For average users, you always want to leave this box checked. If you have iPhoto on an older Mac, you can find this option in iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck the box for “Copy items to the iPhoto Library”.Īgain, be sure that you know why you are unchecking this box. You will still be able to use the Photos app, but you will have to manually import items from whatever source or device they came from each time.

In the following menu, next to “Importing”, uncheck the box for “Copy items to the Photos Library”. Open the Photos app and select Preferences from the menu or type Command + comma. Anytime you are changing Settings, it is wise to back up your items, especially photos and videos. For those of you that don’t want Photos to makes copies of your images you can disable the option in seconds.īack up all of your photos and videos. Basically, if you are haven’t noticed a dent in your storage, regularly import photos from your iPad or iPhone, or aren’t sure where to find your images without the Photos app, you should leave the setting alone. In fact, it’s probably for a small number of more advanced users that would rather use the internal file system to organize their items in their original locations.

How to Stop Photos Copying Images & Creating Duplicate Files in Mac OS XĬhanging the default method for the Photos app is not for everyone. If you are really particular about your photo management and want to disable this feature I’ll show you how. However, in some cases, this means that there will be a duplicate version of the same image on your computer (the original and the copied Photos app image). If you use your computer to store and manage your images, the Photos app will make a copy of anything you import, making finding those items extremely easy. The new app does all the things that iPhoto did, but with a new interface and some new features. Apple said goodbye to iPhoto and replaced it with the aptly named Photos app for OS X Yosemite.

Mac photos duplicates