MacMost forum question: Is It Possible To Split My iPhoto Library Into 2 Separate Libraries? I have over 3000 photos in my iPhoto and it takes a very long time to open. Is there a way I can put the majority of them into a second iPhoto library and keep the most recent ones in the default library?. If disk space is an issue moving the Library to an external drive formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) will have no impact on performance as well as maintain the integrity of the library. The only way to split a Library is to duplicate it, then remove the unwanted elements from each duplicate. You can split your library by copying albums and photos with a simple drag and drop. PowerPhotos will take care of copying the photos and retaining their metadata, including keywords, descriptions, titles, dates, and favorite status. Sep 03, 2017 there is no way to split a library and it is best not to since once you do you have to do multiple searches to find photos and over tie it becomes impossible to find photos - and there certainly is no need to. The only way to do that is to duplicate the library and then delete photos from eah library.
Photos in your System Photo Library are available in apps like iMovie, Pages, and Keynote. You can also sync them to iOS devices and view them on Apple TV. 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 and 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.
iCloud and the System Photo Library
Mac Photo Library Management
You can use iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream only with the System Photo Library. If you choose a different library in Photos without designating it as the System Photo Library, the iCloud tab in Photos preferences is disabled:
Split Photos Library Mac Os
Mac Photos Library Location
If you designate a new library as the System Photo Library and then turn on iCloud Photos, the photos and videos in the new library will merge with those already in your iCloud Photos. If you want to keep the contents of your photo libraries separate, don’t turn on iCloud Photos for more than one library in Photos.