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I have a large collection of photos organized in folders on an external drive. I want to create a photo library file in the pictures folder on my MacBook air M1 that points to this large collection of folders. I cannot find out how to do this without
moving the photos. Can someone help?
Thanks,
Joe
Windows
How to import photos into a Photos Library without copying them into the Photos Library is described here: Where are the photos I imported into Photos on my Mac? – Apple Support (UK)
But it is not well supported in Photos. You will be stuck, if you ever need to move the referenced items to a different external drive, when your drive needs replacing. It is a disaster waiting to happen. I second OT's recommendation to avoid a referenced library.
Photos has been designed to be used with managed image files. Otherwise it would not be possible to use iCloud Photos.
How to import photos into a Photos Library without copying them into the Photos Library is described here: Where are the photos I imported into Photos on my Mac? – Apple Support (UK)
But it is not well supported in Photos. You will be stuck, if you ever need to move the referenced items to a different external drive, when your drive needs replacing. It is a disaster waiting to happen. I second OT's recommendation to avoid a referenced library.
Photos has been designed to be used with managed image files. Otherwise it would not be possible to use iCloud Photos.
What you want to do is called a Referenced Library. Using a "Referenced" library is not recommended because Photos is not designed to do so unless the files and library are on the same volume. Otherwise it'll eventually get corrupted. Even if on the same volume any change in the location of any of the source files can break the link to the library.
There are professional DAM (digital asset management) apps that are designed to use a referenced library with the source files on a remote volume. Unfortunately Photos is not one of them. This user tip describes the downside: Disadvantages of a Referenced Library in Photos - Updated for macOS 10.15 Catalina
You would be best served by using an external drive with enough space to hold the library as a "Managed" library and connect it directly to the M1. That drive must be formatted APFS or OS X Extended (journaled) with Ownership set to be ignored.
Hi joefromBrookline,
Thanks so much for posting in Apple Support Communities.
If we understand correctly, you are wanting to create a folder that when you click on it, it directs to a specific folder on the external hard drive.
Creating and alias folder may work for you. Give one of the steps below a try, and for more details you can go to Create and remove aliases on Mac - Apple Support.
Create an alias
On your Mac, do one of the following:
* Select the item, then choose File > Make Alias.
* You can create as many aliases for an item as you want, then drag them to other folders or to the desktop.
* Press Option-Command while you drag the original item to another folder or to the desktop to create an alias and move it in one step.
Reach back out if you have any questions.
Take care!
Creating a photo library file
