer 5

Nov 5, 2024 12:27 PM in response to Old Toad

Thanks for that 75,875. Well, it differs by a few, but that is because I added and subtracted a couple of photos since I moved it.

That means I am confident in the move now.

Thank you!

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Answer 6

Old Toad

Level 10

210,443 points

Nov 5, 2024 2:03 PM in response to Lawrence Hammer

You're welcome.

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