Delete Photos Library

How To Delete Photos Library
Delete Photos Library Mac

With the upgrade to Photos, many Mac users have been left with a duplicate iPhoto library on their Macs. Here’s how to delete iPhoto library and clear out some clutter.

iPhoto used to be the standard photo editor and photo management system on Macs, at least for the average computer user. Like it or not, however, that all changed when Apple first introduced the software, nearly a year ago. If your Mac came from Apple with Photos already installed, you don’t need to worry about old iPhoto libraries.

A Mac that was upgraded to a new version of OS X that added the Photos app, however, can end up with what look like duplicates of their photo libraries. The first time you start up Photos after upgrading, your Mac will copy over your photo library into the new software (if you explicitly set up more than one old iPhoto library, you’ll have to copy them over yourself). It doesn’t go back and delete the old one, though.

The C: Users Pictures folder is included by default in the Pictures library. If you don't need or want the Pictures library, then you can remove it from showing in Libraries. This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the Pictures library showing in Libraries for all users in Windows 10. Find duplicate photos. It's easy to have multiple copies of the same photo creep into your photo collection over time. Use PowerPhotos to find duplicate photos in one or more libraries, view them side by side, and separate them into albums where you can easily delete them from your library.

Here’s where things get a little bit confusing: you don’t actually have two copies of your photos. Thanks to the way OS X (the software that powers your Mac, like Windows powers a PC) works, your pictures aren’t actually stored in those libraries. Instead, they’re stored somewhere else on your hard drive, and each library has what Apple calls a “hard link” to the pictures. As a result, each library can access the photos, but store separate information about them. You can delete either library safely; only if you were to delete both libraries would you lose access to your pictures.

While having a second copy of your photo library doesn’t take up that much extra space on your computer, it can still be confusing – first of all, each library reports that it’s a certain size, which can make it difficult to figure out how much room is left on your Mac. Additionally, if you need to back things up, it can be hard to figure out where your files are.

Still with us? Let’s recap:

if you upgrade your Mac from iPhoto to Photos, you’ll get a second photo library
if you had multiple iPhoto libraries (you would know if you did), you’ll need to copy them into Photos manually
the libraries each link to a single copy of your photos, rather than storing each photo twice
it can appear that your libraries are taking up more space than they are, thanks to the way hard links work
you can safely delete either photo library – only if you delete both of them will you lose access to your photos

How to delete iPhoto library on your Mac

Now that you understand why you might want to delete an old iPhoto library, and why you don’t necessarily have to, let’s talk about how to actually do it.

Before you do anything like this on your Mac – that is, delete something potentially important – you should back up your software with something like Time Machine.

Read: How to Backup Your Mac with Time Machine

That way, if you accidentally delete something important, or something else goes wrong, you can always roll things back to how they were when you started. This is really easy, and there’s nothing to be concerned about; it’s just good practice to back things up (and keep them backed up) before you muck about in your computer.

First, you’ll need to open a Finder window: you can do this by clicking on the Finder icon (it looks like a square face) on the dock, or by clicking on your Mac’s desktop background and hitting ⌘+N (Command + N) on your keyboard.

Next, look at the left-hand column in the new window. You’ll see a list of locations around your Mac; find the one that says Pictures and click on it. You’ll be taken to that directory, which contains libraries for Apple’s image-related apps (Photos, iPhoto, Photo Booth, etc).

In the list of files on the right, scroll down and look for your iPhoto library – it’ll be a little iPhoto icon, and the name will read, unsurprisingly, iPhoto Library. Don’t worry about accidentally deleting your Photo Booth or Photos libraries; you’ll be able to see which one is which.

To actually delete the library, you can do one of three things:

Click on the iPhoto Library listing, and without letting go of your mouse or trackpad button, drag it until it’s over top the Trash icon on your dock. Once you’re on top of the Trash, let go.
You can select (click on) the iPhoto Library, then right-click on your mouse or Trackpad (Apple will call this Secondary Click in your Mouse or Trackpad settings). A new menu will pop up; find the entry that says Move to Trash and click on it.
Finally, you can also delete your iPhoto Library by clicking on it and hitting ⌘+Delete (Command + Delete) on your keyboard.

Read: How to uninstall apps on Mac OS X

Now that you’ve gotten rid of your iPhoto library, it makes sense to completely uninstall iPhoto – that way you won’t accidentally create a new iPhoto Library and have to repeat all these steps. It’s as simple as opening up your Applications folder, and deleting iPhoto (using one of the three steps we just discussed). For a more in-depth look at how to uninstall apps on your Mac, be sure to check out our guide above!

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Q: How do I delete photos from iPhone 8? Some photos do not include a trash bin at the bottom of the page. What are my options?

Actually, this is not an uncommon issue - lots of users can't delete photos from iPhone/iPad while doing a deletion. Then do you know the reasons for this problem and how to fix it? If not, then you can read on to get the answers. This tutorial will tell you the main reasons and 3 solutions for the photos won't delete from iPhone issue. (If needed, you can also click to learn how to delete all photos from iPhone/iPad>>)

These 3 solutions include disabling iCloud Photos, making use of iTunes and MobiKin Eraser for iOS. Let's have a look together!

Why Won't iPhone/iPad Let Me Delete Photos?

To look for a solution, you need to first look for the answer to 'why you cannot delete photos from iPhone or iPad'. And certainly, the reason is not just one and the main reasons include:

Photos synced with iCloud: Once 'iCloud Photos' is turned on, your iPhone photos are not only getting stored on the device but in the iCloud service also. So, in order to be able to delete your photos, you must disable this feature first.
Photos synced with iTunes Library: If your photos are synced with iTunes, only unsyncing photos could offer a fix. And if this option does not seem to work, try some iPhone data erasers to delete your iDevice pictures.

These are 2 main reasons for iPhone/iPad won't delete photos. Now that you have known the reasons, it must be easy for you to solve the problem.

Maybe you also want to read:

Solution 1 - Fix Can't Delete Photos from iPhone by Disabling iCloud Photo Library

If you are the one who have enabled 'iCloud Photos' on your iDevice and unable to delete photos from iPhone/iPad, you should first try to fix the issue by disabling the feature. Once you turn off the feature, you will be able to move the unwanted images to trash bin easily. This is just a simple operation and you can complete it in a flash. So why not have a try?

Steps to solve iPhone won't let me delete photos by turning off 'iCloud Photos':

Unlock your iPhone or iPad.
Click on 'Settings' on the Home screen to enter the App.
Tap on your name and then choose the 'iCloud' option.
Choose 'Photos' and then toggle off the button next to 'iCloud Photos' to disable the iCloud photos syncing.
Once done, you can go to the 'Photos' App on your device to move the unwanted images to trash bin.

Here, please notice that the pictures you deleted will be move to the 'Recently Deleted' album and they will stay there for 30 days. If you wish to permanently delete photos from iPhone or iPad, you should continue to remove them from the 'Recently Deleted' album then.

Solution 2 - Fix Cannot Delete Photos from iPhone or iPad via iTunes

As mentioned above, it is also impossible for you to delete the photos that are synced with iTunes. In this case, you can try to solve the problem via iTunes. Then how? It is easy! You just need to unsync your photos with iTunes. This includes 2 situations - unsync photos or unsync albums.

Situation 1. Unsync albums to solve iPhone/iPad can't delete photos:

Run the latest iTunes on your computer and go on to connect your iPhone or iPad to the PC via a USB cable.
Tap on the device icon in iTunes and then the information of your iDevice will be displayed.
Click on 'Photos' in the left panel and uncheck the option 'Select albums'.
After that, you need to click on 'Done' to confirm your option.

Situation 2. Unsync photos to fix can't delete photos from my iPhone:

Open iTunes and then link your iPhone/iPad to the computer with a USB cable.
Click on the device icon located at the top left corner.
Choose 'Photos' and then deselect the option 'Sync Photos'.
At last, you can select 'Remove photos' and hit 'Done' to remove the pictures.

You can also click to learn:

Solution 3 - Fix Can't Delete Photos from iPhone Using MobiKin Eraser for iOS

Still cannot delete photos from iPhone or iPad after using 2 methods above? Then you can ask MobiKin Eraser for iOS for help! This is a powerful iOS files eraser tool. It enables you to erase all your iPhone/iPad data with one simple click, including photos and other privacy data, system settings, etc. After the erasure, all your unwanted pictures will be removed from your device.

This program will erase all files from your iDevice so please make a backup before using the tool. If you do not know how to do it, you can refer to the page: 3 Best Ways to Backup and Restore iPhone (#3 is Excellent)>>

After backing up your phone data, you can click the icon below to download and install the right version of the software onto your computer.

Here is how to solve the problem iPhone won't let me delete photos by using MobiKin Eraser for iOS:

Launch the program on your computer and then use a USB cable to connect your iPhone or iPad to the PC.
Go with the prompts on the screen to make the connected iDevice recognized.
On the main interface of the software, please click on 'Erase'.
Tap on 'Medium' to select a security level - High Level, Medium Level or Low Level. Then click on 'OK' to confirm your option.
Type in 'delete' in the input box and hit the 'Erase' button. After that, the program will start to erase and overwrite all the pictures and files on your iDevice.

How To Delete Photos Library

Words in the End

That's all for 'why I can't delete photos from my iPhone/iPad' and how to fix it. Please note that every solution is based on a particular scenario so please select the right one according to your actual situation. But if you cannot ensure the reason for the issue, you can directly select Solution 3 since it can help you delete photos in any scenario. However, before using this way, please remember to backup your iDevice.