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Why is the Photos library taking up so much space on my Mac?

~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary

By Parsa Nasirimehr

Because it keeps every photo and video at full size unless iCloud Photos is set to Optimize Mac Storage. Shrink it from inside Photos: turn on Optimize Mac Storage, delete videos you don't need, and empty Recently Deleted. Never delete files inside the library in Finder.

How big it gets

As big as the photos and videos you keep on the Mac at full size, plus edits, thumbnails and Photos' own data. With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos keeps smaller versions and downloads an original when you open it, so the library takes far less.

What it is

What writes itPhotos, for every photo and video you import, sync from iCloud Photos, or save from Messages, Mail and the web.
Optimize Mac StoragePhotos › Settings › iCloud › Optimize Mac Storage keeps the originals in iCloud and smaller versions on the Mac. Your iCloud plan needs room for the whole library.
Recently DeletedPhotos you delete stay in Recently Deleted, still taking space, for up to 30 days. You can empty it sooner from the sidebar.
VideosVideos take far more space than photos. The sidebar's Media Types › Videos lists them.
Comes back?Only what iCloud Photos downloads again when you open it.

How to clear it

  1. If you use iCloud Photos, turn on Photos › Settings › iCloud › Optimize Mac Storage.
  2. Open Media Types › Videos in the sidebar and delete the ones you don't need.
  3. Open Recently Deleted and choose Delete All.
  4. To keep the whole library elsewhere, quit Photos, copy the library to an external drive, then hold Option while opening Photos and choose the copy. Delete the original only once the copy opens.

What you lose: The photos and videos you delete, once Recently Deleted is emptied. With Optimize Mac Storage, opening an original needs an internet connection.

With Scrubs: Scrubs shows the library as one tile on the map with its full size, so you can see at a glance whether Photos is what fills your Mac. Delete inside it from Photos, not from Scrubs. Download Scrubs; scanning is free.

Related folders

Messages attachmentsWhy is Messages taking up so much space on my Mac?iPhone backups (MobileSync)Where are iPhone backups stored on a Mac, and how do I delete them?Downloads folderHow do I clean up the Downloads folder on my Mac?

Paths and commands apply to macOS 15 and later. See also how to free up disk space on a Mac.

About the author: Parsa Nasirimehr is a mobile app developer who builds Scrubs, a disk map for the Mac. Spotted something wrong? Write to support@getscrubs.app.