How to Select and Change the System Photo Library on Mac
If you use the Photos app on your Mac, you may have wondered how to select and change the System Photo Library. The System Photo Library is the main library that stores and manages your photos, and works with iCloud services such as iCloud Photos and Shared Albums. In this article, we will explain what the System Photo Library is, how to select it, and how to change it.
Mac Photos Selecting Library
What is the System Photo Library?
The System Photo Library is the default library that Photos creates and uses when you first open the app. It is stored in the Pictures folder on your Mac, but you can move it to another location or store it on an external drive. The System Photo Library is the only library that can sync and update photos with other devices using iCloud Photos and Shared Albums. If you have multiple photo libraries on your Mac, you can choose which one to use as the System Photo Library.
How to Select the System Photo Library?
If you have more than one photo library on your Mac, you can select which one to use as the System Photo Library by following these steps:
Quit the Photos app if it is open.
Hold down the Option key and open Photos. You will see a dialog box that shows all the photo libraries on your Mac.
Choose the library you want to use as the System Photo Library and click Choose Library. Photos will open it and display the photos it contains.
You can also see which library is currently set as the System Photo Library by holding down the Option key when you open Photos. The dialog box will show a label next to the library name that says "(System Photo Library)".
How to Change the System Photo Library?
If you want to use a different library as the System Photo Library, you can change it by following these steps:
Quit the Photos app if it is open.
Hold down the Option key and open Photos. You will see a dialog box that shows all the photo libraries on your Mac.
Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library and click Choose Library. Photos will open it and display the photos it contains.
Choose Photos > Preferences from the menu bar and click the General tab.
Click the Use as System Photo Library button. If the button is grayed out, it means that the current library is already set as the System Photo Library.
If you change 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. Additionally, all photos and videos from iCloud will redownload to your Mac.
Conclusion
The System Photo Library is an important feature of Photos that allows you to store and access your photos across your devices using iCloud services. You can select and change the System Photo Library on your Mac by using the Option key when you open Photos. You can also create additional photo libraries and store them in any location on your Mac or on an external drive. However, you should keep in mind that only one library can be used as the System Photo Library at a time, and that switching between libraries may affect your iCloud storage and sync.
We hope this article helped you understand how to select and change the System Photo Library on Mac. For more information, you can visit [Apple Support] or [Medium].
a104e7fe7e