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How does Photos app store image files under the hood?

I am curious what happens to the pictures I imported to Photos.


If I imported them selecting "keep folder structure" option, are they stored in the same directory organisation? What if I move them around albums and delete folders inside the app, are the files physically moved as well or still kept in the same file structure?


What if I adjust picture dates, is the EXIF data overwritten or stored somewhere in the library? If I wanted to export the pictures again, what would happen to the EXIF metadata of the exported files?

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 12.5

Posted on Aug 30, 2022 11:33 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 30, 2022 12:23 PM

Images are not stored in directories that match albums or any other construct.


Likewise with metadata. When images are imported, this data is stored in a database (for quick lookup), and this is used internally when using Photos.app.


You can check this yourself by navigating to ~/Photos, Ctrl-clicking on Photos Library.photoslibrary and choosing Show Package Contents. You'll see the database folder where the metadata is stored, along with an Originals folder that contains sorted subfolders of the images.


This also extends to edited photos - the original image is retained intact, alongside the edited version (so you can revert any changes you make), and the database keeps track of the versions.


All the data (edits, metadata, etc.) are merged when you export or copy an image out of Photos.app.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 30, 2022 12:23 PM in response to rax94

Images are not stored in directories that match albums or any other construct.


Likewise with metadata. When images are imported, this data is stored in a database (for quick lookup), and this is used internally when using Photos.app.


You can check this yourself by navigating to ~/Photos, Ctrl-clicking on Photos Library.photoslibrary and choosing Show Package Contents. You'll see the database folder where the metadata is stored, along with an Originals folder that contains sorted subfolders of the images.


This also extends to edited photos - the original image is retained intact, alongside the edited version (so you can revert any changes you make), and the database keeps track of the versions.


All the data (edits, metadata, etc.) are merged when you export or copy an image out of Photos.app.

How does Photos app store image files under the hood?

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