Can 2 Different Computers Use The Same Mac Photos Library

Can 2 Different Computers Use The Same Mac Photos Library 3,6/5 1360 reviews

Nov 22, 2010  The Easiest Way to Share Lightroom Catalogs with Different Computers. ( 1 laptop, 1 deskop w/mutliple ext. HDD ) both running Vista & LR3. If I make sure the catalogs on both computers have the same name, can I use Live Mesh to keep those files updated? Adrian Campbell-Howard 7 June. Is the Mac way: All your photos are in /volumes//. May 31, 2018  The real answer is that you can get to your photos easily on a Windows computer and copy them easily to any folder (directory) you want. People who say you cannot do it are wrong. On a Windows computer the iPhoto library will appear in Windows Explorer as a Folder with the same name as the iPhoto library.

Though it is not a necessity to use your computer as a means to sync your iPhone or iPad content anymore, there are still lots of people that use iTunes on their computer for just that purpose. If you and your family all use one Mac but have have different content on your devices, you can set up iTunes to sync each one separately. It just takes a little advanced setup. Here's how.

Creating a user account for each person on your Mac

When you create separate user accounts, it makes it possible for each person to basically have a separate computer with a separate iTunes app. This method is ideal if each person syncs their device differently or if any of the devices have parental controls set up.

How to create a new user account on your Mac

The account administrator is the only person that can create a new user account. Make sure you have your administrator user name and password before you begin.

  1. Click on the Apple menu () at the top left of your Mac's screen.

  2. Select System Preferences from the drop down menu.

  3. Click on Users & Groups.

  4. Click on the lock in the lower left corner of the Users & Groups window.

  5. Enter your administrator username and password.
  6. Click Unlock.

  7. Click the Add (+) button under the current users list.

  8. Select an Account Type from the drop down menu. I suggest using 'Standard' for other adults and 'Managed with Parental Controls' for kids.

  9. Enter the full name of the new user.

  10. Enter an account name. This can be a nickname.
  11. Enter a password.

  12. Verify the password by entering it again.

  13. Enter a hint to help you remember the password if you forget.

  14. Click on Create User.

Repeat this process for user account you'd like to create on your Mac.

When the new users logs into their account for the first time, they will be able to set up their Apple ID and iCloud account.

How to switch between user accounts on your Mac

Switching between user accounts is as easy as signing out of one and into another. Make sure you switch to your user accounts before connecting your iPhone.

  1. Click on the Apple menu () in the top left corner of your Mac's screen.

  2. Select Log Out [user name].

  3. Select Log Out when the dialog window appears.
  4. Select the user account associated with the iPhone you want to sync.

  5. Log in.

Creating a separate iTunes library on your Mac

If everyone in your household uses the same sync settings and no one's iPhone or iPad is restricted with parental controls, you can create separate iTunes libraries instead of having a separate user account on your Mac for each person. This will allow each of you to sync your specific content, like movies, music, books, and apps, without mixing in with anyone else's content.

How to create a separate iTunes library on your Mac

Before you start, make sure iTunes is closed completely and not running in the background.

Can 2 Different Computers Use The Same Mac Photos Library Size

  1. Quit iTunes.
  2. Launch iTunes and hold down the Option key at the same time.

  3. Click on Create Library when the window appears.

  4. Enter a name for the new library under Save As (I suggest naming it after the person that will be using it).
  5. Make sure the save location is the Music folder.

  6. Click on Save.

  7. Click on iTunes in the app menu at the top left of your Mac's screen.

  8. Select Preferences from the drop down menu.

  9. Click on the Advanced tab.

  10. Untick the box for Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library. This step is important. It will tell iTunes not to add duplicates of your current iTunes library to the new one.

  11. Connect the iPhone associated with this new iTunes library to your Mac to sync it. All content on that iPhone will sync to this new library. You can also drag and drop movies, music, books, and other media content from your Mac into this new iTunes library and it will sync with the associated iPhone. Make sure you resync after any changes you make.
  12. Disconnect the iPhone and repeat this process for all iPhones in the household that you want to create a separate iTunes library for.

How to switch between iTunes libraries on your Mac

Switching between libraries just takes a few steps right when you launch iTunes. Make sure you switch the iTunes library before connecting your iPhone.

  1. Quit iTunes.
  2. Launch iTunes and hold down the Option Keyat the same time.

  3. Click on Choose Library when the window appears.

  4. Select the iTunes library associated with the iPhone you want to sync.
  5. Click Open.

  6. Sync the iPhone associated with this library.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about creating and switching between iTunes accounts or libraries? Put them in the comments and we'll help you out.

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I've had a multi-Mac household pretty much since college, rocking a laptop and desktop in addition to miscellaneous iOS devices throughout the years. Dropbox and iCloud sync made most of the pains of using several Macs disappear, but iPhoto was always a problem. My laptop is tiny! My iPhoto library, not so much.

Thankfully, Photos for Mac — paired with iCloud Photo Library's Optimize Storage feature — makes working with and syncing multiple Macs a breeze. Here's how you can do it.

How to use Photos and iCloud Photo Library with multiple Macs

Here's a quick, simple breakdown on setting up your Macs to support Photos and iCloud Photo Library.

I recommend starting with your biggest iPhoto library; it'll usually be on your desktop Mac. When you open Photos for the first time, your library should import automatically; if it prompts you to create a new library, your Photos library may be stored in another location on your Mac, and you may need to manually open it.

Once you've imported your biggest library on your Mac, make sure iCloud Photo Library is turned on and syncing. You can do this by following these steps:

  1. Launch Photos on your Mac.
  2. Click Photos in the menu bar.

  3. Select Preferences (or do this quicker by pressing ⌘,).

    Source: iMore

  4. Click on the iCloud tab.

    How to change photo libraries on mac. Source: iMore

  5. Check off the box for iCloud Photos.

    • You can also check off the box for Download Originals to this Mac if you have the space.
    • You can check off Optimize Mac Storage to save space on your Mac by only saving a percentage of images and video locally — the rest will be thumbnails that you can click on to download when you want to.

    Source: iMore

Now, open your other Mac, and launch Photos. If you have an iPhoto library on that secondary Mac, follow the same steps as above — import your library, then turn on iCloud Photo Library. If you have duplicates of the same photo on each computer, iCloud should automatically resolve those conflicts when it syncs, providing you with just one version of your photos when the sync process finishes.

If you don't have an iPhoto library on your secondary Mac, create a new library in Photos and turn on iCloud Photo Library. If you want to save storage space on this secondary Mac, make sure Optimize Mac Storage is selected: This will save a certain percentage of images and video locally to your device, while providing thumbnails of all the others for you to download at your leisure.

After you've set up all your Macs with Photos and the sync process has finished, you're now good to go. From here on out, any time you add photos, they'll sync to every computer you've set up with Photos.

What syncs, what doesn't sync

Photos for Mac syncs a lot more than just your original photos and videos. According to a support document on Apple.com, here's what else you should expect to see sync:

  • All folders and albums
  • Smart Albums
  • Keywords
  • Memories
  • Searchable keywords
  • Key photo selections

There are a few things iCloud Photo Library won't sync, however. Here's Apple's list:

  • Books, cards, calendars, and slideshows
  • Keyword shortcuts
  • Unused keywords
  • Last imported album on the Mac in question
  • Names and faces in the People album

For those not using iCloud Photo Library

Can 2 Different Computers Use The Same Mac Photos Library Mac

If you've chosen not to enable iCloud Photo Library, Apple still offers you free syncing of your last 1000 photos via My Photo Stream, which doesn't count toward your iCloud disk space.

This will sync and download images you've imported or taken on other devices, but you won't have the option to optimize your storage or sync your albums.

Octoober 2019: Updated for macOS Catalina.

Serenity Caldwell contributed to an earlier version of this guide.

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