You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Can no longer open alternate Photo libraries

I created a secondary Photos library as a way to archive older photos to "cold storage". Since the last MacOS patch (Big Sur 11.3), I can no longer open this secondary library. Thought that I might be an issue with my external drive, so I tried creating a new library, on the local drive in the same folder, using the same method, previously employed and I receive the same error message when attempting to open. Mind you, newly created, empty library on local hard drive, will not open:




I found the solution to the above issue!! If I copy my alternate photos library to the same folder where my system library is stored (/Users/username/Pictures), it opens without issue. If I move it to any other location, even a folder within the above named folder, I get the same error message above.


Apple should update documentation clarifying this limitation/requirement.

Posted on Dec 3, 2022 6:19 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 5, 2022 9:27 AM

Sorry nobody had caught that before--it comes up from time to time. Apple says "Make sure that your external storage device, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive, is formatted for Mac: either APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format." I'm puzzled, though, by your original statement, "I tried creating a new library, on the local drive in the same folder" You were doing great trouble-shooting.


Unfortunately, the more complicated apps get (and Photos is pretty complicated) the more they depend on having familiar formatting.


I got my Apple quote from

Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support


Similar questions

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 5, 2022 9:27 AM in response to jerelware

Sorry nobody had caught that before--it comes up from time to time. Apple says "Make sure that your external storage device, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive, is formatted for Mac: either APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format." I'm puzzled, though, by your original statement, "I tried creating a new library, on the local drive in the same folder" You were doing great trouble-shooting.


Unfortunately, the more complicated apps get (and Photos is pretty complicated) the more they depend on having familiar formatting.


I got my Apple quote from

Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support


Dec 4, 2022 12:21 AM in response to jerelware

I'm not sure Apple need to update anything in the documentation as I can create and open libraries both on my HD, Desktop and external disks.


What is clear from your screenshot is that Photos thinks that you're trying to open a Library from a Time Machine back up, which is not possible without restoring that. Could that be the issue?

Dec 5, 2022 7:41 AM in response to Yer_Man

No, that has never been the issue. Initially, the issue is that I moved a large number of photos to a separate library, stored on an external hard drive (HPFS formatted). After upgrading to 11.3, I was no longer able to open these libraries.


I later discovered that if I copied them to my local hard drive (above specified location), they opened without issue. BUT, if I create a folder and move them into the folder, the issue returns.


When I started this practice, I did not have the internal storage capacity to keep all photos locally. Now that I'm not AS constrained on storage, I tried the above experiment and discovered that I can open the photos library, that generates the error above when stored on an external HDD.

Can no longer open alternate Photo libraries

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.