Guides: getting at a Photos library on a Mac

Plain, step-by-step guides for a Photos library that is on a drive, from an old Mac, damaged or in a backup. Each guide starts with what you can do yourself with Photos and Time Machine, for free, and only then explains where AlbumRescue, the Mac app we make, adds something.

Won’t open

• Why won’t a Photos library on an external drive open?
• What to do when a Photos library could not be opened, or repair failed
• How do you open a Photos library from an old Mac?

Backups

• How do you restore a Photos library from Time Machine, and are the albums in the backup?

Getting photos and albums out

• How do you export Photos albums to folders on a Mac?

Comparisons

• AlbumRescue vs Photos Takeout, PowerPhotos, Photo Library Export and osxphotos

By Kayabyte. Questions or corrections: support@kayabyte.dev.

Apple, Mac, macOS, iCloud and Time Machine are trademarks of Apple Inc. AlbumRescue is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.