by Got an Apple, Mac, or iOS tech question? We have the answer. In this week’s installment of Ask, we’ll tell you how to combine multiple iPhoto libraries into one.
Question: Somehow I’ve created many iPhoto libraries, some of which are nested within other iPhoto libraries. How do I make it so that I have just one iPhoto library? I get the feeling there is more to it than just dragging the contents of one into the other.
Answer: You are correct — this process is a little more complicated than simply copying one iPhoto library into another. You can do it manually, but it’s usually error-prone and will typically leave you with duplicate photos. The easier way to merge multiple iPhoto libraries is by using the iPhoto Library Manager, which is available for $29 at http://fatcatsoftware.com/iplm.
Using the iPhoto Library Manager, click on the Merge Libraries icon in the toolbar. Here, you will be prompted to drag-and-drop all of the libraries that need merging into the “Source Libraries” section. After doing that, drag-and-drop the library that all of the sources should be merged into using the Destination Library section. We’d advise merging into a new, empty library, and choosing your Desktop as its location.
