How do I retrieve iphoto library from Time Machine when the Mac doesn't have enough memory

Is there a way to retrieve (or view) specific photos from iphoto library when it resides in Time Machine? The iphoto library file is much bigger than the free space available on the Mac; erasing unneeded files may not free up enough space if the library must be restored as one entire transfer. It would be easier if I could restore only pieces of it. Is there a way to do this?

Not from Time Machine which is backing up only a file, not its individual contents. Either you restore iPhoto Library or not.
Freeing Up Space on The Hard Drive
  1. See Lion/Mountain Lion/Mavericks' Storage Display.
  2. You can remove data from your Home folder except for the /Home/Library/ folder.
  3. Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on freeing up space on your hard drive.
  4. Get an external hard drive on which to store some of your files after which you can
      erase the data from your internal drive to free up space.
  5. Also see Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk.
  6. See Where did my Disk Space go?.
  7. See The Storage Display.
You must Empty the Trash in order to recover the space they occupied on the hard drive.
You should consider replacing the drive with a larger one. Check out OWC for drives, tutorials, and toolkits.
Try using OmniDiskSweeper 1.8 or GrandPerspective to search your drive for large files and where they are located.

Similar Messages

  • How to restore an Iphoto library from Time Machine

    I backed up last sunday onto time machine -all went well. Due to sillyness lost my Iphoto library from my 13 inch afterwards;I was trying to transfer my data to another mac (my 15 inch that had a new hard drive )using migration assistant . no Iphoto libray in either but I assume it is in Time machine( sudays one)
    How easy and how does one restore from Time Machine something like the Iphoto Library ? this is my only record of 3211 photos so dont want to stuff it up ??!!
    thanks to anyone ,as my wife will kill me if I get it wrong??!!
    Amr

    If you are using iPhoto 7, just launch iPhoto and then enter Time Machine. You can browse back through Time Machine with iPhoto's own interface.
    This doesn't work in iPhoto 5. With iPhoto 5, you have to use a Finder window in Time Machine to navigate back to your iPhoto Library folder (in homefolder -> Pictures by default) and restore it.
    I'm not sure which way it works in iPhoto 6.

  • How do I restore iPhoto library from time machine

    Hey!
    I recently messed up my whole iPhoto library.  How do I got about step by step getting it back off my time machine so that the events etc. are the same?

    Same as you restore any file using TM (it is good to wathc hte tutorials)
    Launch TM and go back to the time you want to restore from, select the file (the iPhoto library in this case) and click restore
    LN

  • Restoring iPhoto library from time machine

    How does one restore iPhoto library from time machine. When I attempt to do so time machine downloads 2/3 of the library and then says:  operation cannot be completed because you do not have permission to access iPhoto library.  Any advice?  I am using so 10.8.2

    Try the methods pondini gives here.
    http://pondini.org/TM/15.html
    Look at the specifics for iphoto..
    It is not easy as the versions have changed.. if you are trying to restore a version older than the OS.. not sure what willl happen.
    You might also need to do a full restore to an external drive and pluck the library out of there.

  • HT4927 Restoring iPhoto library from Time Machine backup

    Will restoring an iPhoto library from Time Machine overwrite the current library?  After I did a backup, I deleted some photos but since then I have added new photos.

    It is an option. You can overwrite or keep both when you restore
    LN

  • Can't reload iPhoto library from Time Machine

    I ran into a problem with my iPhoto library this morning. I deleted it in its entirely, emptied iPhoto trash and then the general trash. When I tried to reinstall the iPhoto library from Time Machine, I was informed there was not sufficient free space on my hard drive to do so. I have a 500 GB hard drive and dumped over 4,000 pictures, yet had only 6 GB of space reported on my hard drive when I went to reload the library from Time Machine. I can't see how this is possible. I had sufficient space for the original library before I trashed it. According to the Information under File, I have pretty much the same amount of free space on my computer as I had before I dumped the library. I have run utilities (OnyX and Apple utilities). They identify no disk problems or problems of any kind. I've scanned for viruses. There are none. Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to restore my library other than buy a new computer?
    Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
    Computer: early 2008
    Software: OSX 10.9.5

    Reboot and check the free space again.  If still at 6 GB Boot into the Recovery volume (boot with the Command + R keys held down), select Disk Utility and repair both the disk permissions and disk.  Reboot normally and check again. 
    Lastly you may have to reindex your hard drive:  Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes - Apple

  • Permissions Error message trying to restore iPhoto Library from Time Machine

    I've tried several times to restore my iPhoto library from Time Machine. After 45 min. when it's almost finished, I get an error "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access "iPhoto Library". Anyone know how to fix this?

    Hi, and welcome to the forums.
    Connect to the TC via Ethernet cable if at all possible.
    Try repairing your backups, per #A5 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

  • IPhoto crashed. When reopened, 70  some events were grayed out (no photos).  Restored iPhoto library from Time Machine, fewer grayed events.  Said yes to a msg on fixing library, 3K more photos. Still wrong.  What next to do?

    iPhoto crashed. When reopened, 70+  some events were grayed out (no photos).  Restored iPhoto library from Time Machine, fewer grayed events.  Said yes to a msg on fixing library, 3000 more photos. Still wrong.  What next to do?

    Do you still have the library that you were using when the crash occurred?  If so apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
    Fix #1
    1 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
    2 - run Option #4 to rebuild the database.
    Fix #2
    Using iPhoto Library Manager  to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
    1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
    2 - click on the Add Library button and select the library you want to add in the selection window..
    3 - Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option.
    4 - In the next  window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
    5 - Click on the Create button.
    Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
    OT

  • Can't recreate iphoto library from time machine. Sais there is not enough space where there is more double.

    can't recreate iphoto library from time machine. Sais there is not enough space where there is more double.

    Recover the iphoto library to a different location eg, a USB drive.. since there could be issues with the new photo app.

  • HT4927 I have tried to restore my iPhoto library from Time Machine. It starts then I get an No permissions error. What do I do?

    I have tried to restore my iPhoto library from Time Machine. It starts then I get an 'No permissions' error. What do I do?

    See #E9 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

  • Trouble restoring iPhoto library from Time Machine in OSX 10.9

    i recently got a new iMac and am trying to restore my iPhoto library from time capsule on an external hard drive.  my previous macbook with the original library was stolen so the external drive is my only hope of recovering years of photos.
    i have tried going into time machine and restoring the iPhoto library.  iPhoto shows several of my albums but zero photos.  i have tried looking for the masters file but it appears empty.  both times, the file size is significant though nothing appears.  i am not sure what else to try.

    This article should help:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4927
    In particular, note this paragraph:
    iPhoto may prompt you to repair your library if there are some inconsistencies in your files. If so, please allow it to proceed by clicking the Repair button. If you notice blank thumbnails, reopen iPhoto while holding down the Command and Option keys. When the Rebuild iPhoto Library window appears, enable the "Rebuild all of the photos’ thumbnails" checkbox. This may take a long time, depending on the size of the library.

  • Trying to rebuild my iphoto library from time machine backup and it still says 0 restored with a grey screen and the circle. How can i restore my library?

    I just bought a new Macbook pro and i tried to rebuild my iphoto library from a time machine backup on an external hard drive. Even after pressing command+option when starting iphoto and selecting rebuild library from automatic backup, it still doesn't work with the grey screen with the white circle and a little window that says 'rebuilding library: 0 versions restored'. I also tried to make a copy of my iphoto library but that did not work either. how can i restore my iphoto library or at least gain access to my photos?

    Your question is not clear
    Rerairing or rebuilding the iPhoto library never involves using Time Machine in any way
    TM is a totally seperate program and you can "restore" a file (including the iPhoto library) from the past using TM - you launch TM and go back to the time you want and select the file (or folder or package) you want and click restore - it probably is best to keep the current one until you are sure everything is good
    LN

  • How to make a backup of last week's iPhoto library from Time Machine

    I'm sure this should be obvious to me, but rather than struggle for another hour I thought I would engage the brain trust here.
    I'm using iPhoto 11 ver 9.4.2 and Mountain Lion 10.8.2 with MBP and Time Capsule.
    Last week I added a zillion photos to my iPhoto library as I was combining the photos from several PC hard drives.  Of course this gave me a 135G iPhoto library and a million duplicates.  So over the holiday weekend I've been using PhotoSweeper (a truly fantastic product) to tune up the library into what I want it to be going forward.
    But as I've been deleting all the duplicates, I've suddenly had the urge to save the original bloated library as sort of archaelogical record of every digital picture I ever had.  So I want to go back via Time Machine, find the library as it was last week, and save the library to an external drive.
    It looks to me like I'm going to need to "Restore" the old library to access it via Time Machine.  And then export or save it to the archive hard drive.  Right?
    But how will I get back to my new, carefully culled iPhoto library?  Will I just go back to Time Machine and "restore" the iPhoto library from today?
    I don't want to make a big mistake here!
    Also, why is my iPhoto library getting larger (now 150g) even though I have deleted (and emptied the iPhoto trash) thousands of photos?
    Thanks for any help you can offer!

    There  have been mixed reviews on Photosweeper - I have not personally used it and recommend one of two known programs for duplicate identification -
    Duplicate Annihalitor - http://brattoo.com/propaganda/ - or Decloner - http://www.pixelespressoapps.com/decloner/
    The face that your library is getting larger not smaller indicates that something is amiss
    As to TM questions for detailed answers the TM forum is best - basically you launch TM, go to the time you want, select the iPhoto library, click restore and when ask if you wnat to keep both say yes and place the newly restored library in the location of your choice
    See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427 for instructions on TM
    LN

  • Error 36 when trying to recover iphoto library from time machine back up

    When I try to recover a backup of an iPhoto library from my Time Capsule using TimeMachine, I receive the following error code: "The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “iPhoto Library” can’t be read or written. (Error code -36)." I have read a post regarding Snow Leopard 10.6.6 being the issue. Has anyone else had experience of this and if so how did you reslove this.

    Hi, and welcome to the forums.
    Connect to the TC via Ethernet cable if at all possible.
    Try repairing your backups, per #A5 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

  • Did restore iPhoto library from time machine remove all pictures?

    I opened iPhoto '11 (in Lion/ iMac) today and noticed all the Faces tags I had were gone.  I read in the support communities that you could restore from a backup which I did using Time Machine.  I randomly picked a day from last week, hit restore, replace my current library and now there are no pictures.  All the meta info is there... everything but the pictures (& maybe Faces).  Any ideas how to get my pictures back?

    Just because you don't see thumbnails in the Library doesn't mean they are missing.  Try the following: make a temporary, backup copy (select the library and type Command+D) and apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
    Fix #1
    Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
    Select the options identified in the screenshot. 
    Fix #2
    Using iPhoto Library Manager  to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
    Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
    Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
    Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
    In the next  window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
    Click on the Create button.
    Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
    OT

Maybe you are looking for