All images folder - very concerned

I've only just had reason to open up my 'All images' folder and discovered hundreds of pictures that I don't recognise.

After much browsing, I have come to the conclusion that my iMac has accessed images sent to me which are stored in my gmail account. Some I have never seen before - therefore I presume I have never opened the email - and others I know for a fact that I haven't ever opened/viewed on this machine.

Considering I've only had my iMac for just under a year and some of these emails haven't been opened in years (I can date them, because they are of long forgotten family events) - WHY ARE THEY APPEARING IN MY ALL IMAGES FOLDER??

Thanks in advance for any help - I really appreciate it.

Because "All Images" isn't a folder at all -- it's a search. A search of your hard drive for ANY KIND of image file, with the results handily shown to you in "All Images." Works on exactly the same principle as "Recent Documents" -- ie, a smart search.

In other words, don't concern yourself with it at all. All it means is that those images are SOMEWHERE on your hard drive (in a cache, in an e-mail, etc). Nor can you remove things from there, since as I say it's a search not a genuine folder.

Google "Mac smart folders" for more information about this. Smart Folders can be *incredibly* useful.

chas_m said:

Because "All Images" isn't a folder at all -- it's a search. A search of your hard drive for ANY KIND of image file, with the results handily shown to you in "All Images." Works on exactly the same principle as "Recent Documents" -- ie, a smart search.

In other words, don't concern yourself with it at all. All it means is that those images are SOMEWHERE on your hard drive (in a cache, in an e-mail, etc). Nor can you remove things from there, since as I say it's a search not a genuine folder.

Google "Mac smart folders" for more information about this. Smart Folders can be *incredibly* useful.

Click to expand...

Hi - thanks so much for responding. It still leaves me with concerns however - if I haven't opened an email or downloaded an image from one whilst on this iMac, why is it in my hard drive at all? They are there whether or not I'm online/signed into my gmail account.

Because you HAVE downloaded the images onto your Mac, whether you're aware of it or not. If you EVER viewed an email with a graphic image on it, that image (or at least a thumbnail of it) is on your hard drive in a cache or email file somewhere. Some of the images you might see in the folder are part of Applications you might have, others come from email you have saved, album artwork from iTunes ... there are a LOT of different bits of the Mac that have use for some kind of graphic files, not just the "obvious" ones like photos.

ALL graphic files, no matter WHERE they are stored on your connected drives (even inside programs) will show up in the "All Images" filtered search because, as the name implies, it looks for ALL files with known graphic file types (jpgs, pngs, tifs, gifs, and many many more).

Again, this is absolutely NO cause for concern, and is perfectly normal. It's not taking up any significant space on your Mac, etc. Just forget about it and don't use "All Images" (or simply drag it off the sidebar to delete it) if you don't find that search useful to you. Deleting the "All Images" smart folder will NOT delete any files, it will just delete the filtered search.

Thank you chas m, I really appreciate your detailed answers & time/patience. I understand now - I'm wondering if my windows laptop ever did that sort of thing because I understood that emptying the cache was supposed to clear this sort of thing - but I won't worry about it.

Many, many thanks

It will also show images that your computer uses, even if you never use the programs they belong too. For instance, if a program you never open uses a small sample image or an icon as a part of its interface, it will still appear in All Photos.