If you don’t want to download iPhoto app because this would muddle up things, you could always access and open the iPhoto app from the Mac OS X terminal. Type the following command to open iPhoto in Mac. Aug 30, 2011 Where iPhoto Pictures Are Stored. IPhoto pictures are stored within the home /Pictures/ directory, in a file called iPhoto Library. There are some changes to the Photos app in Catalina, most notably how you browse your photos. Gone are the confusing Years, Colle. MacOS Catalina or Big Sur; An Intel or Apple Silicon Mac. PowerPhotos works with the built-in Photos app on your Mac, providing an array of tools to help you get your photo collection in order. Create and manage multiple libraries. If you have a lot of existing iPhoto or Aperture libraries that you want to migrate over to Photos. Unfortunately, this is not possible because the iPhoto app is no longer supported on Catalina. IPhoto has long been retired, so no matter what you do, the app will never run on your device. The app uses an outdated framework that Apple no longer supports. Your best option here is to use other apps like Photos.
Maybe also an old version of iTunes
Hey, have you upgraded from macOS Mohave to one of the newer OSes, like Catalina or Big Sur? In that case, some of your apps might have stopped working. For example, Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac, iPhoto, Aperture, and old versions of Adobe Photoshop stop launching, with a dialog box something like this:
However the dialog box for your app looks, the message is clear: the app won’t run. And the reason is incredibly simple: macOS Catalina drops 32-bit support. Big Sur, being released after Catalina, naturally doesn’t support it either. For the user, what this means is older apps don’t run. However, iPhoto and Aperture, being 64-bit apps with some 32-bit code, can be patched to run on Catalina & Big Sur. Here’s how.
Somebody has taken the trouble to create an app named Retroactive which patches iPhoto and Aperture to run on macOS Catalina and Big Sur. While we only tested it on Catalina, others have tested it on Big Sur and it works perfectly there too. The app itself is pretty self-explanatory. Here’s a direct download link. Unzip the zip and right-click the Retroactive app. Click open. It will ask you to confirm your decision. Click Open. Now, if you have installed iPhoto or Aperture, you can click on the Unlock button for that app to make the app run again on Catalina. Also, you can click the iTunes button in order to install iTunes rather than Catalina’s Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. For reference, here’s iPhoto running on my Catalina test device:
That’s it.
Back up your library
Before following any of these steps, it's a good idea to create a backup of your photo library, even if you use iCloud Photos. You can use Time Machine, use a third-party backup solution, or copy the library to an external drive. By default, your photo library is stored in the Pictures folder within your home folder.
Make sure that your software is up to date
Photos is part of the Mac operating system. You can avoid or fix many issues by running the most up-to-date version of macOS. Learn more about updating the software on your Mac.
If you use RAW images in Photos, learn more about the digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
If you have trouble migrating an existing iPhoto or Aperture library to Photos
You might see an alert message when you first open Photos or migrate an existing iPhoto or Aperture library. Learn what to do if Photos can’t copy or create a library.
If the Media Browser isn't showing your photos and videos
Use the Media Browser to make images from your photo library available in other apps, like Pages and iMovie. The Media Browser shows only the contents of the Photos library designated as the System Photo Library. If you have more than one Photos library—and the one you're using isn't set as the System Photo Library—the Media Browser won't show its contents.
Follow these steps to designate the current library as the System Photo Library:
- Choose Photos > Preferences.
- Click the General button at the top of the Preferences window.
- Click Use as System Photo Library.
If you're having other issues with Photos
If you're experiencing other issues—like missing or blank photo thumbnails, unexpected behavior, or if Photos won’t open—try to see if it's an issue with your library by following these steps.
Create a new Photos library and see if your issues persist:
- Quit Photos.
- Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos.
- In the dialog that appears, click Create New.
- Give your new library a name, then click OK. Note whether Photos opens successfully with this new library.
To return to your main Photos library, quit Photos. Then open it again while holding the Option key, select your main library, and click Choose Library.
Iphoto App For Mac Catalina Update
Alternatively, you can open Photos in another user account on your Mac and note whether Photos opens successfully.
If Photos opens with the new library, or in a different user account, it might mean that there's an issue with your library. Follow the steps to use the Photos library repair tool on your main Photos library.
Learn more
Is Iphoto Compatible With Catalina
- Learn how to create and order print products like books or calendars in Photos with Project Extensions.
- Get help with iCloud Photos.