How to Get ITunes and IPhoto Back on Modern Macs
There’s no “i” in macOS—at least not anymore. Apple replaced “iPhoto” with the more generic “Photos” name back in 2015; then in 2019, they removed iTunes, replacing it with separate apps for music, podcasts, and TV.
Both of these changes may have been improvements, but I can’t blame some Mac users for missing out on older apps. And you can bring them back, sort of, using an open source project called Retroactive , which officially supports macOS High Sierra through Ventura. You’ll notice that Sonoma, the current version of macOS, is not included in this list, although I was able to get both iTunes and iPhoto to work (sadly, Aperture no longer works).
First, you need to download the latest version of Aperature . Note that you will need to right-click the application and click Open to launch it. Then you can start using the software.
Bring back iTunes to macOS
Click the blue “Install” button under the iTunes logo and you will be asked which version of iTunes you want. All of these versions seem to work to varying degrees, but I personally have had the best luck with 11.4, which also has the benefit of looking truly retro. Select the version you want and click Continue .
Retroactive will download your version of iTunes from Apple’s website and then patch it to run on modern operating systems. When you are finished, you can run the program.
I could add and listen to music already on my computer, browse and listen to podcasts, and even search the store for music, TV shows, and movies. Frankly, it’s a little amazing that this entire ten-year-old version of an outdated program works at all, although I admit that it has glitched from time to time. However, if you want the feel of old iTunes, you can get it. The app still exudes that skeuomorphic 2010s charm that Apple has since abandoned in favor of a flatter, more minimalist design philosophy.
iPhoto
Retroactive can also fix iPhoto, but you need to install the app first. The easiest way to do this is to open the Mac App Store, click your name in the bottom left corner and scroll down until you see iPhoto. If that doesn’t work, you could theoretically get iPhoto from your old Mac if you have access to it. If not, the Internet Archive has a copy of the most recent version . After installing iPhoto, go back to Retroactive, which will patch the apps.
After that, you can use iPhoto the way you remember. You’ll need to import your photos—that ancient program can’t get them from the modern Photos app—but once imported, you’ll be able to use everything the way you remember.
You can even use 2010s filters that were in vogue at the time.
I was shocked at how much faster it ran on my computer than the modern Photos app, and how much I liked it. It did break down from time to time, however, and I really can’t recommend it as a way to manage your photos on a daily basis. However, it’s great to have the ability to restore your old iPhoto library at your fingertips, and it’s fun to play around with.