---
id: external-drives.stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/stop-photos-opening-when-a-card-is-connected
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "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."
tags: ["photos", "image capture", "sd card"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-usb-flash-drive-or-sd-card", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-open-a-photos-library-on-an-external-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/stop-time-machine-asking-to-use-a-new-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

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

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.

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