How to Fix a Photos Library That Is Too Large on Mac

What Causes This?

A Photos library usually gets too large because it stores full-resolution originals, edited versions, thumbnails, videos, and cached data all in one package. If iCloud Photos is set to Download Originals to this Mac, your Mac may keep a complete local copy of everything. Large video files, duplicates, recently deleted items, and years of accumulated photo imports can make the library grow much faster than expected.

Common Symptoms

• Your Mac shows low disk space warnings
• The Photos library takes up tens or hundreds of GB in storage
• Photos opens slowly or feels sluggish when scrolling
• Backups take much longer because the library is so large
• You notice lots of duplicate photos, videos, or old deleted items still using space

How to Fix It Manually

1. Check how much space the Photos library is using

   1. Open Finder.
   2. Go to Pictures.
   3. Find Photos Library.photoslibrary.
   4. Right-click it and choose Get Info.
   5. Check the Size field to confirm how large it is.

2. Empty the Recently Deleted album

   1. Open the Photos app.
   2. In the sidebar, click Recently Deleted.
   3. Review the items if needed.
   4. Click Delete All to permanently remove them.

   Files in Recently Deleted still use storage until they are fully removed.

3. Find and remove large videos or unwanted media

   1. In Photos, look through Media Types in the sidebar.
   2. Open sections like Videos, Screen Recordings, Live Photos, and Bursts.
   3. Delete anything you no longer need.
   4. After deleting, return to Recently Deleted and empty it again.

4. Check your iCloud Photos setting

   1. Open Photos.
   2. Click Photos > Settings from the menu bar.
   3. Select the iCloud tab.
   4. If Download Originals to this Mac is enabled, consider switching to Optimize Mac Storage.

   This keeps smaller versions on your Mac and stores full-resolution originals in iCloud, which can reduce local storage use.

5. Look for duplicate photos

   1. In the Photos sidebar, open Duplicates if it appears.
   2. Review suggested duplicate items.
   3. Click Merge on entries you want to combine.

   This can remove extra copies while keeping the best available version and metadata.

6. Move the library to an external drive if needed

   1. Quit Photos completely.
   2. Connect an external drive formatted for Mac use.
   3. In Finder, open Pictures.
   4. Drag Photos Library.photoslibrary to the external drive.
   5. Hold Option while opening Photos.
   6. Select the moved library.

   This does not reduce the library size, but it can free internal storage if your Mac is running out of space.

7. Clear related system clutter

   1. Open Finder and click Go > Go to Folder.
   2. Check folders like ~/Library/Caches/ for large app cache files.
   3. Be careful not to delete files you do not recognize unless you are sure they are safe to remove.

   Photos-related caches and other temporary files can add to overall storage pressure even if the library itself is the main issue.

Fix It Automatically with Kudu

If you do not want to hunt through storage manually, Kudu can scan your Mac for cache files, temporary data, and other removable clutter that often builds up alongside a large Photos library. It gives you a faster way to recover space safely, especially when the problem is partly caused by hidden junk files rather than just your photo collection.

Download Kudu Free →