Hinweis: Dieser Artikel wurde ursprünglich veröffentlicht in 2011 and has been updated to cover modern macOS versions. The iPhoto app has been replaced by the Photos app in macOS Yosemite (10.10) and later, but the auto-launch behavior and fix remain similar.

Einführung

One of the most common annoyances for Mac users is having iPhoto (or the Photos app on modern macOS) launch automatically every time you connect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Whether you are simply charging your device, syncing data, or performing a backup, the unwanted photo application popup interrupts your workflow.

This guide covers multiple methods to disable this behavior across different versions of macOS, from the legacy Snow Leopard approach to the current macOS solution.

Why Does This Happen?

macOS treats any connected device with a camera as a potential photo source. When the operating system detects such a device, it checks which application is assigned to handle camera connections and launches it automatically. By default, this is set to either iPhoto (on older systems) or Photos (on macOS Yosemite and later).

This behavior is controlled at two levels:

  • System-wide default — the application assigned to open for any new camera device
  • Per-device setting — a specific application (or no application) assigned to a particular device

Image Capture is a built-in macOS utility that provides granular control over what happens when you connect each specific device. This is the most reliable method across all macOS versions from Snow Leopard onward.

Schritt-by-Schritt Instructions

  1. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac using the appropriate cable.

  2. Open Image Capture. You can find it by:

    • Opening Finder and navigating to Applications > Image Capture
    • Using Spotlight search (press Cmd + Space and type “Image Capture”)

  3. Select your device from the Devices list in the left sidebar. Your connected iOS device should appear by name.

  4. Locate the auto-launch setting. Look at the bottom-left corner of the Image Capture window. You will see a dropdown labeled “Connecting this [device] opens:” (you may need to click the small arrow icon in the lower-left corner to reveal this option).

  5. Set the dropdown to “No Application”. This tells macOS to do nothing when this specific device is connected.

  6. Close Image Capture. The setting is saved automatically.

From now on, connecting that particular device will no longer trigger any application to open.

Tipp: You need to repeat this process for each iOS device you own. The setting is stored per device, so your iPhone and iPad each need to be configured separately.

Method 2: Using Photos App Preferences (macOS Yosemite and Later)

If you use the Photos app and simply want to stop it from auto-opening, you can disable the behavior from within Photos itself.

Schritt-by-Schritt Instructions

  1. Connect your iOS device to your Mac.

  2. Open the Photos app (if it did not open automatically, launch it from the Applications folder or Dock).

  3. In the Photos menu bar, go to Photos > Settings (or Photos > Preferences on older macOS versions).

  4. In the General tab, look for the option “Open Photos for [device name]” or the checkbox “Opening Photos when a device is connected”.

  5. Uncheck the box or select “No Application” from the dropdown.

  6. Close the Settings window.

Method 3: Using the Terminal (Advanced)

For users who prefer the command line or need to automate this across multiple Macs, you can disable auto-launch using the defaults command:

# Disable Photos from auto-launching when devices are connected
defaults -currentHost write com.apple.ImageCapture disableHotPlug -bool true

To re-enable the behavior later:

# Re-enable auto-launch
defaults -currentHost write com.apple.ImageCapture disableHotPlug -bool false

Hinweis: This terminal command disables auto-launch for all devices globally, unlike the Image Capture method which is per-device.

Method 4: Legacy iPhoto (Pre-Yosemite Systems)

On older Macs running OS X Mavericks or earlier where iPhoto is still the default:

  1. Open iPhoto.
  2. Go to iPhoto > Preferences (or press Cmd + ,).
  3. In the General tab, find the option “Connecting camera opens”.
  4. Set it to “No Application”.
  5. Close iPhoto Preferences.

Fehlerbehebung

The setting does not stick after reboot

  • Ensure you are setting the preference while the device is actively connected
  • Try resetting the Image Capture preferences by deleting ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.ImageCapture2.plist and then reconfiguring the setting
  • On some macOS versions, a system update may reset this preference. Reapply the setting after major updates

Image Capture does not show my device

  • Make sure you have trusted the computer on your iOS device (tap “Trust” on the device when prompted)
  • Try a different USB cable or port
  • Restart both the Mac and the iOS device

A different app opens instead of Photos

  • Another application may have registered itself as the default camera handler. Open Image Capture and check the “Connecting this device opens” dropdown to verify which app is assigned

Zusammenfassung

Preventing iPhoto or Photos from auto-launching when you connect an iOS device is a straightforward setting change. The most reliable approach is to use Image Capture to set “No Application” for each specific device. For a system-wide solution, the Terminal command to disable the disableHotPlug preference works across all devices at once. Regardless of which method you choose, the fix takes only a few seconds and permanently eliminates the interruption.

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