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“We recently faced this error when trying to access the same iPhoto library from 2 different Mac devices. Any ways to resolve this issue?”
Many of us are familiar with this pop-up Error message “this photo library is locked, or you do not have permission to make changes to it.” This is a common error in Apple devices, which occurs when you try to access the iPhoto library from multiple devices at the same time. Usually because of permission conflicts, this error can lock out users from their Photo library, and in worst cases, can even corrupt the saved JPEG files.
Whether you’re battling with iPhoto’s errors on your PC, Mac, or mobile device, this blog is intended to help you with some of the most common solutions.
| Issue | Easy Fix |
|---|---|
| Permission error | Re-assign read-write access to users |
| Multiple users accessing photo library | Access from only one app/device |
| External disk error | Repair disk with CHKDSK |
| Low storage | Free up space |
iPhoto vs Photos app
Apple officially discontinued the iPhoto application on April 8, 2015, when the now present Photos app was released. Apple Photos (or Photos) app is the current, cloud-integrated photo manager application. iPhoto applications offer basic media organization and editing tools to users. Photos app has more advanced editing tools and smooth syncing with iCloud Photos across multiple devices. Even though iPhoto has been long discontinued, many users still face issues while migrating their old photo libraries to the Apple Photos application.
Reasons for “this photo library is locked” error
- Permission issues: This is the most common reason why users face the unable to write to Photo library error. Maybe your account doesn’t have read-write access to the Photo Library anymore. This issue can occur after updating your macOS to the newest version or after switching accounts.
- Accessing library on multiple devices: Simultaneously accessing the photo library on multiple devices can sometimes give rise to the unable to write to iPhoto library error.
- Storage limitations: This error can also occur if the storage drive where iPhoto library is stored at, is running out of space. Storing the library at a cloud platform like Dropbox or iCloud Drive can also cause syncing issues.
- External drive corruption: Maybe the external drive where iPhoto library is stored has file system compatibility issues or isn’t mounted properly.
How to fix iPhoto library is locked error?
You can try to fix the unable to write to iPhoto library by trying to fix permission conflicts or by repairing corruption in iPhoto library. We’ve explained each method in detail below.
Solution 1: Repair corrupt iPhoto library
If you find a corrupted database or other metadata of the iPhoto library, then follow the following steps-
- Click on iPhoto to launch the app and press the Command + Option keys.
- The app will request you to start the repair process.
- Enter your credentials as administrator, and the process will take some time, depending upon the photos.
- Click the Command + Option button and open the iPhoto option.
- Press the keys until the Picture Library Rebuild dialog box appears.
- Click Repair iPhoto Library Database.
- Next click Repair.
Note: Quit the iPhoto application if it is running.
It is also recommended to rebuild the photo library database.
Solution 2: Check for free space
Follow the given steps if you find that the iPhoto library is running out of free space-
- Open the Finder window; click on the target disk in the left pane.
- Click on File on the top menu.
- Click Get Info from the drop-down menu.
- In the General section, you can see the Free space left on your hard drive.
If it is less than 500 MB, delete junk and duplicate files to free up the space. Afterward, reboot your system.
Solution 3: Fix permission conflicts
If your iPhoto Library is accessed by multiple Mac users, there can be a conflict of permissions on that drive disabling a certain user to access it. Perform the following steps, to resolve the problem:
- Open the Finder application.
- Click and select the external hard drive having the iPhoto library on the left pane.
- Go to File and click Get Info from the drop-down menu.
- A dialog will appear; check the box to Ignore ownership on this volume. Then close the dialog box.
What if your photos got corrupt? Fix them in seconds!
If your iPhoto Library data has been damaged or corrupted, there’s a high chance the photos stored in the library are damaged as well. Manual methods may fix basic issues, but they’re not worth taking the risk if there’s severe corruption. Experts suggest taking the help of a trusted photo repair software to fix corrupted photos without damaging the images even further. For this, you can try Kernel Photo Repair, a Windows-based application to repair corrupt RAW photos and damage photos. It repairs photos in a few simples’ steps and saves them at the desired location. It repairs all photo file formats.
Ending Notes
Hope you find this blog informative and helpful. The above-discussed solutions to repair the iPhoto error will help you get back to your iPhoto library. But it is highly recommended to take a backup of your photos from the iPhoto library on another storage device or cloud.
Moreover, if your photo file is inaccessible due to corruption, you need to repair it using this photo repair tool which is known to easily fix broken or corrupt JPEG file headers.
Frequently asked questions
A. Try logging out of all the extra devices and access the iPhoto library by one device only.
A. No, check if there’s a permission conflict in your photo library.
A. Try to rebuild the iPhoto library database to resolve the file corruption and access the library again.
