This program exports all images and videos from an Apple Photos Library to a local directory, making the files easily accessible without the need to use the native Photos app. It is intended for backup purposes and does not modify the library in any way.
Important
The project works by reverse-engineering the Apple Photos Library database and file structure. Thus, it is not guaranteed to work with future versions of the Photos app or at all. Use it at your own risk and always keep a backup of your library.
Quick links to installation and usage instructions:
- Lists all albums of the library as an ascii tree
- Exports all images and videos from the Photos Library to a local directory
- Different export album structures are supported (overview below)
- Optionally restores the original file names that were used when importing the files into the library
- Dry-run mode to test the export without actually copying any files
| Structure | Description |
|---|---|
| Flat (default) | All images and videos are exported to the same directory |
| Album | Images and videos are exported to a directory structure that reflects the album structure in the Photos Library |
| Year/Month | Images and videos are exported to a directory structure that reflects the year and month of the creation date of the images and videos |
| Year/Month/Album | Images and videos are exported to a directory structure that reflects the year and month of the creation date of the images and videos and the album structure in the Photos Library |
Please find the changelog in the CHANGELOG.md file.
The internal strucutre and findings from the reverse-engineering of the Photos Library are documented in the 📖 Wiki.
The program has been tested on the following OSs with the following versions of the Photos app:
| OS | Photos Version |
|---|---|
| macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) | 9.0 (608.2.113), 9.0 (621.0.110) |
Note
The above table only contains vesion that I explicitly tested. However, there's a high chance this tool works on other versions too.
$ cargo build --release
$ ./target/release/apple-photos-export --help$ brew install haukesomm/repo/apple-photos-exportOR
$ brew tap haukesomm/repo
$ brew install apple-photos-export$ apple-photos-export --help