Photos for Mac — How to Change the System Library

When you only have one Photos library, Mac Photos automatically designates it as the system library. Once you create additional Photos libraries, you need to pick one as the system library. This will be the only library that can be synced with your iCloud Photos library.

If you have multiple Photos libraries and want to use a library other than the one Photos opens, you can switch libraries in one of the following two ways:

Method 1

Use this method if the Photos app is not yet open. Holding down the Option key, click open Photos app. The following dialog box will appear:

Select the library you want to use, and click Choose Library. Photos will open it and display the photos it contains. Note, however, that this won’t change the system library. This requires one more step that we’ll come to in a bit.

Method 2

Use this method if the Photos app is already open. In the menu bar, click Photos > Preferences > General > click the current library’s name next to Library Location. In the screenshot below, it’s named Photos Library:

The location selector window will open > Navigate to the library you want to use in Photos Takeout, and select it. Photos will reload, displaying the pictures the newly selected library contains.

Changing the System Library

To designate the newly selected library as the system library, click the Use as System Photos Library button (It’s greyed out in the screenshot above, but it’ll become clickable when the library currently in use isn’t the system library.

Do you know where Photos app actually works? Unlock the secrets of your Mac Photos library here.