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:
Apr 22, 2015 How to use multiple photo libraries with Photos for Mac. Photos for Mac lets you work with multiple libraries. Learn how to choose a default library, open another library, and merge multiple. Creating a library (.a) in Mac OS X and Xcode. Ask Question Asked 9 years, 3 months ago. Active 9 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 4k times 3. I'm in the process of porting some code from Linux to Mac OS X. The code is a static library that you add to your code. Basically after you compile the code you get a MyLib.a that can be linked to whatever.
- 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.
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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
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:
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.
Dear Larry,
The person asking the question, DIPSAUS, says that he (she) only has a PC type computer now, and he states that he does not have an Apple computer any longer. Therefore using the method I suggested to open up his (or her) Library to get the photos out of it would not be a disaster.
He also states 'That is worrisome. Now, I cannot retrieve 1000-5000 pictures.' So it is clear that his main concern is getting his photos back.
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The process that I have suggested WILL enable him to get his photos back. I have done it a few times and it has not resulted in a disaster.
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And my answer is not directed at 'most people', it is just directed to DIPSAUS and his problem of getting his '1000-5000 pictures' back.