Create additional photo libraries in Photos on Mac
You can create additional photo libraries to organize your photos, albums, and projects, and then switch between the libraries.
Important: If you use iCloud Photos, remember that only the photos and videos in your System Photo Library are uploaded to iCloud. Be sure to back up all of your photo libraries.
Create a new photo library
If the Photos app
on your Mac is open, choose Photos > Quit Photos.Press and hold the Option key and click the Photos icon in the Applications folder (or click the Photos icon in the Dock).
In the Choose Library dialog, click Create New.
Type a library name and choose a location to store the library.
Click OK.
You can now import photos into the new library when connecting devices or importing files. Because the new library is not the System Photo Library, photos stored in iCloud don’t automatically appear in it.
Switch between photo libraries
If the Photos app
on your Mac is open, choose Photos > Quit Photos.Press and hold the Option key and click the Photos icon in the Applications folder (or click the Photos icon in the Dock).
In the Choose Library dialog, do one of the following:
Click the library you want to use, then click Choose Library.
If the library you want doesn’t appear in the Choose Library dialog, click Other Library, navigate to the location of the library, select it, then click Choose Library.
Designate a library as the System Photo Library
You can switch to another library and designate it as the System Photo Library.
Switch to the photo library you want to designate as the System Photo Library.
Go to the Photos app
on your Mac.Choose Photos > Settings, then click General.
To make the current library the System Photo Library, click Use as System Photo Library.
Important: If you switch to another library, Photos automatically turns off iCloud Photos and Shared Albums. You can turn them on again in the iCloud pane of Photos settings. When you turn on iCloud Photos after designating a new System Photo Library, the photos stored in iCloud are merged with those in the new System Photo Library. After the content from the new System Photo Library is uploaded to iCloud, the libraries can’t be unmerged, so consider carefully before changing your System Photo Library.