How to backup iphotos onto an external hard drive....

I have been reading through the questions on here to figure out how to backup and save my iphotos externally and i am hitting numerous brick walls...
I have tried to use the time machine but my hard drive has photos and documents on it and i do not want to wipe it to install it as my perferd divice to use in time machine.
I have tried numerous other options and i am having no luck whatsoever.
Please help!!!!!

It doesn't even let me do that. I can't copy it at all over at all. I have 1 terabite of memory available on my external hard drive.
I have also tried to individually export photos and that also comes up with an error. I have had the computer 4 months and kept up to date with all updates so im unsure as to why that is not working.
That is like "my car won't start - Why not?
We need information about what is happening, not happening, what has recently changes, error messages
Saying "it does not work" gives us nothing to help with
LN

Similar Messages

How do run iPhoto from an external hard drive?

I've moved my entire iPhoto library to an external hard drive and now can't remember how to open up iPhoto from that drive.

depress and hold the option key, launch iPhoto and use the resulting select library window to point to the new location - be sure to fully test the iPhoto library in the new location before deleting the old library and be sure tha tyour backup software is backing up the external drive
LN

I'm new to Mac and I'm having a problem trying to transfer photos from Iphoto onto a external hard drive?

My hard drive says it's locked and I don't know how to unlock it. Also i tried exporting photos but that didn't work either. Thanks so much

No idea - you actaully have to share details
What version of iPhoto and of the OS?
What format is the external hard drive? What is the exact error message you get?what didn't work about exporting? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?
If you want the iPhoto library to operate on an external drive the way is
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

Backup Iphoto Library to External Hard Drive

Hey I have thousands of Photos in Iphoto that I've rated and edited. I would like to backup my Iphoto Library to an external Hard drive incase of a Hard Drive failure. I do have a Time Capsule but I would also like a second backup. Can I just copy the Iphoto Library in my picture folder to my external Hard Drive? Thanks

Yes - just drag the iPhoto library to the external drive intact as a single entity
And you might want to look at an incremental backup program to keep it up to date - I use SuperDuper - http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html - which clones my entire system once a day in addition to TM's hourly backups
LN

How to copy iPhoto library to external hard drive?

I have been trying to copy my iPhoto library to a Seagate external hard drive. I cannot seem to drag and drop the iPhoto library from a Finder box across to the external hard drive. The hard drive has enough space/capacity to hold the library contents but will not allow me to drag and drop. Any tips?

Not without more information - what happens - what errors do you get - if the external drive formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)?
This procedure has been used thousands of times successfully
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 to download iphoto into an external hard drive

I have a MacBook Air - PowerBook G4 - 15"
1) What is the easiest way to download iphotp "PHOTOS" to an external hard drive?
2) After it has downloaded, I want to leave the photos still in my computer. Can I do that?
will it just happen to be still on it?
3) If I remove photos in iphoto in PHOTO will they also be removed from the External Hard Drive at the same time?
Thanks for your help. I am timid to do anything until I do this research. My skills are limited at this moment.

drag the "iPhoto Library" to the external drive - by default your iPhoto library is in the pictures folder -- the only thing you do with the iPhoto application is to "depress the option key and launch iPhoto then use the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive "
courtesy Larrry
No, unless its time machine, anything do on your Mac is not mirrored in your external HD.
yes, after copied, it will be on your computer to do with as you like.

How to Acess iPhoto Library in External Hard Drive thru Airport Extreme and iPad

My iPhoto library is currently in an external hard drive that's connected to an Airport Extreme. I want to be able to access this library thru my iPad. Is there any way to accomplish this? I have spent endless hours online looking for an answer, but so far I have not found it.
Thank you so much for the help !!!

It may sound like a stretch, but there are so many people who have already solved more complex tasks than this one.
I can't believe the only solution to this problem is to use LogMeIn/GotoMyPC or other remote control applications to access the library thru my MacBook Pro. There is also an app for iPhones called NetPortalFile and I can view the individual pictures (but it ***** because I can only see one at a time and my wife has 60,000 pics...). Almost there with solutions, not integrated all yet that I know of and that's why I am asking.
I'll keep waiting, maybe someone has already figured it out or they are working on an app :)

How do i backup iphoto to an external hard drive

How do i back up iphoto to an external drive? Also, how do I do it repeatedly so I don't have to recopy every photo each time, only the new ones?

Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate

Hi, I can't transfer my iPhotos onto my external hard drive....any ideas why please?

I am using a Macbook Air and trying to transfer onto an external Toshiba hard drive, but it wont let me copy the file across?

Did you not read what Léonie wrote:
reformatting will erase its content.So you need to save any files to a different drive before reformatting to MacOS Extended Journaled.
How much more plainly did you need it written?
You also got warned when you reformatted with Disk Utility.
Now you're only hope is expensive file recovery software.
File Salvage - you can download a free trial and it will scan the disk for you and tell you with might be recoverable. Actual recovery will require that you purchase the app. There may be many files with the same or similar names. Always recover the largest file size.
There are other such apps. Search on Macupdate or the App Store

How do I put photos in the iPhoto Library onto my external hard drive?

I used an old iMac for years and I would go into the hard drive in the Originals folder and drag each folder onto the external hard drive. That way I could easily find the different shooting sessions. Now with my new Mac I find an iPhoto Library folder but none of the pictures are there. In asking other questions over the last 6 weeks I've learned that if you click certain keys on the keyboard you can bring up the folders to view. Am I supposed to do this or is it asking for trouble? What is the best way to get my individual folders in iPhoto onto my external hard drive? Thanks so much.

Deborah
used an old iMac for years and I would go into the hard drive in the Originals folder and drag each folder onto the external hard drive
*It is strongly advised that you do not move, change or in anyway alter things in the iPhoto Library Folder as this can cause the application to fail and even lead to data loss*
That way I could easily find the different shooting sessions.
The Events feature will do that for you now in the iPhoto Window.
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use THIS
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto. With 10.5 you can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Regards
TD

I am trying to save photos from iphoto to an external hard drive

Help!
I bought a "WD Elements" external hard drive to save photos and make more room on my Macbook Pro. I can't move pics from iphoto to my "WD Elements" hard drive . I've recently gone on a few vacations and have a few thousand pictures to download. I'd like to save them onto my computer and then my external hard drive, but would first like to place old pics from iphoto onto the external hard drive and I am unable to figure out how to do this. I've tried selecting pics and then dragging them into the "Elements" external device, but this is not working (a white circle with a line through it pops up, as if I am unable to do this). When I select pics and click export, a message says that it's unable to export these pics to the hard drive device.
Please help! ~Thanks!

1. What format is the external drive? It sounds like it's ina format that Macs can't write to. Is it a NAS or NTFS?
2. Easiest thing: just move your iPhoto Library to the external
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.
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

I upgraded MacbookPro 2009 from 10.6.8 to Yosemite. Beforehand I made a backup copy of my Iphoto library onto an external hard drive. Lets call it BU. I also deleted half of my photos from the default library on my laptop, lets call it DE. I then in

I upgraded MacbookPro 2009 from 10.6.8 to Yosemite 2 weeks ago. My iphoto is now a nightmare. i went to our local apple retailer but they could not help either. Perhaps someone can help. Beforehand the OS upgrade I made a backup copy of my Iphoto library onto an external hard drive. Lets call it BU with 50GB. I also deleted half of my photos from the default library on my laptop, lets call it DE, now with about 20GB, to gain space. I then upgraded to Yosemite.
I have also installed since a long time Iphoto Library Manager 3.8.6. (this may be the cause of the problem as it was not upgraded and perhaps thus not compatible with iphoto 9.6 which I have now after the upgrade to Yosemite) It all worked fine before the upgrade, switching in iphoto between the two libraries DE and BU.
It also worked fine after the upgrade for a few days. At one stage Iphoto asked me to upgrade the iphoto version as it otherwise could not read the photos when I tried to load the BU library into iphoto. I did click yes to upgrade iphoto. As a result I became a brand new but totally empty library, no photos.
BU was still on the external disc, however the "Master" file was empty. We fortunately discovered all photos were in another file called Old Master, also under BU. We made another copy of the Old Master file onto the external disc. Lucky we did, because shortly afterwards we could not open anymore the BU file thus had no access to anything in there. Now I have 17000 photos in a file called Old Master on my external disc and another smaller library DE on my laptop. When I tried to import the photos from Old Master into a new iphoto library it was very messy. All events dates were mixed up, many photos were imported twice. I have no idea whether all my 17000 photos have been imported.
Can anyone suggest what is the most time efficient way? How do I best import my 17000 into a new library ensuring I don't loose any in the process. I do not wish sorting through 17000 photos for a week or so. Shall i also get a new iphoto library version now? Thank you for anything that may work.

Yes, the Old Master file has a folder for each year where I find all photos from that specific year. I am attaching a screen shot of the file.
In the meantime i have managed to download all photos (it did not download any video files though in mpg, avi, 3gp, m4v,mp4 and mov format) to a new iphoto library. Unfortunately the photos are quite mixed and often doubled up. I ma considering to purchase iphoto library which checks all duplicates in iphoto. this will save me a lot of time. What do you think?

I am trying to backup my Itunes onto my external hard drive. I am at the step where I on Itunes, click on File - Library - Organize library. I am suppose to check mark both boxes there, It won't allow me to check mark the second box, why? How to fix this.

I am trying to backup my Itunes onto my external hard drive. I am at the step where I on Itunes, click on File ->Library ->Organize library. I am suppose to check mark both boxes there, the first being "Consolidate Files" & the second being "Reorganize files in the folder 'Itunes Media'. I am able to checkmark the first box but It won't allow me to check mark the second box, why? How can i fix this? Please help!

Well you must have made a mistake somewhere. The last instruction of step four reads:
When you've found your iTunes library folder, drag that folder to your external hard drive. This will begin the iTunes backup. The amount of time the backup will take depends on the size of your library. When the transfer is done, your backup is complete and your external hard drive can be disconnected.
Normally dragging content from to a new location on a different drive will result in a copy action which is what you were supposed to do. At a guess you somehow managed to move the iTunes folder. Then when you started iTunes it created a new blank library for you assuming it had just been installed rather that raising a warning.
Close iTunes. Rename the iTunes folder on the internal drive as iTunes (Empty) then copy the iTunes folder from the external back into the User's Music folder. Start iTunes. All should be well.
When you've made sure it all works please read my User Tip and use that method to backup in future. Since you already have a folder with the backup in place you can skip the "Make New" operation in the fourth step and simply choose the external folder.
tt2

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up. I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up.
I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?
When I bought the new (used) iMac, I also bought an external hard drive for backups. It worked fine, but my husband stole it.
Then I bought a new external hard drive (Seagate) and it worked fine for three weeks, then died.
So I just got a new external hard drive, which was put together from an internal hard drive and a hard drive enclosure.
Time machine did the first backup today, and it should have taken 9 hours like it did on the previous first time full back up. Instead, it took 30 minutes. That can't be right. I want to start over and do a full backup to make sure everything gets onto my new external hard drive, but I can't figure out how to do that. Please help.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil compare -E
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
Added:
Removed:
Changed:
These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

How do I download all my photos onto an external hard drive intact without loosing iPhoto's features, important info and details? I need to delete pictures and files to make room in My mac's memory which is currently full.

Hi
How do I download all my photos onto an external hard drive intact without loosing iPhoto's features, important info and details? I need to delete pictures and files to make room in My mac's memory which is currently full.
Maro

So you want to move the 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.
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 to backup iphotos onto an external hard drive....

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for