{"id":"external-drives.stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected","url":"/faq/external-drives/stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected","category":{"id":"external-drives","title":"External drives"},"subcategory":{"id":"setting-up","title":"Setting up your drive"},"question":"How do I stop Photos opening every time I connect a camera card or drive?","alt_questions":["Photos opens automatically when I plug in SD card","Stop Image Capture launching","Disable Photos auto open external drive","camera card opens photos app mac"],"short_answer":"Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it, and set \"Connecting this … opens\" to No application. Photos' import screen has a similar setting. Ordinary drives don't trigger it — only devices with camera folders.","answer_markdown":"It's a per-device setting in **Image Capture**. Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it in the sidebar, and at the bottom set **Connecting this … opens** to **No application**. Photos also has a similar option in its import screen.\n\nThis only affects devices with photos (cameras, phones and memory cards with a camera folder); ordinary external drives don't open Photos.","answer_html":"

It's a per-device setting in Image Capture. Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it in the sidebar, and at the bottom set Connecting this … opens to No application. Photos also has a similar option in its import screen.

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This only affects devices with photos (cameras, phones and memory cards with a camera folder); ordinary external drives don't open Photos.

","answer_text":"It's a per-device setting in Image Capture. Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it in the sidebar, and at the bottom set Connecting this … opens to No application. Photos also has a similar option in its import screen.\n\nThis only affects devices with photos (cameras, phones and memory cards with a camera folder); ordinary external drives don't open Photos.","tags":["photos","image capture","sd card"],"related":[{"id":"external-drives.can-i-use-a-usb-flash-drive-or-sd-card","question":"Can I use a USB flash drive or an SD card as my fast drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-usb-flash-drive-or-sd-card"},{"id":"external-drives.how-do-i-open-a-photos-library-on-an-external-drive","question":"How do I open a Photos library that's on an external drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-open-a-photos-library-on-an-external-drive"},{"id":"external-drives.stop-time-machine-asking-to-use-a-new-drive","question":"How do I stop Time Machine asking to use my new external drive for backups?","url":"/faq/external-drives/stop-time-machine-asking-to-use-a-new-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I stop Photos opening every time I connect a camera card or drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it, and set \"Connecting this … opens\" to No application. Photos' import screen has a similar setting. Ordinary drives don't trigger it — only devices with camera folders.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"External drives","path":"/faq/external-drives/"},{"name":"How do I stop Photos opening every time I connect a camera card or drive?","path":"/faq/external-drives/stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I stop Photos opening every time I connect a camera card or drive?","alternateName":["Photos opens automatically when I plug in SD card","Stop Image Capture launching","Disable Photos auto open external drive","camera card opens photos app mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It's a per-device setting in Image Capture. Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it in the sidebar, and at the bottom set Connecting this … opens to No application. Photos also has a similar option in its import screen.\n\nThis only affects devices with photos (cameras, phones and memory cards with a camera folder); ordinary external drives don't open Photos.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected"}}]},"fragment":"
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External drives · Setting up your drive

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How do I stop Photos opening every time I connect a camera card or drive?

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Short answer: Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it, and set "Connecting this … opens" to No application. Photos' import screen has a similar setting. Ordinary drives don't trigger it — only devices with camera folders.

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It's a per-device setting in Image Capture. Open Image Capture with the card or camera connected, select it in the sidebar, and at the bottom set Connecting this … opens to No application. Photos also has a similar option in its import screen.

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This only affects devices with photos (cameras, phones and memory cards with a camera folder); ordinary external drives don't open Photos.

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Last reviewed

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