Moving iPhoto library to external drive

Is it possible to move an entire iPhoto library intact to an external drive. i.e. including all events and naturally all photo edits, descriptions, titles, and other META data?
If so, how is it best accomplished please?
(Using iPhoto 9.4.3)

Here's how:
first make sure the drive is formatted OS X Extended (journaled).
drag the iPhoto Library to the external HD.
launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and select the library on the EHD.
once you've confirmed that the EHD library is complete and working properly you can delete the library from your Pictures folder.
OT

Similar Messages

Can't read iPhoto library from external drive

I suddenly can't can't read iPhoto library from external drive. I have talked to WD and nohing is wrong with the network drive. I can open images and files from it. But, I can't read in iPhoto Library.

Network Drive? a NAS?
iPhoto needs to have the Library sitting on disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Users with the Library sitting on disks otherwise formatted regularly report issues including, but not limited to, importing, exporting, saving edits and sharing the photos.
Basically, you need to move the library to a correctly formatted disk.

Moving iPhoto to external drive; have formatted external disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled), moved the iPhoto library to external drive; when trying to change the library, the iPhoto file on new external is greyed out can't be selected.What went wrong?

Must have done something wrong..
1. formatted external disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) - required a partition, but that went fine. Entire new external disk was included in the partition formatted to Mac OS Extneded (journaled).
2. moved iPhoto library to new external disk
3. Holding Option key down, opened iPhoto
4. Choose library feature appeared, however when new library function option appeared and "choose library" selected, the iPhoto folder appearing in the new external drive was greyed out and not able to be selected. Therefore the default library remains the original iphoto library on the Mac.
I've moved the original iphoto library to the trash and then tried to start iPhoto. A message comes up that the iPhoto is in the trash and needs to be pulled out before iPhoto can start (clearly the new iphoto library on the external drive is not being seen.
Can anyone suggest where I went awry? Thanks!

Try trash the com.apple.iPhoto.plist file from the HD/Users/ Your Name / library / preferences folder.
(On 10.7 or later: Hold the option (or alt) key while clicking on the Go menu in Finder to access the User Library)
(Remember you'll need to reset your User options afterwards. These include minor settings like the window colour and so on. Note: If you've moved your library you'll need to point iPhoto at it again.)
What's the plist file?
For new users: Every application on your Mac has an accompanying plist file. It records certain User choices. For instance, in your favourite Word Processor it remembers your choice of Default Font, on your Web Browser is remembers things like your choice of Home Page. It even recalls what windows you had open last if your app allows you to pick up from where you left off last. The iPhoto plist file remembers things like the location of the Library, your choice of background colour, whether you are running a Referenced or Managed Library, what preferences you have for autosplitting events and so on. Trashing the plist file forces the app to generate a new one on the next launch, and this restores things to the Factory Defaults. Hence, if you've changed any of these things you'll need to reset them. If you haven't, then no bother. Trashing the plist file is Mac troubleshooting 101.
Then try select it again.

Burning cd's from iPhoto library on external drive

ok, here is my problem... I've got an old powerbook g3 which I gave my mother for storing and sorting her photos. As the disk space on this powerbook is quite limited I though of buying a firewire card and an external firewire drive and load the whole iPhoto library onto it. My question is; is there some way to burn cd's or DVD's out of iPhoto from this external drive on my powermac G5?

Blanche:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. You won't be able to burn the disks directly from within iPhoto but if you're just wanting to burn a disk containing image files you can do that.
In iPhoto create an album of those you want to burn. Then select the album and use the Share->Export->File Export menu route to export the full sized files to a folder on the desktop. Name the folder appropriately and insert a blank disk. When the disk mounts on the desktop drag the folder to the disk. Once copied to the disk, make sure the files are full sized (a couple of times I got aliases only so make it a point to double check before burning). Then drag the disk icon to the Trash which will turn into a Burn button.
But iPhoto will only recognize internal drives for burning iPhoto formatted disks right from inside.

Iphone won't sync after moving iPhoto library to external hard drive

I moved my iPhoto library to an external hard drive, now my iTunes will not sync with my iphone. It has an error when syncing photos and quits
iPhoto works just fine, iTunes works just fine. This only occurs when syncing. Please help!

Put your iPhoto library on the external hard drive and hold your Option key down when opening iPhoto. Then just select the library on the external drive. You can have multiple libraries too.
Dave M.
MacOSG Founder/Ambassador  An Apple User Group  iTunes: MacOSG Podcast
Macsimum News Associate Editor  Creator of 'Mac611 - Mobile Mac Support'

Moving iPhoto library onto external hard drive

I would like to transfer all of my photos over to my external hard drive as my MacBook is filling up fast.
I followed the directions on moving the iPhoto library onto my external hard drive. I can see the iPhoto icon on the external drive. I no longer see it under Me/Pictures.
If I select the iPhoto icon on my external hard drive to open iPhoto, it opens without any photos. If I press "option" while opening iPhoto from the icon at the bottom of the screen the only option I have is from the following: Users/Me/Movies/iMovie Projects.localized/iPhoto Library. This option does open iPhoto so that I can see my photos. There is an option there to "Create New" so I added my hard drive. But if I use that as my default, I get no pictures.
A couple of questions. How do I complete this process? Where are my pictures now? I'm assuming they are on my external hard drive. I didn't delete them from my MacBook so I'm also assuming they are there but not visible.
Thanks

As we're not sure what you have done exactly it's hard to be certain how to progress.
This is how you move 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.
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.
There is no way you've done that if you can no longer see the Library at Me/Pictures.

How do you locate the file where iPhoto library is kept? I moved iPhoto library from hard drive to external dedicated photo drive.

I am trying to restore some elements of my iPhoto library using time machine.
Apple instructions call for locating the file where iPhoto library is kept, and tells you where it is on your hard drive. But I've recently moved my iPhoto library to a dedicated external hard drive, and copied my i photo library there. when i click on it, all the photos are there, but it's an iPhoto library, not a file.
When I go into time machine and click on the date i would like to enter, most of my apps have a circle with a line through it, unaccessible. So: a related question, how would i retrieve a photo file from time machine's previous backup? thank you.

Thank you!
I am trying to retrieve photo uploads from my Android phone. When I last updated my OS, most of these vaporized, leaving only thumbnails. I have had two lengthy sessions with Apple phone support, but still haven't solved the problem.
Apparently I can't go back to July '14 iPhoto in time machine and browse files; i have to copy the entire library.
Which I just did, taking 2 hours.
In order to open the iPhoto library from July '14, I had to first update iPhoto.
When I went into the files, the same problem existed -- photo files gone, only thumbnails there. So now I'm thinking that it's the update that was the problem. This scares me to death, because when we're asked to update, we don't get a menu of preferences to make sure something has been unchecked, like the copy option i had enabled when opening photo files from my phone, which i store in a dropbox folder.
No one at Apple could tell me why this happened, so I have no idea how to prevent it from happening in the future.
That's why I'm trying to create better backups...but i can't figure out deja vu, because it won't open and sync the iPhoto library folder -- it wants me to find the file, and i don't know where it is on the external dedicated photo drive.
I realize this is about six issues, not one. But I'm really appreciative of any help i can get!

Moving iphoto library to external hard drive.

My mac mini is fast running out of disk space and I am trying to move the iphoto library to an external hard drive.
I have copied the library across to the external disk, renamed the exisiting library and have now tried to restore/rebuild the iphoto library using the new library on the external disk. All of the albums/events/faces appear in the finder window but iphoto hangs for up to 8 hours before I force quit and try again. I only have 20gb of photos and would not think the library should take this long to rebuild??
I am running Lion along with the most current update of iphoto.
Any assistance greatly appreciated.

That article is missing a key piece of info:
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

Trying to move my iPhoto library to external drive

I'm trying to clear up room on my internal drive and so trying to move my library to an external drive. I've copied the photo library to the external drive. How do i point the iPhoto application to this new location so that I can delete the library on my mac's drive. Follow up question, do i need to make any changes with time machine so that the new location continues to get backed up?

1 - Option - launch iPhot
2 - Yes - in the TM preferences under options be sure that drive is not excluded
3 - what format is the EHD? It MUST be Mac OS extended (journaled) to work for the iPhoto library
The general answer including those points 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

Photobook / project disappeared - iphoto library on external drive

i use iphoto 11 on a macbook air os x 10.7.5 and have moved the iphoto library on an external hard drive. some older photobooks and projects (calendars) are clickable - i am asked if it is okay to renew them. others are just dead.
when i end iphoto and restart (my last click was on that project), then iphoto turns and turns and never starts. until i click on a openable project or event.
i went through all rebuilds offered by iphoto (library, access rights) except the thumbnail-renewal.
any solution?
do i have to kill the old books? and do them again.
i would like to do some re-prints of them...

If, as Larry asked, the EHD is formatted OS X Extended (journaled) apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
Fix #1
1 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
2 - run Option #4 to rebuild the database.
Fix #2
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
2 - click on the Add Library button and select the library you want to add in the selection window..
3 - Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option.
4 - In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
5 - Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
OT

If I Move iPhoto Library to External Drive Does It Keep Organized?

Can anyone tell me:
In iPhoto 09 8.2.1 if I take the time to organize, edit, "faces" "events" etc...and I move iPhoto to an External Harddrive, a Western Digital "My Book"...Does moved library stay edited, organized face tagged, etc?
Thanks

See this document how to format a drive for photo libraries: (it explains it for aperture, but it is done the same way for iPhoto)
Format external drives to Mac OS Extended before using with Aperture
Also if I do format the drive how will that effect what is already on there (not just photos but documents, etc)?
I thought you were buying a new drive to use with iPhoto. If there are already documents on the drive, you need to copy them temporarily somewhere else. Reformatting will erase a drive completely.
Disk Utility (it is in the "Utilities" folder in "Applications") will show you, if your drive needs formatting.
The left pane shows your disks and disk partitions, and the right pane lets you do useful things, like reformatting and repairing your drive.
If you select the drive in the left panel, you see the formatting in the footer of the panel.
Is your drive correctly formatted?

Moving iPhoto Library to External HD also used for Time Machine?

Hi,
I know the moving of iPhoto Libraries seems to be a pretty common topic, but I want to throw this out there because everyone situation seems to be a little different and have slightly different variables. Like many others, I want to get my iPhoto Library off of my local HD to save space.
In my case, I am wondering if there is any problem with moving an iPhoto 09' Library (28K+ images/149GB) to an External HD (2TB Western Digital) that is also currently set up to do Time Machine Backups or do I need to reformat that drive to be used as an external only and not for TM?
Lastly I want to confirm that when I transfer this Library, I simply need to drag the iPhoto Library from my PIctures folder over to this External HD and then hold the Option key when I launch iPhoto next and tell it to choose the iPhoto Library on my External so it will open that one from that point forward.
Thanks in advance for the information and confirmation on how to do this transfer. Take care and have a great evening.
Joe Sabella

In my case, I am wondering if there is any problem with moving an iPhoto 09' Library (28K+ images/149GB) to an External HD (2TB Western Digital) that is also currently set up to do Time Machine Backups or do I need to reformat that drive to be used as an external only and not for TM?
You need to partition the drive with one partition for TM and one for normal external drive use - you should not have your iPhoto library or other dynamic file on the same partition with TM - TM grows until it fills its partition and at some time this will push up against your iPhoto library and cause failure for iPhoto
Lastly I want to confirm that when I transfer this Library, I simply need to drag the iPhoto Library from my PIctures folder over to this External HD and then hold the Option key when I launch iPhoto next and tell it to choose the iPhoto Library on my External so it will open that one from that point forward.
That is correct - and be sure that the external drive is available anytime you launch iPhoto
LN

Can't transfer iPhoto library to external drive

Hi guys,
Need some help here.
My hard disk ran out of space and I am trying to transfer all of my photos in iphoto library into my external hard drive, which I have been using for my PC. I tried dragging the library icon to my external drive icon, but I kept getting the "block" sign and it simply would not allow me to transfer the library.
I've attached the screen shot of this to help you better understand what's going on.
Can you PLEASE help?
Thanks!

what format is the external drive? If you used it with a PC it is incorrect for iPhoto - iPhoto must be on a drive formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)
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

Accessing iphoto library on external drive via wireless

I'm running out of room on my macbook so I moved my iphoto library to an external drive (after reading other posts on how to accomplish this, copied to the external drive and connected without a problem). However, i'm accessing the external drive wirelessly from my airport extreme and now iphoto is painfully slow - it takes several seconds for each photo to resolve properly. Any suggestions for the best way to manage? Do i need to keep older photos in a library on the external drive and a library for more current ones i want to access regularly on my local? I don't think i want to have multiple libraries but the performance this way is driving me crazy.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
A strong warning: If you're trying to edit the Library (that is, make albums, move photos around, keyword, make books or slideshows etc.) or edit individual photos in it via Wireless be very careful. Dropouts are a common fact of wireless networking, and should one occur while the app is writing to the database then your Library will be damaged. Simply, I would not do this with my Libraries.
A wired connection is the best way to have your Library on an external.
Regards
TD

Can't move iPhoto library to external drive

My poor little iMac only has 200 MB of hard drive space on it, so I need to make some room! I'd already moved my iTunes library from it last year, but I figured now I need to move my iPhoto library to my external hard drive too.
I went to Apple help for instructions, which said drag the iPhoto library folder to the hard drive. I couldn't find an icon that looked like a folder in Pictures, but I found an icon that said "iPhoto Library" so I moved that icon to my external hard drive. On the hard drive, the icon turned into a blank document icon. I put my iMac's iPhoto library in the trash, reopened iPhoto, selected "choose library" and tried to choose the iPhoto library that was on the external hard drive, but it was grayed out, so I couldn't! I went through all these steps several times.
Also, just for curiosity's sake, I double clicked on the iPhoto library blank icon on the external hard drive. It said it needed an application to work with it, so I tried to choose iPhoto, but that wasn't working either.
I have iLife '08, by the way. The hard drive is a 250GB WD. Can anyone tell me how to do this?

What is the size of the resulting file on the external HD? Also how is the external HD formatted? If it's one of the FAT formats for PCs that may be the problem. Try copying that file back to your desktop and see if it will reconvert back to a library. If that's the case, reformat the HD to OS X Extended (journaled).
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Moving iPhoto library to external drive

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for