The Photo Booth library: years of webcam clips you forgot you took
Photo Booth saves every photo and video in its own library in Pictures. Videos add up. How to check its size and clear it without losing favourites.
Photo Booth feels like a toy, so nobody thinks of it as storage. But it keeps every photo and every video in its own library, separate from Photos, and a few years of webcam videos can add up to several GB.
du -sh ~/Pictures/Photo\ Booth\ LibraryWhat is in it
The library is a package. Control-click it in Finder and choose Show Package Contents to see a Pictures folder with every photo and video. Photos are small. Videos are what add up.
# Largest items in the library
du -sh ~/Pictures/Photo\ Booth\ Library/Pictures/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tailClearing it
- Open Photo Booth. Its strip at the bottom shows everything in the library.
- Save favourites first: select them and choose File, Export, or drag them to a folder or into Photos.
- Select the rest and press Delete, or choose Edit, Delete.
Or, if you want none of it, quit Photo Booth and move the whole Photo Booth Library to the Trash. Photo Booth creates a new, empty one next time it opens.
Other forgotten media: Voice Memos and screenshots and recordings.
Common questions
Where are Photo Booth pictures stored on a Mac?
In ~/Pictures/Photo Booth Library. Control-click it and choose Show Package Contents to see the files.
Can I delete the Photo Booth Library?
Yes. Export anything you want to keep first. Photo Booth creates a new empty library the next time it opens.
Are Photo Booth photos in my Photos library?
No. Photo Booth keeps its own library. Photos only has them if you exported or dragged them there.