How can I transfer my iPhoto library safely to external drive?

How do I transfer pictures from iPhoto library to external hard drive without losing information? What hard drive would work best for this? I have no more space available on iMac hard drive.

Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
LN

Similar Messages

  • I have Mavericks and I want to transfer my iPhoto library to an external drive

    I have Mavericks and I want to transfer my iPhoto library to an external drive to free up a ton of space on my hard drive.  Can't transfer the whole thing. It says part of it is being modified. When it started it said it would take 56 days also. Is there an easy way to transfer it? In older versions of iphoto It had a lot of folders in the pictures folder under users. I could transfer bit by bit each day if I wanted.  Seems that there is only one gigantic iphoto Library now and I can't transfer the whole thing.  Can you please help?

    Hi Terence,
    My OS version is Version 10.9  My iPhoto version is 9.5 (9027)
    I was trying to bring it to my external drive that I use for placing random files (not a TimeMachine backup). It's a USB connection and it has a 2T storage capacity with plenty of room.
    So I dragged it into the icon of the external drive and it "prepared" to transfer for a long time.  Then at the end of that, it said it couldn't tramfer because part of it was being modified.  (I can try it again to get the exact wording of this error message if you need it).  Then I clicked ok, then there was a small window that looked like a small part of the iphoto library was transfered with the timeline there and the beginning portion blue with the rest of the line empty. At the right it said 56 days remaining. =)  But that little window was frozen and wasn't doing anything.  I tried it three times and it did the same thing each time exactly as I've described.
    Thanks for your help!

  • How can i move my Iphoto library to an external hard drive?

    How do I move my Iphoto library to an external hard drive?

    Here's a worflow for that:
    Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    1. Quit iPhoto
    2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
    Now you have two full versions of the Library.
    3. On the Internal library, trash the Events you don't want there
    Now you have a full copy of the Library on the External and a smaller subset on the Internal
    Some Notes:
    As a general rule: when deleting photos do them in batches of about 100 at a time. iPhoto can baulk at trashing large numbers at one go.
    You can choose which Library to open: Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
    You can keep the Library on the external updated with new imports using  iPhoto Library Manager

  • How do i manage 1 iphoto library on 2 external drives?

    I'm trying to find the most efficient way to manage 1 iphoto library across 2 external drives. In case one of my external drives dies, I'll have a backup.
    I know how to copy my iphoto library onto another drive, but my question is how to manage the 2 drives when i add photos/videos to them from my iphone.
    Currently, I import photos/vids from iphone onto 1 drive. Then unmount the external drive and hook up another drive. I direct iphoto to use the new drive as it's library and then import the photos/vids again onto the second drive. I make sure the event is named the same, so I have the same iphoto setup across both drives. Then i delete the photos/vids from my iphone.
    Is there a more efficient way to do this? Or software that can do this in one step?
    Thanks in advance for any help! 

    You want to have a backup of your working library on your MacBook Pro on each of two external HDs, correct? 
    If yes then use a backup application like Synk or Synk Pro that can incrementally backup the library, i.e. copy only those new of modified files.  If you go to MacUpdate.com and do a search for "backup" you'll get a list of potential candidates.
    Then all you need to do is connect EHD#1 and run the backup app to update the library then connect EHD#2 and do the same.  It only takes several seconds to make the incremental backup.  Synk Pro can be configured to automically start the backup when the external drives are connected.  I'm not sure but believe some of the other backup apps could do the same.
    OT

  • Sorry folks, I did something bad, I was looking how to save my current iphoto library to my external drive and I hit a wrong button, lost my current iphoto and now have only the backed up version from 2007, Woops I never was the quick witted one... PLEASE

    I switched my current iphoto library out for the saved one on my external drive by mistake. It said, Switch Libraries.... Do you want to switch the current iphoto library from AAA iphoto library (what I called the old one I guess - in my OWC) toOWC Mercury on-the-go and relaunch iphoto? cancel or relaunch
    Sorry, I was looking for a way to save my current iphoto images to my hard drive. Yeah, I guess just drag something over right? Anyway, now I cannot retrieve my last 2 or 3 years of photos, Can You HELP me?
    Mac os X  version 10.6.8
    2.66 GHz Intel core 2 Duo
    etc

    Depress the option key and launch iPhoto = use teh select library option and select the correct one
    yes to move your library to an external drive
    Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
    And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
    And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
    LN

  • How can I transfer my iphoto library from a Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) harddrive to a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) hard drive?

    Community,
    Every time I try to transfer my iphoto library from a Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) harddrive to a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) hard drive, I receive the attached message: "You can't copy 'iPhoto Library' because it has the same name as another ideon on the destination volume, and that volume doesn't destinguish between upper- and lowercase letters in filenames."
    My theory is, if I am able to unpackage my iphoto library, I can transfer each folder one at a time so that I can trouble shoot any "duplicates." Will this work?
    Let's say that works. How can I repackage the library so iphoto recognizes it?
    Is there a better way?
    Thank you,
    Jonathan

    Can we assume that I don't have any naming conflicts? Clearly there are or else I wouldn't get the error I'm getting.
    The error doesn't mean you have name conflicts. It means that the Finder won't take the chance that you might have them.
    You're suggesting that all I would need to do would be to use Carbon Copy Cloner to transfer the files from the case-sensative harddrive to my Extended Journaled harddrive?
    Yes. But I would just use the built-in rsync shell command. First, back up all data if you haven't already done so. Launch the Terminal application by entering the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Copy or drag -- do not type -- the line below into the Terminal window, then press the space bar:
    rsync -aE --delete
    Now drag the iPhoto library you want to copy into the window. You should have something like this:
    rsync -aE --delete /Users/you/Pictures/iPhoto\ Library
    Drag the Pictures folder on the destination volume into the window. Now you have this (line will wrap on the page):
    rsync -aE --delete /Users/you/Pictures/iPhoto\ Library /Volumes/something/Users/you/Pictures
    Press return. The copying operation will start. When it finishes, you'll see a new dollar-sign ("$") prompt below what you entered. If there were no errors, you're done.

  • How to Time Machine backup iPhoto library stored on external drive

    Hi Mac users.
    Can you kindly teach me how to backup iphoto library stored on an external drive to my external time machine drive. My internal drive is full so I moved my iPhoto library to a separate drive and deleted the library to create space. Thank you.

    Actually there's nothing to do.  TM backs up all connected volumes automatically.  One has to exclude a volume or folder(s) to keep them from being backed up in the TM preferences.
    If you find that the EHD is not being backed up exclude it and the "unexclude" it and force a new backup.
    OT

  • How can i transfer entire iphoto library to icloud?

    I dont want to back up iphoto collection, i would like to be able to access photos other than just shared or photostream. Please help.

    There is not yet any reliable cloud service that can host an iPhoto library offline and let you access it efficiently.
    This will be possible, when the new MacOS X 10.10 Yosemite is released, plus the new Photos.app currently under development.
    With Yosemite and Photos.app you will be able to keep an  iCloud Photo Library, probably early next year.
    The problem is, that an iPhoto library is a database, and not just a collection of photos. Accessing it over network may corrupt the database, if the transactions are interrupted by network dropouts or access from several computers is not synchronised. You cannot simply put an iPhoto library onto an arbitrary cloud storage and sync it there, if the underlying service does not protect the database integrity.

  • How do I transfer my iPhoto library to two separate drives using Aperture

    Hi, I'm using iPhoto 9.4.2. My photo library is taking up most of my Macbook Pro's hard drive space so I bought Aperture 3.4.3 after reading the following description:
    "As your iPhoto library grows, it may become too big to store on your computer’s hard drive. Aperture lets you set up as many external drives as you want and specify where to store each of your photos."
    I want to put most of my photos on an external drive and only the most recent photos on my Mac's hard drive.  I can't figure out exactly how to do this, though.
    Hopefully someone can provide simple instructions. Thanks!

    "As your iPhoto library grows, it may become too big to store on your computer’s hard drive. Aperture lets you set up as many external drives as you want and specify where to store each of your photos."
    This is referring to turning your Aperture/iPhoto library into a referenced library. Aperture lets you relocate the original image files to a folder outside your photolibrary (this folder may be on external drive) and reference the originals in this location. This way the library itself will be smaller, but if you want to edit or export the referenced images, you need to make sure the external drive is mounted.
    Relocating original files is simple: Just select the images you want to relocate in the browser and use the command "File > relocate original file(s)". But after relocating you are responsible for protecting the originals. Do not move, renmae, or edit them in any way. Make sure you have a working backup of your library before you start restructering it.
    See this part of the manual for more help: Aperture 3 User Manual: Working with Referenced Images
    Just in case Aperture should lose the connection to some referenced originals (this can happen sometimes, if the you need to restore your harddrive) use the command "File > Locate referenced files" to reconnect them.
    Regards
    Léonie

  • How can I move my iphoto Library to another hard drive?

    I would like to move my iphoto library to another drive. I've already copied it to the other drive, do I now just delete it from the internal drive? If so how does iphoto know where to find the photos?

    doug4747
    1. Quit iPhoto
    2. Copy the iPhoto Library Folder as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
    3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
    4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
    Regards
    TD

  • How do I transfer my iTunes library from an external drive to my new macbook air?

    I have an 8 year old MacBook Pro that has a small hard drive.  So 8 years ago I put all my songs (35GB) on an external drive.  I just bought a MacBook Air that has 256 GB of space and would like to transfer all my songs, movies, etc. to it and stop using the old hard drive.  Can anyone help me with how to do this?  Thanks.

    Choose Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu, provide ~/Music/ as the folder's path, and drag the entire iTunes library, including the database files, to it.
    Alternatively, you can drag the entire library to any location on the internal drive, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, and choose it.
    If you only put the songs and not the database files on the external drive, drag it to the internal drive and from there to the library in the open iTunes application window.
    (114452)

  • How to move a large iphoto library from one external drive to another

    Hi all (my first ever post to a forum!)
    I have a large iphoto library (379 GB) on an external drive (Lacie 1TB w/usb 2.0) and want to move it to a another ethernet connected external drive (LaCie Network Space 2) so I will be able to access it from other computers.
    Moving it with drag and drop or copying is calculated to take 66 day's!
    Wander if that could be explaned with the fact that these are around 70.000 individual pictures/files, and if it could be speed up by first compressing the library.
    Wander if anyone can shere their experience on that? (what software to use or?)
    I have an 21.5 inch, mid 2010 iMac (3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 with 12 GB 1067 MHz DDR3).
    I also have the new Macbook Air (1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz - with 3MB shared L3 cache).

    iPhoto needs to be connected to the computer you are using it from via a sired connectin both for speed and also for data reliability
    THe copy estimate is often way off - let it run and see - it will probably drop a lot quickly
    Compressing would not help (assuming you shoot JPEG) since the JPEGs in the library are alread highly compressed
    LN

  • How can I move entire ITunes library to an external drive

    How can I move the entire file to a new external drive & still add new downloads & use from the external G: drive?
    Or can't this be done - I have the 80G Ipod & the files take up so much space that I want to move it to the new G: drive.
    I thought I had it figured out but nothing would play from the G drive, so I had to restore everything back to the C: drive.
    Thanks for any advice

    This is actually the 5G iPod forum, not the iTunes folder.
    However, To move your iTunes music...
    1 Quit iTunes.
    2 Move the entire iTunes folder including music to the external drive.
    3 Restart iTunes holding the Shift key in Windows, Option key in Mac.
    4 iTunes will ask to Create new library or Choose existing library. Select Choose existing library and select the library in the folder you just moved.
    5 Move the old iTunes folder to the trash but do not empty it.
    6 Restart iTunes normally and verify the songs work. If they do, empty the trash.

  • How do I backup my iPhoto Library to an external hard drive and keep my photos grouped by their events?

    How can I backup my iPhoto Library to an external hard drive and keep my photos grouped by their events?

    I have attempted to make sure my iPhoto library has been backed up on the external hard drive and that it is safe to delete some events from my internal hard drive
    You need to think this through.
    Time Machine is a back up application. It keeps a rolling back up of the data. It's called rolling because it means you can revert to the data you had on a specific date and time. But that's not eternal, and as time goes by, and your drive fills up, older backups are deleted. So if you delete Events on your Mac they will - eventually - also be deleted from the Time Machine back up.
    If you wan tot archive data hendon't use Time Machine for that job. Here's how you might archive an iPhoto Library:
    Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    1. Quit iPhoto
    2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
    Now you have two full versions of the Library.
    3. On the Internal library, trash the Events you don't want there
    Now you have a full copy of the Library on the External and a smaller subset on the Internal
    Some Notes:
    As a general rule: when deleting photos do them in batches of about 100 at a time. iPhoto can baulk at trashing large numbers at one go.
    You can choose which Library to open: Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
    You can keep the Library on the external updated with new imports using iPhoto Library Manager

  • Moved my iphoto library to an external drive and now I can't import photos from my camera or iPhone - will only import previously impoted photos - why?

    Anyone else had this problem?  Anyone know how to fix it?
    I haven't deleted my photos of my computer's hard drive yet so can go back to using that if it will fix my problem
    Thanks

    No that is not a problem and no one has reported it here
    to change the library depress the option key and launch iPhoto and use the select library command - see if the behavior is the same on both frives
    How did you move the iPhoto library to the external drive?
    What format is the external drive?
    LN

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