Where apps hide your files
Photo Booth stores everything in one library file in your Pictures folder. It looks like a single item in Finder, but it is a folder you can open.
~/Pictures/Photo Booth LibraryThat is the default library for your account. In Finder it appears as one item in Pictures. It is a package, which means macOS treats the folder as a single file until you look inside.
Pictures folder.Or in Terminal, listing names only:
ls ~/Pictures/Photo\ Booth\ Library/PicturesA library on macOS Sequoia contains these items:
| Item | What it is |
|---|---|
Pictures | Your photos and videos as ordinary files: .jpg for photos, .mov for videos |
Originals | Unmodified versions, which the app's Export Original command uses; often empty |
Contents | Package metadata (a small PkgInfo file) |
Recents.plist | Appears to be the list behind the thumbnail strip |
Photos are named Photo on, then the date, then at and the time, for example Photo on 18-10-22 at 8.05 PM.jpg, with #2 added when two shots share a minute. The date order follows your Mac's region settings. Videos follow the same pattern starting with Movie on, and four-shot sets with 4-up on. Because these are normal image and movie files, you can drag any of them out of Pictures. Do not rename or delete anything inside the package while the app is open.
In Photo Booth, select a thumbnail and choose File > Export, or drag the thumbnail to the Desktop or into a folder. File > Export Original saves the version without effects. The share button also sends a photo to Mail, Messages or AirDrop. Exporting is better than copying from the package, because the app writes a finished file at the destination and leaves the library untouched.
Copying from inside the package is the fallback if the app will not open or the library is damaged. Copy, do not move, while you check the files.
Photo Booth does not use the Photos app library. A picture taken in Photo Booth does not appear in Photos unless you export it and add it there. They are two separate libraries, so if you cannot find a picture in Photos, look in ~/Pictures/Photo Booth Library instead.
Photos are small, around 120 to 140 KB each in a typical library. Videos are much bigger. To free space, select the items in Photo Booth and choose Edit > Delete (or press Delete). That keeps the library's list in step with the files; deleting by hand inside the package can leave thumbnails that point at nothing.
Do not count on the Trash to catch mistakes. The app's own warning for Edit > Delete All says you cannot recover the items after they are deleted, so export anything you might want first.
Never move the whole Photo Booth Library package to the Trash unless you are sure you have exported everything. If the library is missing, Photo Booth either makes a new empty one or asks you to choose an existing library or create a new one.
Quit Photo Booth, then copy Photo Booth Library to the other Mac or drive and place it in that Mac's Pictures folder. Time Machine backs up the Pictures folder, package included.
Photo Booth can also work with a library that is not the default. Its prompts mention opening "a non default library", and say that if you choose to open Photo Booth with it, that library becomes the default and is used next time. Test this on a copy of the library, not the only one you have.
The strip at the bottom of the Photo Booth window is built from the library, so a file you copy into Pictures by hand may not show up there. That is another reason to export and delete through the app instead of editing the package.
Each macOS user account has its own Pictures folder, so each account has its own Photo Booth Library. If a family member shares the Mac, their photos are in their own home folder and you cannot read them from your account. If you restored from a backup or migrated from an older Mac, look for a second package with a similar name, for example one with a number appended, in the same Pictures folder. To list every candidate without opening anything, run:
ls ~/Pictures | grep -i boothPackage contents are hidden in Finder windows, and Spotlight does not list the individual files inside, so a photo you took in Photo Booth does not turn up when you search for it by name.
Photo Booth keeps its shots in a package inside ~/Pictures. Everywhere looks inside packages, but Pictures is one of the folders macOS guards, so it needs Full Disk Access first. Then typing Photo on followed by part of the date, written the way your Mac writes it, lists matching shots, and ⌘Y previews one without opening Photo Booth. It reads file names only, so it will not find a face or a caption.
In ~/Pictures/Photo Booth Library, in its Pictures subfolder. Control-click the library and choose Show Package Contents to see the files.
No. Photo Booth has its own library and does not add pictures to Photos automatically. Export them with File > Export if you want them there.
Quit the app, then copy the Photo Booth Library package. On a new Mac, put it in the Pictures folder so Photo Booth finds it.
Try Edit > Undo straight away. Beyond that the app offers no recovery (its Delete All warning says deleted items cannot be recovered), so restore the library from a Time Machine backup if you have one.
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Version 2.20.3 · macOS 13+ · 4.7 MB · notarised