02-sources
Adding sources
A source is any place Iris reads photos and videos from. Sources can be folders on your Mac, on external drives, on network volumes — or Apple Photos libraries. Iris supports as many sources as you want, and you can add or remove them at any time.
Folder sources
To add a folder of photos and videos:
- Choose File → Add Source, or click Add Folder… in the Welcome window.
- Navigate to and select the folder you want to add.
- Click Open.
Iris immediately starts scanning the folder and every subfolder inside it. New items appear in the library as they're discovered.
Iris stores a sandbox bookmark to the folder so it can keep reading it across app restarts, even if the system permission model would otherwise require you to re‑grant access. If you move the folder later, Iris will offer to re‑locate it.
Apple Photos library sources
If you have an existing Apple Photos library, Iris can read it directly without disturbing the library itself:
- Choose File → Add Apple Photos Library.
- Navigate to your
.photoslibraryfile (usually~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary). - Click Open.
Iris reads the library's photos, videos, and metadata. The Photos app itself is unaffected — you can keep using it while Iris is running.
How sources appear in the sidebar
Every source you add shows up in the Sources section of the sidebar. Folder sources are expandable — click the disclosure triangle to drill into their internal folder structure. Apple Photos libraries appear as a single item.
Source actions (right‑click)
Right‑click any source or subfolder in the sidebar to get:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Show in Finder | Reveals the folder on disk in a new Finder window |
| Delete | Removes the source from Iris (your files are not affected) |
How many sources should I add?
Add a source for every folder hierarchy you think of as a separate "place where my photos live." Common patterns:
- One source for your main photo archive
- One source per external drive
- One Apple Photos library source
- Separate sources for scanned photos, screenshots, or work projects
Iris merges them all in the All Items, Dates, People, Places, and Chapters views, so you don't lose anything by splitting them up.
Removing a source
- Right‑click the source in the Sources section of the sidebar.
- Choose Delete.
Iris removes the source's records from its database. Your photo files on disk are not deleted, moved, or touched in any way. If you add the same folder back later, Iris re‑scans it from scratch.
What about external drives?
External drives work just like internal folders. When the drive is disconnected, Iris keeps showing the metadata it already has (you can still browse thumbnails, names, and metadata), but the underlying files will appear as "missing" in Library Health. When you plug the drive back in, everything reconnects automatically.