How do I start and stop PhotoStructure?

When you close the main PhotoStructure window, PhotoStructure continues to run in the background, which may include synchronizing your library’s photos and videos.

Shut down PhotoStructure by clicking the ☰ navigation menu in the upper-left corner of your PhotoStructure window, and selecting “Shutdown.”

PhotoStructure for Desktop users can use the following instructions:

macOS 🔗

Start PhotoStructure by double-clicking the icon in your Applications directory. You may want to drag the PhotoStructure icon to your dock to make it easier to launch in the future.

Shut down PhotoStructure using any of these methods:

  • Press command+q when PhotoStructure is the front-most application
  • Choose PhotoStructure > Quit from the menu bar
  • Right-click the PhotoStructure icon in the dock, and select “Quit”
  • Click the PhotoStructure icon in the upper right corner of your menu bar, and choose Quit
  • Click the ☰ navigation menu in the upper-left corner of your PhotoStructure window, and select “Shutdown.”

Windows 🔗

Start PhotoStructure from your Start menu.

Shut down PhotoStructure using any of these methods:

  • Tap the Alt key, which toggles visibility of the menubar, and select File > Exit
  • Click the PhotoStructure icon in the system tray, and choose “Quit”. If you don’t see the PhotoStructure icon by your clock and volume and network icons, right-click the taskbar, pick “Show all notification icons,” and click the ^ icon. You can drag the PhotoStructure icon out of that panel and onto your system tray if you’d like.
  • Click the ☰ navigation menu in the upper-left corner of your PhotoStructure window, and select “Shutdown.”

Ubuntu 🔗

Start PhotoStructure by double-clicking the .AppImage icon. Remember to make it executable.

Shut down PhotoStructure using any of these methods:

  • Press ctrl+q when PhotoStructure is the front-most application
  • Tap the Alt key, which toggles visibility of the menubar, and select File > Exit
  • Click the PhotoStructure icon in your menu bar (in the upper right corner of your screen, by the data and settings widgets), and choose “Exit”.
  • Click the ☰ navigation menu in the upper-left corner of your PhotoStructure window, and select “Shutdown.”

Why does it take so long to shut down? 🔗

PhotoStructure does a bunch of housekeeping on shutdown, and if your library is on a remote filesystem, or an external drive that may have spun down, expect this process to take upwards of 10-30 seconds, depending on the size of your library.

“Housekeeping” includes:

  • Verifying and repacking the library database.
  • Taking a backup of the library database.
  • Cleaning the cat box and changing the linens.
  • Copying the local database replica back to your library, if your library is on a remote filesystem.
  • Shutting down any external service processes (like sync-file and exiftool)
  • Closing and compressing logfiles.
  • Removing library opened-by lockfiles.

Also keep in mind that it can take 15-20 seconds for an external hard drive to spin up before PhotoStructure can write to it and close the database cleanly.

Photo of Matthew

Hi! I’m Matthew, the author of PhotoStructure. I’m a dad, amateur photographer, and author of open source, adtech, fintech, and edtech software since the turn of the millennium. He/him. I am building a self-hosted, safe, and fast new home for all your photos and videos.
Your memories deserve PhotoStructure. Try it out for free!