"Photos Library" is in iCloud Drive and needs to be moved to open pop-up on desktop

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Level 1

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"Photos Library" is in iCloud Drive and needs to be moved to open pop-up on desktop

I always open my photos on my desktop. Today I cannot. I get a popup that reads, "Photos Library" is in iCloud Drive and needs to be moved to a folder on your Mac to open.

I have the photos app on the desktop.

I have the photo library icon on the desktop (this is new-- is this from an update maybe?)

The Photo Library icon has a faint cloud symbol with a slash through it.

I can access the photos on my phone and iPad, just not here.

I can't find any instructions on how to do this.

I did set something a couple months ago to store things in the cloud to free up storage. So that may be where this came from. I hate it and want to stop that setup as well, but can't figure out how to reverse it.

I definitely want my photos saved not just in the cloud, but locally as well so they backup to my hard drive.

Thanks for any help!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Desktop Photos won't open. Says I must move the library to a folder on the Mac to open.

iMac 24″, macOS 15.6

Posted on Oct 8, 2025 12:45 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 6

16,921 points

Oct 8, 2025 1:33 PM in response to historynurse

The Photos Library cannot be in iCloud Drive. It can't work there. Go to iCloud Drive, or maybe the Desktop folder inside of the iCloud Drive folder and drag "Photos Library.photoslibrary" to the Pictures folder. You can see iCloud Drive and the Desktop folder in the Finder's Sidebar:

It sounds like you have chosen to keep the Desktop folder inside the iCloud Drive folder, as I have shown.

Photos is an app that accesses the Photos Library, and it should be in the Applications folder. In the Dock (along the bottom, usually) you have icons that activate the actual apps that are really in the Applications folder. As for the Photos Library itself, there is no reason to see it or to access it-- it should be safely tucked away out of sight in the Pictures folder.

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Answer 2

Oct 9, 2025 12:04 PM in response to historynurse

historynurse wrote: … Now to figure out how to get the desktop out of the iCloud Drive.

At System Settings>[name]>iCloud>Drive,

Uncheck Desktop & Documents. This stops them working as special folders, but stuff stays inside.

The Mac will make new empty Desktop & Documents folders in your User's folder.
Drag everything in the iCloud Drive/Desktop folder to the new "Desktop" folder in your User's folder.
Drag everything in the iCloud Drive/Documents folder to the new "Documents" folder in your User's folder.

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