If you’re new and fresh into the Apple ecosystem and want to use Apple Photos to hold all your images, you’ll want to save a bit of time on re-organizing your folders of images that you may already have made.
In an update to Apple Photos in High Sierra, Apple realized that users that a folder containing other folders with images in them would have to spend a ridiculous amount of time recreating that same organization within the Photos App. Thankfully, Apple has added this simple and not very known fix along with a couple of other hidden ones..
It is pretty quick and easy:
Things you’ll need to make this work
- MacOS High Sierra
- Apple’s Photos App
- A number of pictures to import or export
Importing your organized folder into Apple Photos
- Drag the Folder (the one with all the subfolders of images) onto the Photos App icon in the Dock.
- Doesn’t matter if the Photos App is already open or not.
- If you drag it into the Photos App window, Photos will behave differently and will import the images without any organization.
- Click the checkbox next to the words “Keep Folder Organization” on the top right.
- The Screen should say “Import” in bold.
- Click the blue button, “Import All New Items”
- Imported photos will show up under “Imports” in the sidebar.
- Enjoy the wonderful organization added to the sidebar on the left-hand side of the window.
- Each imported folder will have an album within it.
- In Photos, Folders hold Albums and Albums hold images. Keep this in mind.
If you’re more of a visual person, feel free to watch this little silent movie.
I used a folder on the Desktop called, “Website Images”. Dragged it into the dock, checked the “Keep Folder Organization” box and clicked “Import All New Items”. I compared the sidebar with the original contents of the folder, and double checked it all!
Easy peasy!
Is it possible to continue monitoring the added folder for additional photos?
No, Photos for Mac doesn’t do watch folders
Is it possible to continue monitoring the added folder for additional photos?
No, Photos for Mac doesn’t do watch folders
This is the most helpful mac photos tip that I found so far. Thanks
Is the same possible with the latest Big Sur OS ?
You should be able to follow the same steps, Viveca.
Mykii – Just migrating from Android to iPhone so I would like to move my photo catalog to Apple Photos. However, I am on a Windows computer, not a Mac. Is there a way to move a hierarchy of folders from Windows? Haven’t found a way after days of research and speaking with Apple, but this article is as close as I have found. I suppose as a (difficult) workaround I might be able to borrow a Mac, move the folders from Windows to it, and then use this technique. Hoping there is an easier way.
Heya Peter! Thanks for commenting! There always some ridiculous hoop (or hoops) to jump through when making the switch from one platform to others. I feel that frustration all the time so I get ya.
I think I need a bit more info on what are you trying to accomplish and why. Are you trying to move/copy your whole all the photos on your Windows machine onto iCloud Photo Library to be able to access on your iPhone?
Thank you for this excellent tip. My albums are all set in the Photos app, but when I access Photo Library (System Preferences-Screensaver) to import an album as my screensaver, no albums are listed. I’m not using ICloud Photos.
THANK YOU THANK YOU Mykii Liu! I have just switched from PC to MacBook Pro. I’m enjoying the Mac, but I’ve been mystified why I couldn’t make Apple Photos recognize the folders into which I had organized all my photos – and that’s YEARS of photos in MANY folders, which I had carefully sorted by event, date, etc. Your article is the only one I found, scouring the net, which solved the problem. P.S. We all know that Apple tightly controls its platform but again, I’m mystified why they make it so non-transparent how to perform the basic task of… Read more »
You’re welcome! I know this is late, but wanted to acknowledge ya– even if it’s a year later :P
Using a backup of all my image folders, I dragged the root folder onto the Photos app and all the images appeared in Photos. I clicked on ‘Keep Folder Organization, but afterwards there was no ‘Import’ in bold showing. I clicked on ‘Import All New Items’ and all my images simply disappeared off screen. They are still where I copied them from, but they are nowhere in photos. Pity, In the root folder’s hierarchy, there are 628 folders.
(macOS Monterey).
Hm, I’ll have to try again on some newer software (it’s been a few updates since this article was first published), perhaps I’ll be able to refresh this for later :D
Thank you. This saved me so much work!
You’re very welcome!!