Sometimes macOS tries to help you by not letting you carry out actions that would break the system or software you’re using. There are extra levels of warnings available that you might choose to turn off or bypass.
- Use Terminal To Move Photo Library Files
- Use Terminal To Move Photo Library To Icloud
- Use Terminal To Move Photo Library Software
The dotclean worked a treat on my photos library file Pictures Photos Library.photoslibrary when I was doing a big copy of all my files in my Pictures folder. All the other files had been successfully copied except those that were alphabetically after the Photos library. So I just copied those few independently. I am really grateful to all of you.
- Drag the Photos Library file into the Terminal window where Terminal will automatically enter the file location 4.
- Jun 08, 2021 If it's not selected, click the lock button to unlock it, enter an administrator name and password, then select the checkbox. 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.
When you have files in the Trash, select Finder > Empty Trash prompts you as to whether you really meant to empty the trash. You click Empty Trash to proceed. Holding down Option when selecting Finder > Empty Trash bypasses the warning. (You can also press Command-Option-Shift-Delete to bypass it.)
But if macOS thinks a file is in use by an application or the system, even that bypass doesn’t help. When you empty the trash, your Mac will show a warning dialog that reads, “The operation can’t be completed because the item ‘name’ is in use.” Three buttons appear: Skip, Stop, and Continue.
Apple advises in a support note a series of actions you should take, that can be summarized as a cascading order. Try an item and then try to use Empty Trash:
- Quit the app
- Restart the Mac normally.
- Restart the Mac in Safe Mode, delete startup items that might be the problem, then restart normally.
- Start up with macOS Recovery and use Disk Utility to repair the drive.
You can also use the Terminal command lsof, which tracks all files in use by even the lowest of low-level parts of the system. In Terminal, type lsof | grep -i followed by a space and part of the file name, and see if it shows what app or system component still has its hooks in. (You can read more about lsof in this previous Mac 911 column.)
However, sometimes a file just doesn’t want to go, and you’ve done everything else. There’s a last-resort method you can use: Delete Immediately. Apple added this option in El Capitan after it ditched Secure Empty Trash; I documented it in late 2015.
However, it’s changed further: you can no longer trigger it anywhere in the Finder except in the Trash folder. Select one or more files in the Trash and Control-click. Select Delete Immediately and confirm the deletion. There’s no going back!
This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Vince.
Ask Mac 911
We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com including screen captures as appropriate, and whether you want your full name used. Every question won’t be answered, we don’t reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.
Can anyone tell me what is wrong with the Terminal command I am trying to use to copy my Photos Library to an external drive?
cp -rpv /Users/ccr05/PicturesPhotos Library /VolumesLexar Files
Use Terminal To Move Photo Library Files
The returning error (?) is:
usage: cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-fi | -n] [-apvX] source_file target_file
cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-fi | -n] [-apvX] source_file ... target_directory
I have 400 GB free on the Lexar drive. I am using the backslashes to show that the spaces in the names are supposed to be there. I've checked the names of both the Photos Library and my 'Lexar Files' solid state external drive.
Use Terminal To Move Photo Library To Icloud
I need to use the terminal because my Photos library is about 150 GB and just dragging the file fails after a month or so of copying.
iOS 5.1.1
Use Terminal To Move Photo Library Software
Posted on Nov 26, 2017 5:07 PM