Permanently Deleting Photos from Hard Drive

Hi, I recently upgraded to a macbook pro from a macbook. I backed up all of my photos to an external hard drive from the macbook, then moved the entire library to the trash then emptied the trash. I just ran a program called "Disk Inventory X" to find out why my hard drive was still almost full and it turns out that the deleted photos are still on the hard drive in pictures/iphotolibrary/originals/ then their folders (which I can see in the "disc inventory X" program), however I cannot see the files in Finder to delete them. How can I proceed to delete them (there's about 100 gigs)?
Is there another way to open Iphoto Library to erase the files without opening iphoto because the photos are not visibel there?

In Disk Inventory X, when something is selected, just do File > Reveal in Finder or its shortcut on the menu Command-F. That will reveal the folder in the Finder.
Also, in the grid of squares, right-click something and Reveal in Finder is on the context menu.
If the photos are stil listed in iPhoto, select one and do File > Reveal in Finder > Original file. This will show you where on disk any iPhoto photo is.
Note that if you can still see these original photos in iPhoto, it is best to delete them from iPhoto and then empty trash in iPhoto. If you delete photos in the Finder, behind iPhoto's back, you can really screw up your iPhoto library as it loses track of the files it thought were there. You really do not want to go there...

Similar Messages

Deleting photos from hard drive

I have been using iphoto since 2009, but I really don't like it. I want to switch to Picasa. I have saved my photos to an external harddrive. Then I unplugged the external. I then moved the iphoto from the dock to the trash. I also removed picasa. I then tried to download Picasa again to basically start over. When I reloaded Picasa, it found photos on the hard drive (my external is unplugged so that's where I assume they are). My problem with Picasa has been that it finds multiple copies of each photo (as I have been using iphoto and then every once in a while I physically drag the albums to an external harddrive.) I have about 20,000 photos so multiple copies make it unusable.
As I said, I have saved my photos to an external hard drive (actually 2 external harddrives because the 80 gigs got filled up!) I want to completely start over with photo editing, and I want all the photos in basically one place.
Can anyone help me figure out how to delete the photos from the imac hard drive?
Thanks,
jules
I really, really don't like the mac at all (and it's been about 3 years!!)

Hey Terence,
I was reading through many of the questions and answers on the site and I saw that you seem to have answered all of them. I tried to figure out how to get directly to you--but I couldn't figure it out....so thank you for your reply. In advance I apologize for explaining everything in minute detail!! (Larry's post was helpful also!!)
I have had iphoto for about 3 years now. I have never been very happy with. If you can "fix" it, that would be great. I am a very organized already with my photos, so that is not the problem. I save all photos into monthly "events". When I back them up, I save them in specific folders for each year with subfolders for each month under each year.
I've been using the Mac for so long, I can't even remember what I used before that, but I remember that I worked with one folder (event) at a time and I had to click into a folder to look at photos I wasn't currently working with. It seems to me that every time I open iphoto, I have access to every single photo I have ever taken at one time. It is VERY slow. Lately, more often than not, I keep getting stuck when I try to open it. I get the colored wheel that lets me know that it's "working". I walk away from the computer and when I come back, it's still rolling. It seems to me that it's getting locked. I usually can't even use the command Q to "end the task". I often have to restart the computer or turn the entire computer off from the back of the monitor.
If you have some ideas on how to fix this, I am more than happy to try them. What I like in picasa is the the ability to add text and graphics to the photos, but for the number of photos that I'd actually do that to, I can just import those photos to picasa.
Thank you for your time,
julie

Problem for deleting photos from hard drive within Iphoto 8

Hi there,
I am a new switcher, I bought a Macbook Pro last month...
I tried to manage my photo library with Iphoto but I cannot succeed in deleting pictures within Iphoto interface.
I've red some similar posts on this forum but nothing helped me.
When I put pictures in trash then empty Iphoto trash, my pictures are still on the hard drive and it is really annoying...
I unchecked the box in preferences to copy pictures in IPhoto Library, of course.
I tried to delete my Iphoto library and rebuild it.
It doesn't work !!
For information, my pictures are in a shared directory (shared between the two users of my Macbook) and all permissions ok !
Thanks for help.

I unchecked the box in preferences to copy pictures in IPhoto Library, of course.
Of course you did. And that explains why the photos are not removed from the HD.
When you uncheck this box you’re saying to iPhoto: ‘Don’t touch my photos, I want to manage them myself’. So, that means you need to get them from your camera to where ever you store them yourself. It also means that in the event of deleting them, you’ll need to do that too.
There are a number of potential pitfalls using this Referenced system.
1. Import and deleting pics are more complex procedures
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
Always allowing for personal preference, I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers.
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, there are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
Your choice, obviously, but best to be aware of all the ramifications. By all means post back if you require more info.
my pictures are in a shared directory (shared between the two users of my Macbook) and all permissions ok !
This, of course, means that edits made by one user are not visible to the toehr. There are other ways to share if you’re interested.
Regards
TD

Can anyone help me with lightroom 5 - download photos from hard drive and develop on a MAC

Can anyone help me with lightroom 5 - download photos from hard drive and develop on a MAC@
I have not used this forum before and trying to find my way to assistance with developing photos in Lightroom 5 on a Mac. Have imported the photos from the folder, but cannot open them in the develop module, as the develop module does not show! Newsgroup_User

Try assigning Queen as the Album Artist on the compilations in iTunes on your computer.

How do I totally permanently DELETE photos from iPhoto?

How do I totally permanently DELETE photos from iPhoto?

Are you running a Managed or a Referenced Library?
A Managed Library, is the default setting, and iPhoto copies files into the iPhoto Library when Importing. The files are then stored in the Library package
A Referenced Library is when iPhoto is NOT copying the files into the iPhoto Library when importing because you made a change at iPhoto -> Preferences -> Advanced. (You unchecked the option to copy files into the Library on import) The files are then stored where ever you put them and not in the Library package. In this scenario you are responsible for the File Management.

How do I permanently delete photos from my hard drive?

Hi.
I have deleted photos from my iPhoto but now I want them off my hard drive to increase space. I forget how to do this. Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Margie

Move them form the library view (events or photos) to the iPhoto trash in the source pane on the left and empty the iPhoto trash - iPhoto menu ==> empty trash
Deleting them from an album deletes them only from that album not from the library or from disk
LN

How do I permanently delete photos from an iPad so they do not show on the slide show via the lockscreen?

How do I remove photos from the lockscreen slide show that I have already deleted? It is only running on iOS 5.
Thanks

The links below have instructions for deleting photos.
iOS and iPod: Syncing photos using iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4236
iPad Tip: How to Delete Photos from Your iPad in the Photos App
http://ipadacademy.com/2011/08/ipad-tip-how-to-delete-photos-from-your-ipad-in-t he-photos-app
Another Way to Quickly Delete Photos from Your iPad (Mac Only)
http://ipadacademy.com/2011/09/another-way-to-quickly-delete-photos-from-your-ip ad-mac-only
How to Delete Photos from iPad
http://www.wondershare.com/apple-idevice/how-to-delete-photos-from-ipad.html
How to: Batch Delete Photos on the iPad
http://www.lifeisaprayer.com/blog/2010/how-batch-delete-photos-ipad
(With iOS 5.1, use 2 fingers)
How to Delete Photos from iCloud’s Photo Stream
http://www.cultofmac.com/124235/how-to-delete-photos-from-iclouds-photo-stream/
 Cheers, Tom

Deleting photo's in iPhoto didn't really delete them from hard drive

I do a lot of photography, mostly sports/action etc. I just noticed that when I delete a photo in iPhoto, it is removed from my view, but it does not go into the trash can. I can use Finder on the pic's left in the same event folder and then peek around and still see the photo's I thought I had deleted. When I tell iPhoto to delete a photo, I want it to delete both copies (original and modified) - I'm afraid that I may have literally 1000's of photo's left over, sucking up hard drive space that I thought were deleted.

with the managed photo library, iPhoto own's the pics.
It doesn't.
I have to make a copy of each photo to Picasa and then export to the web.
You don't.
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 and later*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
(Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and later* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
*If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
For users of 10.6 and later:
You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu. Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and later:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Reveal in Finder* - File -> Reveal in Finder will bring you to the Origina or Modified version, depending on which you choose.
*To use iPhoto with an External Editor*
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
For the sake of completeness:
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organiser
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
Regards
TD

Deleting photos from hard disk

Hi, I have all of my photos on my hard disk and external hard drive. After I back up onto DVDs I would like to delete all of them off of my Mac (to free up some space).
My question is, will I still see the thumbnails without having to connect the external hard drive (I do a lot of photo editing).
Also, is there a correct way to delete, or should I just drag them into trash.
Finally, if I spotlight search a photo, several are found of the same photo - why is this and how can I clean it up.
As you have probably realised, I am not completely computer savvy and would appreciate any answers in a "Jack & Jill" style
Many thanks

Macssonew:
First, iPHoto creates a minimum of 2 versions of each photo imported into the library, the original and the thumbnail file. If you edit a photo in iPhoto a 3rd version is created in the Modified folder. You cannot change that. It's how iPhoto works.
I need more info on how you have things set up before I can advise you what your options are. How is your library setup currently? Do you copy files into the library when importing? Does the library contain the image files that are on the external HD?
For what I understand now, you might be better served with multiple libraries, one smaller library on your laptop with current photos and a larger library on the external HD with the remaining photos. You can copy events or albums between libraries with the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager and keep keywords, comments, titles and any edited version intact.
Or you might consider a more professional application, iView MediaPro, which can keep the "source" files on an external HD and have a catalog of them with thumbnails up to 640 x 480 on the laptop. You'd still be able to view the large thumbnails with the external HD not mounted assign keywords and other annotations, group into catalog sets or categories (albums in iPhoto), etc.
Going the alias route has some big pitfalls. Without the source files available you can only see the thumbnails at their small size. You can't move them to albums or assign keywords. It's pretty limiting. If you have any video files in the library you won't be able to use it at all. iPhoto will continuously ask you to locate the video file. It can't operated with the video file missing as it can with the still image files missing.
If you can describe exactly how things are set up and located we can better give you some ideas to pursue.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Delete Dialogue not appearing... can't delete songs from hard-drive

After downloading ver 7.0.2 I can't delete songs from my hard-drive by deleting them in iTunes.
There's supposed to be a dialogue(sp?) box that shows up when you delete a song in the main library (not in playlists), that asks you if you want to permanantly delete a file (song, movie, etc), or if you only want to delete it from the iTunes list.
It's not showing up for me, so I have to seek out the folder and delete the song manually in Windows.
I'd get this problem occasionaly in the older versions, but usually a restart of the program, or in worse cases, rebooting the computer would solve the problem, but not this time.
I've tried re-installing the program, but no luck.
Any ideas?
Thanks.

I tried the following fix, and it didn't work..
Is anyone else having this problem after upgrading to 7.0.2?
I'm sure I didn't check the box in the delete dialog that says "do not show this again"
I've also tried hitting the shift key when deleting.. still no luck.
HELP!!
Resetting the iTunes Preference Files:
-- Quit iTunes
-- Delete C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
-- Delete C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
You may need to enable 'Show Hidden Files/Folders' in Windows Explorer==>Tools menu==>Folder Options==>’View’ tab before you can see the Application Data & Local Settings folders.
This will force iTunes to run the setup assistance the next time you open it. You'll have to go back and re-set any preferences you want changed from the iTunes default. When you restart iTunes, it will perform its initial startup process. Do not let iTunes search for your music files. The old library is still there and iTunes will see it after it gets past the initial dialog screens.

Deleted Items from Hard Drive folder and now nothing works ...

Hi All,
Under the 'Search For' heading in the right hand column of the grey box that comes up when you open your hard drive, there are the heading All Images, All Movies, All Docs .... I've deleted about 2600 files from the 'All Images' folder and now my iPhoto won't open as there is nothing in it, and my Entourage crashes when I try to open it.
I've obviously deleted files that were needed for these applications. The items are all still in my Trash, but I don't know how to return the files to their original homes. Can anyone help please?
Thank you

V.K. - thank you for your help. I've manually moved all my photos back to iPhoto and that's back up and running.
The problem I'm left with is how to reinstate the correct files to Entourage. Even if I could identify which files are part of that application (can anyone help with that?), I'm still not sure how to put them back into Entourage. Is it simply a matter of dragging them over to my Entourage icon?

Photo booth: recovering photos from hard drive

I have recently decided to try to recover some "very" old photos from photobooth that I had placed in the trash, AND emptied from the bin. I have no clue how to use time machine and I never have. So, how do I recover these photos from beyond the grave? Or are these files doomed to wander amongst the stars?

BlindArtists wrote:
I have no clue how to use time machine and I never have.
Assuming you made a TimeMachine drive before your accidental deletion and it backed up/updated, then there should be no problem restoring.
But something tells me you didn't .
If you didn't then your looking at data recovery using a external boot drive and $100 Data Rescue software if your internal boot drive is a hard drive. Don't think the deleted data can be as easily recovered off a SSD if you replaced yours in your 2010 model (came with hard drives)
If the boot hard drive isn't Filevaulted, you didn't use Secure Empty Trash, Disk Utility > Erase Free Space or wrote a lot of items to the drive or used the machine very little since the accidental deletion occurred, then there is a very good chance the files may be recoverable provided Data Rescue can recognize the iPhoto file format and reconstruct them again off the 1's and 0's off the drive.
The software has to be installed on a external boot drive while the computer is booted from it to minimize the chance of overwriting the deleted data. Another Mac with FireWire Target Disk Mode can also be used with Data Rescue on it.
.Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
If I'm talking geek speak and not making any sense, then stop using the computer and take it to a local PC/Mac tech which for a fee will image your entire boot drive (deleted files and all) to a external drive which you then can use Data Rescue yourself (for better privacy) or they will do the entire attempted recovery themselves.

Deleting images from hard drive

My hard drive warned me its capacity if almost full, so I deleted bunches of photos, but it made little difference in the amount of available space. Does this mean all my deleted images are still deep in there somewhere taking up space? If so, how do I get rid of them? I take piles of photos counting on beng able to get rid of them. Thanks.

Drag the photos from the Library to the iPhoto trash, then empty the iPhoto trash
Hitting delete in an album removes the pic from the Album, not the library.
Regards
TD

How do you permanently delete Photos from my iPhoto library?

When I delete a picture in iPhoto by hitting the "Delete" button on my keyboard, it vanishes from the Library but if I go into my hard-drive and look under my Photos folders, Ill find its still there. How do I delete it for good the first time?

Did you confirm that they were in the iPhoto trash bin before you emptied it via the iPhoto->Empty Trash menu option? If you were in an album and hit the delete key you only removed the photo from that album. You have to be in an event for the Delete key to send the photo to the trash.
If done right the original image file, thumbnail and any modified versions will be completely deleted from the HD.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Cannot Delete Picture from Hard Drive After "Chang...

Steps to reproduce:
1. Go to a dialog where you can "Change Picture" of a chat group or your profile.
2. Click on "Change Picture".
3. Select "Other".
4. You will get prompted to upload a picture, go ahead and do that.
5. Picture successfully uploaded.
6. Now delete the picture you uploaded from the system/hard drive. Make sure not just putting it into the trash but empty the trash as well.
7. The system will complain that the picture is still in use and the picture isn't deleted.
If I restart my Skype then I am able delete the picture. I'm guess Skype didn't relinquish the picture file when it finished uploading. I checked "Open Files and Ports" from Activity Monitor and saw Skype was still had the picture file open.

I'm having the same issue. I've tried everything to delete the movie rentals from my hard drive. I even called apple customer support & technical support who could not help.
How did you fix your issue? My movies are located in the correct folder. I've even tried windows command prompt & safe mode deletes. I want my hard drive space back!

Permanently Deleting Photos from Hard Drive

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