- Mac Tutorials For Beginners
- Mac User Library Location
- Where Is My Mac User Library
- Access Users Folder On Mac
The Library directories are where the system and your code store all of their related data and resources. In macOS, this directory can contain many different subdirectories, most of which are created automatically by the system. In iOS, the app installer creates only a few subdirectories in ~/Library (such as Caches and Preferences) and your app is responsible for creating all others.
Dec 12, 2016 And remember, the system level /Library folder is different from the user level /Library. How to Access User Library in MacOS Mojave, macOS Catalina, and MacOS Sierra. If you don’t need to constantly show the /Library folder on the Mac, you can just access it when needed by using the “Go” menu. Nov 09, 2012 The Library folder at the root level of your hard drive is a public ‘library’ of data that is required for all users of the Mac. The Library folder within the System folder is.
Table A-1 lists some of the common subdirectories you might find in a Library directory in macOS along with the types of files that belong there. You should always use these directories for their intended purposes. For information about the directories your app should be using the most, see The Library Directory Stores App-Specific Files.
Mac Tutorials For Beginners
Subdirectory | Directory contents |
|---|---|
| Contains all app-specific data and support files. These are the files that your app creates and manages on behalf of the user and can include files that contain user data. By convention, all of these items should be put in a subdirectory whose name matches the bundle identifier of the app. For example, if your app is named MyApp and has the bundle identifier Resources required by the app to run must be placed inside the app bundle itself. |
| Contains programs that assist users in configuration or other tasks. |
| Contains audio plug-ins, loops, and device drivers. |
| Contains app-specific autosave data. |
| Contains cached data that can be regenerated as needed. Apps should never rely on the existence of cache files. Cache files should be placed in a directory whose name matches the bundle identifier of the app. By convention, apps should store cache files in a subdirectory whose name matches the bundle identifier of the app. For example, if your app is named MyApp and has the bundle identifier |
| Contains resources for picking colors according to a certain model, such as the HLS (Hue Angle, Saturation, Lightness) picker or RGB picker. |
| Contains ColorSync profiles and scripts. |
| Contains system bundles and extensions. |
| Contains the home directories for any sandboxed apps. (Available in the user domain only.) |
| Contains plug-ins for extending system-level contextual menus. |
| Contains data files with web browser cookies. |
| Contains data used by Xcode and other developer tools. |
| Contains language dictionaries for the spell checker. |
| Contains documentation files and Apple Help packages intended for the users and administrators of the computer. (Apple Help packages are located in the |
| Contains device drivers and other kernel extensions. |
| Contains aliases to frequently accessed folders, files, or websites. (Available in the user domain only.) |
| Contains font files for both display and printing. |
| Contains frameworks and shared libraries. The |
| Contains plug-ins, libraries, and filters for web-browser content. |
| Contains keyboard definitions. |
| Specifies the agent apps to launch and run for the current user. |
| Specifies the daemons to launch and run as root on the system. |
| Contains log files for the console and specific system services. Users can also view these logs using the Console app. |
| Contains the user’s mailboxes. (Available in the user domain only.) |
| Contains plug-ins for the System Preferences app. Developers should install their custom preference panes in the local domain. |
| Contains the user’s preferences. You should never create files in this directory yourself. To get or set preference values, you should always use the |
| In the system and local domains, this directory contains print drivers, PPD plug-ins, and libraries needed to configure printers. In the user domain, this directory contains the user’s available printer configurations. |
| Contains QuickLook plug-ins. If your app defines a QuickLook plug-in for viewing custom document types, install it in this directory (user or local domains only). |
| Contains QuickTime components and extensions. |
| Contains screen saver definitions. See Screen Saver Framework Reference for a description of the interfaces used to create screen saver plug-ins. |
| Contains scripts and scripting resources that extend the capabilities of AppleScript. |
| Contains system alert sounds. |
| (Deprecated) Contains system and third-party scripts and programs to be run at boot time. (See Daemons and Services Programming Guide for more information about starting up processes at boot time.) |
| Contains web server content. This directory contains the CGI scripts and webpages to be served. (Available in the local domain only.) |
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Your Photos library holds all your photos, albums, slideshows, and print projects. If your library is large, and you want to free up storage space on your Mac, turn on iCloud Photo Library and use Optimize Mac Storage, or move your library to an external drive.
Before you start, be sure to back up your library.
Prepare your drive
You can store your library on an external storage device, such as a USB or Thunderbolt drive formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).1 Find out how to check the format of your external storage device.
To prevent data loss, Apple doesn't recommend storing photo libraries on external storage devices like SD cards and USB flash drives, or drives that are shared on a network.
Move your Photos library to an external storage device
- Quit Photos.
- In the Finder, go to the external drive where you want to store your library.
- In another Finder window, find your library. The default location is Users > [username] > Pictures, and it's named Photos Library.
- Drag your library to its new location on the external drive. If you see an error, select your external drive's icon in the Finder, then choose File > Get Info. If the information under Sharing & Permissions isn't visible, click , then make sure the 'Ignore ownership on this volume' checkbox is selected. If it's not selected, click to unlock it, enter an administrator name and password, then select the checkbox.2
- After the move is finished, double-click Photos Library in its new location to open it.
- If you use iCloud Photo Library, designate this library as the System Photo Library.
Delete original library to save space
After you open your library from its new location and make sure that it works as expected, you can delete the library from its original location.
In a Finder window, go back to your Pictures folder (or whichever folder you copied your library from) and move Photos Library to the trash. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash to delete the library and reclaim disk space.
Open another Photos library
Mac User Library Location
If you have multiple libraries, here's how to open a different one:
- Quit Photos.
- Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos.
- Select the library that you want to open, then click Choose Library.
Photos uses this library until you open a different one.
Learn more
If you have a permissions issue with your library, you might be able to resolve the issue by using the Photos library repair tool.
1. You can't move your library to a disk that's used for Time Machine backups.
Where Is My Mac User Library
Access Users Folder On Mac
2. If the volume isn't formatted APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or has been used for Time Machine backups but hasn't been erased, this checkbox will either not be present, or won't be selectable after unlocking. Erase and reformat the drive for this option to be available.