Libria User Guide

01

About Libria

Libria is a photo library app that registers folders on your Mac and lets you browse and search the photos in them. You can keep using your existing folder structure instead of moving photos into a separate Libria library.

Libria does not modify your original photos. Thumbnails, previews, standard search data, and AI search data are created locally on your Mac.

Libria Connect securely displays the same Libria library on an iPhone connected to the same local network. It does not upload the library to a separate cloud service.

02

What’s New in Build 9

Build 9 keeps the secure LAN connection introduced in Build 8 / Build 3 while making Mac library work easier to stop and rebuild, and protecting library data during folder changes.

03

System Requirements and Storage

System requirements

• macOS 14.0 or later
• An Apple Silicon Mac
• Enough free storage for your photos and Libria’s local data

To use Libria Connect

• An iPhone running iOS 17.0 or later
• The Mac and iPhone connected to the same local network
• Libria running on the Mac with an active Trial or Full Unlock

Recommended free storage

Keep at least 8 GB of free storage available for installation and initial preparation. This is a conservative recommendation, not a guaranteed technical minimum.

As a reference, the app itself is about 0.9 GB. In one measured library of about 5,000 photos, thumbnails, previews, standard search data, and AI search data used about 3.7 GB. Actual usage varies with photo count, file formats, the proportion of RAW photos, and reprocessing.

04

Install and Launch Libria

Install from the Mac App Store

1. Open Libria on the Mac App Store.
2. Use the download control shown by the Mac App Store and follow its instructions.
3. When installation is complete, open Libria from Launchpad or the Applications folder.

If no photo folder has been registered, the welcome screen shows:

• Heading: Welcome to Libria
• Message: Add a photo folder to build your AI-searchable library.
• Button: Add Folder

05

Start the Free Trial or Purchase Full Unlock

The initial screen shows Start Free Trial, Buy Full Unlock, and Restore Purchases. These labels are different from the controls on the Purchase Information screen.

Start the 14-day free trial

1. Select Start Free Trial on the initial screen. To review all license options first, select Add Folder instead.
2. If you selected Add Folder, the message This feature requires a Trial or Full Unlock. appears. Select Show Purchase Information.
3. On the Purchase Information screen, review the trial terms and select Start 14-Day Trial. This screen also includes Purchase and Restore Purchases.
4. If macOS displays a system prompt, review it and continue.
5. Return to Libria and check the trial status.

You may be asked to sign in to Apple Media Services when starting the trial.

During the trial, you can register photos and use standard search, AI Search, Similar Photos, and other Libria features.

Purchase Full Unlock

1. Select Buy Full Unlock on the initial screen. You can also select Add Folder → Show Purchase Information, or open Settings → About / Licenses → Purchase Information.
2. Review the Full Unlock description and current price, then select Purchase.
3. Follow the Mac App Store instructions to complete the purchase.

The Purchase Information screen includes the free trial, Full Unlock, and Restore Purchases.

06

Register Photo Folders and Rebuild Library Data

Add your first photo folder

Register a folder that contains your photos. Libria does not copy the photos to another location.

1. Select Add Folder in the center of the welcome screen.
2. If the license message appears, select Show Purchase Information and activate the Trial or Full Unlock. Selecting Later closes the message without adding a folder.
3. After the license becomes active, select Add Folder again if the folder picker is not already open.
4. Choose the folder that contains your photos.
5. While Libria shows Registering folders…, wait for registration to finish.
6. Confirm that the folder appears in the sidebar or under Settings → Photo Folders → Registered Folders.
7. If the library shows No Photos and Scan your registered folders to show photos here., open Settings → Library & Search → Library Updates → Other Actions, then select Rescan All Folders.

macOS may ask for additional access to the selected folder. Whether this appears depends on your Mac settings and the folder location.

Rebuild data for an existing library

Use this when you need to rebuild local browsing and search data from the beginning, including for an existing library updated from Build 8. At least one photo folder must be registered, and the Trial or Full Unlock must be active.

1. Open Settings → Library & Search.
2. Open Other Actions in Library Updates.
3. Select Rebuild Library Data….
4. In the confirmation, review what remains and what will be cleared, then select Rebuild.
5. Wait while Libria safely stops active scans and AI work, then rebuilds the library only from the folders that are currently registered.

07

Prepare Your Photo Library

Scanning a registered folder creates the local data needed to display and search its photos.

Rescan when photos do not appear

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Library & Search.
3. Open Other Actions under Library Updates.
4. Select Rescan All Folders.
5. When the rescan finishes, open All Photos and check the library.

Stop a scan in progress

1. Check the progress in the sidebar or in Settings → Library & Search → Library Updates.
2. Select Stop Scan. While the stop is being processed, the button reads Stopping Scan….
3. When Libria shows Scan stopped, the stop is complete. Run Rescan All Folders or Update Detected Changes again when needed.

Work completed before the stop is saved safely. Your original photo files are not changed or deleted.

A prepared library shows Ready. Settings shows Library Status with the same ready state.

Apply photos added or changed later

1. Open Settings → Library & Search.
2. Select Check for Changes. This checks the folders without updating the library yet.
3. If changes are found, choose Update Detected Changes from Other Actions.

08

Prepare the LAN Connection on Your Mac

Use Libria Connect on the same local network as the Mac running Libria. The Mac requires an active Trial or Full Unlock.

1. Open Libria on the Mac, then open Settings → General.
2. Under iOS LAN Connection, select Enable LAN Connection.
3. Confirm that the status changes to Listening with TLS.
4. Keep Libria running and prevent the Mac from sleeping while the iPhone is connected.

09

Pair Your iPhone

1. Under iOS LAN Connection on the Mac, select Add New Device to display a pairing QR code.
2. Open Libria Connect on the iPhone and select Scan QR Code.
3. If asked for Camera and Local Network access, review the purpose and allow access.
4. Keep the complete Mac QR code in the camera frame, then select Pair.
5. Select Connect and confirm that the destination reports Libria 1.2, Build 9, and the expected photo count.
6. Select Show Photos.

10

Browse Photos on iPhone

Photos normally appear in a three-column grid. Large accessibility text uses two columns, and more photos load as you scroll.

1. Select a photo to open its high-resolution preview.
2. Pinch to zoom and swipe left or right to move between photos.
3. Close the preview to return to the same position in the grid.

11

Search and Filter on iPhone

Use the field at the bottom to search filenames, tags, OCR text, EXIF, or visual content. The Mac chooses the search route automatically and can merge Smart, AI, or Hybrid results into the same grid when available.

1. Select the search field and enter what you want to find.
2. If AI Search is still being prepared or unavailable, review the notice that standard results are being shown.
3. To add structured conditions, select the filter button at the top right.

Filters include Date Taken, File Format, Camera, Lens, Focal Length, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. Select Apply, then remove one category with Clear this filter or reset everything with Clear All.

12

Save Originals to iPhone

Save one photo

Select Save Photo in the preview. If iOS asks for permission to add photos, review the purpose and allow the access required for saving.

Save multiple photos

1. Select Select in the photo grid.
2. Select the photos to save and confirm the selected count.
3. Select Save Photos and wait for the completion message.

13

Search Photos on Your Mac

1. Select All Photos or a registered folder in the sidebar.
2. Select the search field labeled Search photos.
3. Enter what you want to find. While you type, the field shows Press Enter.
4. Press Return. For example, entering “bike” creates the condition chip Search: bike.

Use terms that describe the photo content, such as “dog” or “bicycle by the sea.” For camera, lens, and shooting details, select values from Filters instead of entering special syntax.

When AI Search is available, AI candidates may be included in these results. In the verified “bike” example, Libria showed three photos together with AI Search checked and AI candidate badges.

If nothing matches, Libria shows No search results, Try another term, a smart search, or different filters., and Clear Search.

14

Standard Search and AI Search

Both use the same Search photos field and the Return key. There is no separate AI Search start button or always-visible AI Search switch.

AI Search requires an active Trial or Full Unlock and prepared AI search data. When it is available, Libria may show AI Search checked and an AI candidate badge in the combined results.

15

Limit Search to Selected Folders

1. Under Folders in the sidebar, select the registered folder you want to search.
2. Enter a term in Search photos and press Return.
3. Libria searches only photos in that folder.

Select All Photos to return to the whole library. You can also remove the Folder condition chip.

16

Filter by Camera, Lens, and Shooting Conditions

Open Filters to select:

• File Type
• Camera
• Lens
• F Number
• Focal Length
• Shutter Speed
• Year, Month, and Day

1. Select Filters in the search toolbar.
2. Select a category on the left.
3. If the category has many values, enter part of a value in Search values. Typing here does not add a photo condition.
4. Select a value. It applies immediately. Multiple values in the same category use OR.
5. Select values in another category to require both categories. Different categories use AND.
6. When finished, use the close control in the upper-right corner of the Filters panel.

F numbers appear as F4, and shutter speeds appear as 1/60s. Camera names combine the recorded manufacturer and model.

Enter a range

F Number, Focal Length, and Shutter Speed support Range.

1. Open Range for the category.
2. For F Number and Focal Length, enter Min and Max. For Shutter Speed, enter Shortest and Longest. Either side may be left empty.
3. Enter shutter speed in a form such as 1/250.
4. Select Apply.

17

Clear Search Conditions

Remove one condition

1. Review the condition chips in the search toolbar.
2. Use the remove control on the condition you no longer need.

Remove all filter conditions

1. Open Filters.
2. Select Clear All.

Clear the complete search

Select Clear Search in the empty-results screen or Clear in the toolbar.

18

View and Inspect Photos

Open photo details

1. Single-click a photo in the grid to open its detail view.
2. Under Info, review details such as Captured At, Camera, Lens, F Number, Shutter Speed, Focal Length, File Format, and Image Size.
3. With the photo focused, press + to zoom in. Drag the enlarged photo to pan.
4. Use Previous and Next to move through the current photo list.

In the example shown in this guide, Captured At is None. The other details include Nikon Z 8, NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S, F4, 1/60s, 85mm, JPG, and 1448 x 1086.

Add or remove a favorite

Select the star on a photo card or in photo details. Open Favorites from the sidebar to view starred photos. Select the star again to remove a favorite.

When Favorites is empty, Libria shows 0 photos and No favorite photos yet.

View photos from the same day

For a photo with a capture date, Same-Day Photos applies Year, Month, and Day together.

Show the original file in Finder

Select Show in Finder. The action is unavailable if the original was moved or deleted, or if its storage location is disconnected.

View Similar Photos

Similar Photos appears automatically in the detail view. Opening a similar photo does not create a search-condition chip, and the suggestions may not always be complete or accurate.

Sort the photo grid

Open Sort and choose one of these options:

• Date Newest First
• Date Oldest First
• Filename A-Z
• Filename Z-A

19

Manage Registered Folders

Change a registered location

1. Open Settings → Photo Folders.
2. Select Change Location for the folder.
3. Select the moved folder, or select the same folder again to refresh access.
4. If needed, use Check for Changes or rescan from Library & Search.

Remove a folder registration

1. Open Settings → Photo Folders.
2. Select Remove Registration for the folder.
3. When Remove this folder? appears, confirm the selected folder. If it is being scanned, Libria also stops work for that folder.
4. Select Remove Registration.

20

Use External Drives and NAS Storage

You can register folders on external drives and NAS storage. Because Libria does not copy the originals to your Mac, their storage location must be available when Libria opens an original or refreshes its data.

Reconnect a storage location

1. Connect the external drive to your Mac, or connect to the NAS share in Finder.
2. Open Settings → Library & Search.
3. Choose Recheck Folder Connections from Other Actions.
4. To refresh a NAS folder, open Photo Folders and choose Rescan This Folder.

Saved thumbnails and metadata may remain available while storage is disconnected. Actions that need the original file, such as a larger preview or Show in Finder, may be unavailable. If Libria reports Original file is unavailable, reconnect the storage, then run Recheck Folder Connections.

21

Prepare AI Search

The first preparation creates AI search data from registered photos on your Mac. The time required varies with photo count, RAW usage, Mac performance, and where the originals are stored.

Check preparation status

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Library & Search.
3. Review AI Search Data. When preparation is complete, it shows AI Search Available. In the 18-photo example shown here, the count is Searchable photos: 18 / 18.

During preparation, pausing, retrying, or waiting for disconnected storage, Libria may show guidance appropriate to the current state. Check the storage connection and folder access, then follow the guidance shown in the app.

22

When Photos Cannot Be Found

Review missing photos

1. Open Settings → Library & Search.
2. Select Check for Changes.
3. If missing photos are reported, select Review Missing Photos.
4. Review Previous location, Registered source, Last seen, and Status.

After restoring the original files

1. Return the original files to a registered folder.
2. Reconnect the external drive or NAS if necessary.
3. Select Check Again.

Remove stale library records

1. Confirm the selected photos and count.
2. Select Remove number Missing Photos.
3. Read the confirmation and remove only the stale library records.

23

Restore Purchases

1. Confirm that the Mac is online and uses the Mac App Store account associated with the purchase.
2. Open Settings.
3. Select About / Licenses → Purchase Information.
4. Select Restore Purchases.
5. Review the purchase status. An active Full Unlock is described as Purchased. Existing features remain available.

If the purchase is not restored, check the internet connection and Mac App Store account state, wait briefly, and try again.

24

Frequently Asked Questions

25

Troubleshooting

26

Privacy and Local Processing

Photo recognition, standard search data, AI search data, and AI Search are processed on your Mac. Libria does not send your registered photo library to an external AI service for search.

Thumbnails, previews, photo information, search data, and AI analysis results are stored locally. Loading Mac App Store product information, purchasing Full Unlock, and restoring purchases may require a network connection.

Libria Connect communicates over TLS on the same local network. Credentials are stored in the iPhone Keychain, and search history is not persisted. Unpair removes the selected Mac’s credentials and that Mac’s thumbnail and preview caches from the iPhone.

Read the Libria Privacy Policy