Missing library, but "Pick a new library" doesn't work

🪲 Bug
1

With the update to stable, I wanted to start my PS library fresh on my MacBook. So I deleted the previous library from its directory, deleted the PhotoStructure app, installed the newest stable PS version (1.1, I think) and started it up.

Almost immediately it throws this error in a dialog box:

**Your library at /Users/<username>/Pictures/PhotoStructrure Library is missing.**

**You can either:**
**1. Mount or turn on that drive, then click "Try again", or**
**2. Pick a different directory by clicking "Pick a new library", or**
**3. Give up for now by clicking "Quit".**

“Pick a new library” gets the dialog box to briefly disappear, but it’s back within a second, and into a loop where “Try again” doesn’t work (expectedly) and Quit is the only other option.

What’s the situation here?

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Your library at * is missing. You can either
2

Dang, sorry for the inconvenience! It seems that something’s borked with the “preflight” checks on macOS.

While I try to reproduce the issue locally, you can “reset” your installation by

  1. Shut down PhotoStructure

  2. opening a terminal

  3. run

    rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/PhotoStructure/settings.toml

  4. restarting the app: it should go right to the welcome screen.

1 Like
3

I experience the same thing (on 2 different Macs).

4

@joshanno thanks for the report: I’ll reproduce this on my test mac as soon as I can and get it fixed.

Until then, my instructions above your comment should reset things for you. Sorry for the glitch!

1 Like
5

Same problem here. Suggested fix worked. Thanks!

1 Like
6

Hi, I am having this same issue, however there is no Photostructure folder in Application Support on my Mac (MacOS Venture 13.4), so I cannot locate the settings.toml file.

I have Photostructure installed on an external hard drive and run it from there; I encountered this error when backing up my files to a different external drive, since Photostructure is looking for the library on the original drive.

7

Howdy @jno, welcome to PhotoStructure!

I’m surprised that the PhotoStructure directory is missing from ~/Library/Application Support: macOS Ventura didn’t do anything weird on my test box with respect to this directory structure. If you open a terminal and run find ~ -name PhotoStructure does it find it?

FWIW, the next release of PhotoStructure will “do the right thing” and redirect you to the settings page if the current library directory isn’t correct, and ask for a different directory. Apologies that this wasn’t gracefully handled before!

Cheers,

Matthew

8

Thanks to @Dayvd for originally reporting this issue, and to @jno for the additional report. Apologies for the delayed follow-up.

The “missing library” dialog loop has been addressed:

  • v2024.3: Added health checks that keep PhotoStructure running when the library is temporarily unavailable, with a health page that explains what’s wrong and offers repair options.
  • v2026.2: The health page gained an Acknowledge button so you can dismiss a stuck error and restart sync without rebooting the whole app.
  • v2026.4: macOS desktop builds added APFS firmlink path normalization, which is directly relevant to @jno’s external-drive scenario — paths under firmlinked mountpoints now resolve consistently so the library isn’t flagged as missing just because the drive was remounted. See the install page for current downloads.

If you’d like to relocate an existing library rather than pick a new one, see How do I change my library?.

Release notes: PhotoStructure v2026.4 | PhotoStructure

Please upgrade to v2026.4 or later and open a new topic if library path issues persist.