{"id":"mac-storage-basics.does-editing-photos-use-more-space","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/does-editing-photos-use-more-space","category":{"id":"mac-storage-basics","title":"Mac storage basics"},"subcategory":{"id":"creative-media","title":"Creative and media apps"},"question":"Does editing photos in the Photos app use more space?","alt_questions":["edited photos storage mac","photos keeps original after edit","revert to original photos space","non destructive editing storage","why library grows after edits","photos edits disk space"],"short_answer":"A little — Photos keeps the original alongside each edit so you can revert. Export the edit and delete the original if you want one smaller file, at the cost of undo.","answer_markdown":"A little. Photos never overwrites your original: it keeps the original plus the edited version (and for videos, a rendered edit), so you can always choose **Revert to Original**. Heavily edited libraries are therefore somewhat bigger than the photos alone.\n\nThis is a safety feature, not waste. If you want a single smaller file, export the edited version and delete the original — but you lose the ability to undo the edits. See [why the Photos library is bigger than your photos](/faq/mac-storage-basics/why-is-my-photos-library-bigger-than-my-photos).","answer_html":"

A little. Photos never overwrites your original: it keeps the original plus the edited version (and for videos, a rendered edit), so you can always choose Revert to Original. Heavily edited libraries are therefore somewhat bigger than the photos alone.

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This is a safety feature, not waste. If you want a single smaller file, export the edited version and delete the original — but you lose the ability to undo the edits. See why the Photos library is bigger than your photos.

","answer_text":"A little. Photos never overwrites your original: it keeps the original plus the edited version (and for videos, a rendered edit), so you can always choose Revert to Original. Heavily edited libraries are therefore somewhat bigger than the photos alone.\n\nThis is a safety feature, not waste. If you want a single smaller file, export the edited version and delete the original — but you lose the ability to undo the edits. See why the Photos library is bigger than your photos.","tags":["photos","editing","storage"],"related":[{"id":"mac-storage-basics.why-is-my-photos-library-bigger-than-my-photos","question":"Why is my Photos library bigger than the photos in it?","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/why-is-my-photos-library-bigger-than-my-photos"},{"id":"mac-storage-basics.does-trimming-a-video-in-photos-save-space","question":"Does trimming a video in Photos save space?","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/does-trimming-a-video-in-photos-save-space"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Does editing photos in the Photos app use more space? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"A little — Photos keeps the original alongside each edit so you can revert. Export the edit and delete the original if you want one smaller file, at the cost of undo.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Mac storage basics","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/"},{"name":"Does editing photos in the Photos app use more space?","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/does-editing-photos-use-more-space"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/does-editing-photos-use-more-space","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does editing photos in the Photos app use more space?","alternateName":["edited photos storage mac","photos keeps original after edit","revert to original photos space","non destructive editing storage","why library grows after edits","photos edits disk space"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A little. Photos never overwrites your original: it keeps the original plus the edited version (and for videos, a rendered edit), so you can always choose Revert to Original. Heavily edited libraries are therefore somewhat bigger than the photos alone.\n\nThis is a safety feature, not waste. If you want a single smaller file, export the edited version and delete the original — but you lose the ability to undo the edits. See why the Photos library is bigger than your photos.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/does-editing-photos-use-more-space"}}]},"fragment":"
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Mac storage basics · Creative and media apps

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Does editing photos in the Photos app use more space?

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Short answer: A little — Photos keeps the original alongside each edit so you can revert. Export the edit and delete the original if you want one smaller file, at the cost of undo.

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A little. Photos never overwrites your original: it keeps the original plus the edited version (and for videos, a rendered edit), so you can always choose Revert to Original. Heavily edited libraries are therefore somewhat bigger than the photos alone.

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This is a safety feature, not waste. If you want a single smaller file, export the edited version and delete the original — but you lose the ability to undo the edits. See why the Photos library is bigger than your photos.

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