what happened to aperture on mac?
aperture no longer runs on current macos. apple's aperture migration article, published may 29, 2026, says apple announced in june 2014 that development of aperture was discontinued, and that macos mojave is the last version of macos to run it. to keep using an aperture library, apple says you must migrate it to photos, adobe lightroom classic or another app.
this guide follows apple's support pages as we read them in november 2026. for files rather than photos, see how to recover deleted files on mac.
download the ReMynd desktop app to search text you saw in a focused window, by app and date.
when did aperture stop working?
aperture stopped working with macos catalina. apple's article says that starting with macos catalina, aperture is no longer compatible with macos, for technical reasons. apple's catalina announcement is dated october 7, 2019.
apple's imovie guide says the same about iphoto: neither aperture nor iphoto can be used on macos versions after macos mojave 10.14.
where can an aperture library go now?
apple's article names two main places to move a library, plus an export. this table follows that article.
| option | what apple says | best for |
|---|---|---|
| the photos app | included in macos yosemite or later; opens an aperture library directly | keeping photos in apple's own app |
| adobe lightroom classic | version 5.7 and later has a built-in tool for migrating aperture libraries | keeping raw files and catalog-style editing |
| export from aperture | export the contents to back them up or import into another app | moving to a different app, if you can still open aperture |
the best for column is our view, not apple's.
how do you move an aperture library to photos?
the steps depend on your macos version. on macos catalina or later, where aperture no longer runs, apple says to:
- install the latest macos updates. apple says your mac needs macos catalina 10.15.1 or later.
- open the photos app, then choose your aperture library when prompted.
- if you aren't prompted, press and hold the option key while opening photos.
- if your library isn't listed, click other library, then locate and choose it.
- migration is complete once photos shows the photos from your aperture library.
on macos mojave or earlier, apple adds a step before opening photos. in short, in aperture set the photo preview setting to don't limit, select all projects and photos, then hold option and choose photos, then generate previews. quit aperture when processing is complete.
what about lightroom classic?
apple says the built-in tool in the lightroom classic versions named in the table above moves aperture libraries into lightroom catalogs. per apple, your library's organization, metadata and image adjustments carry over, with some exceptions:
- raw files move over, but aperture's non-destructive adjustment layer does not.
- projects, folders and albums become collections and collection sets.
- faces, color labels and stacks become keywords.
- smart albums and custom metadata fields don't move over.
apple says that to keep aperture edits in another format, you export the edited images from aperture first, then reimport them after migrating.
where does ReMynd fit?
in microsoft's work trend index, published may 9, 2023, which surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 markets, 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information. the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need.
ReMynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded. in our view, it helps you find the album name, caption or web page you saw while sorting photos.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided ReMynd was running then and the window was not excluded. it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac. for a related move, see what happened to my photo stream on mac, and for screen history, find something you saw on your screen.
limits of this guide
- apple's article covers moving to photos and lightroom classic; we did not test either migration.
- apple notes that information about products not made by apple is provided without recommendation or endorsement.
- for macos catalina or later, apple points you to adobe about lightroom classic compatibility, which we did not check.
- third-party photo apps other than lightroom classic are outside this guide.
ReMynd is photographic memory for your computer. forgot where you saw something? just ReMynd it.
download the ReMynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.