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Photos User Guide
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Table of Contents

Photos User Guide

  • Welcome
  • Get started
    • Overview of importing
    • Use iCloud Photos
    • Import from a camera or phone
    • Import from storage devices
    • Import from Mail, Safari, and other apps
    • Import from another photo library
    • Where are the items I imported?
    • Browse your photo library
    • Browse photo collections
    • View photos and videos
    • View photo bursts
    • See photo and video information
      • Find photos and videos by date
      • Find and name people and pets
      • Find group photos and videos
      • Find photos and videos by location
      • View photos and videos you recently saved
      • Find your travel photos and videos
      • Find receipts, documents, recently edited photos, and more
      • Find screenshots, Live Photos, and more by media type
      • Filter your photo library
      • Search for photos and videos
    • Use Live Text to interact with text in a photo
    • Use Visual Look Up to learn more about a photo
    • Isolate and share a photo’s subject
    • Delete photos and videos or recover deleted ones
    • Remove duplicates
    • Hide photos and videos from view
    • Add titles, captions, and more
    • Add keywords
      • Create and work with albums
      • Group albums in folders
      • Create Smart Albums
      • Watch memories
      • Personalize memories
      • Feature certain people and content less
    • Editing basics
    • Crop and straighten photos and videos
      • Add filters
      • Adjust light, exposure, and color
      • Remove distractions and imperfections
      • Remove red-eye
      • Adjust white balance
      • Apply curves adjustments
      • Apply levels adjustments
      • Adjust definition
      • Adjust specific colors
      • Reduce noise
      • Sharpen a photo
      • Apply a vignette
      • Change Photographic Styles
      • Change a Portrait mode photo
    • Write or draw on a photo
    • Use other apps when editing in Photos
    • Change a Live Photo
    • Change a video
    • Edit a Cinematic mode video
    • Share photos and videos
      • Turn on Shared Albums
      • Create or join shared albums
      • Add, remove, and edit photos and videos in a shared album
      • Add and remove people in a shared album
      • What is iCloud Shared Photo Library?
      • Set up or join a shared library
      • View a shared library
      • Add photos to a shared library
      • Remove photos from a shared library
    • Export photos, videos, slideshows, and memories
    • Export a Live Photo as an animated GIF
    • Export a still photo from a video
    • Create slideshows
    • Create projects using third-party apps
    • Print your own photos
    • Order professional prints
    • Photo library overview
    • Create additional libraries
    • Back up your library
    • Restore from Time Machine
    • Repair your photo library
    • Change where photos and videos are stored
  • Photos settings
  • Keyboard shortcuts and gestures
  • Copyright and trademarks

Browse your photo library on Mac

You can browse the library in the Photos app to view your entire collection of photos and videos.

Open Photos for me

View your library

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. In the sidebar, click Library.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • See all photos: Scroll to see more photos.

    • See photos from a specific time: Click Years or Months in the toolbar.

      When you view your library by Years or Months, you see a summary of the best photos. To see all the photos, click All Photos in the toolbar.

Change the library display

You can change the size and appearance of the photo thumbnails in the photo grid, and manage the content displayed in your library.

  1. Go to the Photos app on your Mac.

  2. In the sidebar, click Library.

  3. Click All Photos in the toolbar, then do any of the following:

    • Increase or decrease the size of photo and video thumbnails: Click the Zoom In button or the Zoom Out button in the toolbar.

    • View photos as square thumbnails: