Trying move iPhoto library, won't copy to new home

So I'm trying to move my iPhoto library from a newer MacBook Pro to an older Macbook, where there is more space for it, using an external hard drive.
When I try to copy the library from the hard drive to the Macbook, I get a 'not enough space' error, even though there is more than enough space on that Macbook.
From reading up in this forum I thought it might be a permissions issue. This seems to be confirmed bc now when I open iPhoto on the Macbook, I get an error saying 'Unable to write to library "iPhoto Library". Check you have permission to write to the library directory.'. (This didn't happen the first time I opened the library on the MacBook, which I did once the original copy request didn't work.)
When looking at the permissions under 'Get Info' it had my user profile on the MacBook as being able to read and write, and 'staff' and 'everyone' as read only. When I tried to change the permissions to read and write for 'everyone', I got an 'unexpected error has occured' BUT now it is showing that 'everyone' has read and write access.
I just want to have my iPhoto library (which is large, approx. 192 GB) on the MacBook and be able to use it the same way I was using it where it was before. Was I supposed to do something to the permissions before I moved the library onto the external hard drive from the MacBook Pro? Is there something I can do to get the library onto my Macbook despite the 'not enough space' error and resolve the permissions issue?
The external hard drive is formatted as Mac OS extended (journaled) and so is the MacBook's hard drive. I've tried the rebuild etc feature in iPhoto but it won't work because iPhoto says I don't have permission. I've also tried deleting the iPhotolock.data file as suggested in some similar questions in this community, but that didn't help, and tried to rebuild the library using iPhoto Library Manager, but that doesn't work because it can't open the iPhoto library due to the permissions error.
I've backed up both machines (2013 MacBook Pro which was the iPhoto library's original home, and an older MacBook (circa 2009) to which I'm trying to move the library) using Time Machine so they reflect the machines prior to moving the iPhoto library off the MacBook Pro). Both are running Mavericks and iPhoto 11.
Thanks in advance.

Here are two pages from the top Time Machine site out there about what you're seeing:
Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions 30. What are Local Snapshots?
OSX Tips Where did my Disk Space go?
Ask in the system forum as Terence suggested how to remove the local snapshots.
OT

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IPhoto Library won't copy

HI
i have my iPhoto Library and all my photos on an external Passport drive and iPhtoo is working fine. However, I want to move to a wireless drI've with more space.
I am trying to move my iPhoto Library back to my MacBook Pro but each time I try to move it, it says that the file already exists in the folder that I'm moving it to. It doesn't exist there so I cant figure this out. It takes about 2 hours each time and when it gets to about 10 minutes left, it throws the error

DOn't put an iPhoto Library on a wireless connection. 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.
When you get copying issues like this a useful workaround is to use an app to "back up" the library to the new location, as this will usually deal with the issues for you. The best I've used for the job is chronosync.
http://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/overview.html
The free trial will do the job for you.

How to move iPhoto Library without making copy

I just updated to the new 10.10.3 and the new iPhoto came along with it. When I try to open my iPhoto library it won't let me and gives me an error message. This link show me how to handle it https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204484.
Here is the problem I'm running into. My hard drive is 1 TB total, I'm using 800 Gigs of that and of that 800 Gigs 450 gigs is my old iPhoto library. The solution I'm being given is this:
1. Open the Terminal app.
2. Type the following command and press Return. Substitute the name of your user account for your_username.
sudo chown -R your_username /Users/your_username/Pictures
3. When prompted, type your OS X user account password and press Return.
4. Type the following command and press Return. Substitute the name of your user account for your_username.
sudo chmod -R 700 /Users/your_username/Pictures
5. Quit Photos, then hold down the Option key and open Photos.
6. When Photos asks you to choose a library, try to migrate the library again.
My iPhoto library is stored on my "Macintosh HD" drive and not under a user. When I try to move the iPhoto library it says I don't have enough storage space to make a copy of the file, as its 450 gigs and I don't have a free 450 Gigs on my HD.
Does anyone know how to handle this?

First: verify that iphoto is the same version or later version on the iMac, compared to the Macbook Pro. It must be the same version or a later version.
Second: in your Pictures folder on the iMac, rename the existing "iPhoto Library" to something like "iPhoto Library_old", so you have a copy in case something goes wrong.
Third: copy the iPhoto Library file (it's actually a package file, which is like a folder) from Pictures folder on the Macbook Pro to the Pictures folder on the iMac. You can do this easiest via a USB drive that has enough space to hold this file, moving it from one machine to the other. [You can also do it directly if both machines are on the network.]
Fourth: start iPhoto on the iMac, it should open the newly copied over iPhoto pictures that are in the iPhoto Library that you just copied to the iMac. If the iMac has a later version of iPhoto, it will indicate that it needs to convert the library to a new format, you should agree to let it proceed with that. If you have many pictures, it might take a while, minutes to even hours.
Fifth: don't delete the iPhoto Library on the Macbook Pro until you have verified that iPhoto is accessing all the photos and events in the iMac. Make sure the number of photos is correct.

How to move iPhoto Library from MacBookPro (Leopard) to new iMac (Mavericks)

Hi,
I've just purchased a new iMac and want to move my iPhoto Library from my older (2008) MacbookPro. Have looked it up and tried to do so, by copying the iPhotoLibrary file from the old machine to the new, and starting iPhoto with option key down & pointing to the new library. When that didnt work, I tried booting with the option & command down, and attempted to Repair, and then to Rebuild the Library.
In all cases, iPhoto opens, but doesnt see any photos in the iPhoto Library. The iPhoto Library works fine on the old macbook pro.
What shall I do?
Thanks
Tom

Ok I know it's been awhile but I finally was able to try your suggestion.
I downloaded iPhoto Library Manager on my macbook pro, connected my macbook pro to my new iMac and did a Rebuild Library from the existing library on the macbook pro, setting it up to save to my new iMac.
It began to do the rebuild (though there were many "unreadable files") and went through the operation, which looked like it was going to take several hours to complete.
But at a certain point (after an hour or so), the macbook pro complained that I dont have enough space on my startup disk!!
So I can only guess that the rebuild must have done something to the original iPhoto Library after all (even though the settings on my iPhoto are to NOT copy files to Library on import if that matters...). The Library is 32 Gb though I dont remember what it's size was before...
Sure enough, my starup Macintosh HD now has only 1GB space on it. Yikes!
I stopped the rebuild process.
Not sure if I need to now just trash the original library to make space on my HD (of course I can save it elsewhere in case its useful), but since the rebuild didnt even get halfway through its process, the rebult library on the new iMac isnt going to do me any good. Maybe I've just lost all the years of work I've done organizing my library. Maybe I just need to start over with new kind of software (or using iPhoto start again from scratch on the new iMac).
What do you think happened? I thought the rebuild wouldnt affect the original library.
Tom

IPhoto library will not copy to new mac

I am trying to move my iPhoto library from my hard drive backup (time machine) to my new MacBook Pro.
I open a finder window for my new macs pictures folder and one for the hard drive.
I delete the new library and then drag the back up library to its place..
The file copy window pops up shortly but no transfer takes place before it closes and an icon appears, it does not look like a library icon, more like an empty sheet..
when I open Iphoto no photos are there...
Why can't I copy my library?? It shows a 7.5 GB size and I did not get any warnings that the backup had a problem after backing up.. I'm lost....

To move an iPhoto library you must have a complete operating iPhoto library - if you have one on your old computer then Connect the two Macs together (network, firewire target mode, etc) and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity from the old Mac to the pictures folder of the new Mac - launch iPhoto on the new mac and it will open the library and convert it as needed and you will be ready move forward.
If you do not have a good complete operating library then restore it to the old system, test it and drag it across
LN

How to move iPhoto Library from external drive to new mac?

I have exported a copy of my iPhoto Library from my old mac to an external hard drive. How can I import entire library into iPhoto of new mac? When I click Import to Library, I'm unable to highlight iPhoto Library file listed on my external hard drive in Finder. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Is the iPhoto library on the new computer empty? If it is, quit iPhoto and just drag the iPhoto library on the New Computer to the trash and drag the iPhoto library from the EHD to the pictures folder on the new computer - there is no importing involved - you NEVER want to import an iPhoto library into another iPhoto Library
If you want to run the new computer with the iPhoto library on the external drive simply launch i{Photo while depressing the option (alt) key and use the select library to point to the EHD
LN

HT4527 I am trying to move my library and playlists to a new computer by burning to CD's. However, I followed the directions by going to File and then Library - then they said to go to burn CD(s) - I DO NOT have that option for some reason. How do I do th

I am trying to move my library and playlists to a new computer by burning to CD's. However, I followed the directions by going to File and then Library - then they said to go to burn CD(s) - I DO NOT have that option for some reason. How do I do this? I have done the library sharing thing but I am getting rid of my primary computer and am afraid I will lose the library.

To move an iPhoto Library to a new machine:
Link the two Macs together: there are several ways to do this: Wireless Network,Firewire Target Disk Mode, Ethernet, or even just copy the Library to an external HD and then on to the new machine...
But however you do choose to link the two machines...
Simply copy the iPhoto Library from the Pictures Folder on the old Machine to the Pictures Folder on the new Machine.
Then hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
and select the Library that you moved. That's it.
This moves photos, events, albums, books, keywords, slideshows and everything else.
Your first option didn't work because you imported one Library to another. Every version and thumbnail is imported like a distinct photo, you lose all your Albums, Keywords etc., the link between Original and Previews is destroyed, the non-destructive editing feature is ruined and so on. In summary: it's mess.
Your second option didn't work because you simply referenced her library on the old machine.
Regards
TD

IPhoto Library Won't Load After 10.4.10 Combo Update (PPC)

After updating to 10.4.10 on a G4 desktop the iPhoto library will no longer load. Tried several times to rebuilt it and program quits unexpectedly just as it finishes rebuild. Ran repair disk permissions from HD and Repair Disk from DVD and re-installed 10.4.9, but problem remains. Had some trouble importing the last few photos (downloaded from an e-mail) before this problem occured (possible it is not related to 10.4.10 upgrade?). Been everywhere looking for a way to solve this, but to no avail. Any suggestions?

Hi, redwood. You had trouble with the emailed photos because they had been compressed by the sender using Stuffit (that's what the .sit suffix indicates), and you didn't unStuff them before importing them. I'm surprised that iPhoto was even willing to try to import them. It certainly couldn't have displayed them in that form.
If you then trashed them and emptied the trash *within iPhoto*, I'm not sure why they should have continued to cause you trouble — but since I don't understand how they could have been imported in the first place, I wouldn't really expect to understand all the consequences.
If, instead, you trashed them from within the iPhoto Library folder using the Finder, doing so corrupted your iPhoto Library database and necessitated a rebuild — which ordinarily produces better results than it apparently did in your case. Perhaps there were files left in the iPhoto Library folder that still referenced the files you deleted, and iPhoto didn't know how to handle references to files that weren't in an image format.
Setting aside what we don't understand and may never understand, I suggest that you leave your present defective iPhoto Library just as it is for the moment, and try to determine whether the backup copy is usable. (Good for you for having one, by the way!):
Connect or insert the drive or disc that contains the backup iPhoto Library folder. Start iPhoto while holding down the Option key, and continue to hold it down until you're asked whether you want to Create or Find a library. Choose Find, then navigate to the backup Library folder and click Open. If it opens normally and everything seems to be in order in it, simply replace the bad library folder inside your account's Pictures folder with a copy of the backup library folder, and you're back in business. It if doesn't open correctly, post back with details of what happened.
Note that the only way to make a successful backup copy of your iPhoto Library is to copy the entire iPhoto Library folder *as a unit* to another storage volume (a volume is a hard drive, a partition on a hard drive that contains more than one partition, a CD, DVD, flash drive, or other storage medium). If your backup wasn't made this way, it won't be usable.
EDIT: Well, I was busily churning out my long reply while you were solving the problem. I'm glad it turned out well.

How do I move iPhoto library to a wireless, remote HD?

How do I move iPhoto library to a wireless, remote HD?

Same as any HD.
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.
But Note: 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.
Regards
TD

HT1229 How to move iPhoto Library to a NAS backup?

How do I move iPhoto Library, which is now stored on a separate backup hard drive, to a new LaCie 2Big NAS backup? My iPhoto library is large, 73GB, and I have kept it on a separate 250GB backup up hard drive connected directly to my iMac; the iPhoto Library is not in my Pictures folders, as is usual. The 250GB is full, and I now want to store the iPhoto Library on a new LaCie 2Big NAS backup hard drive.
I assume I could move the Library back to Pictures folder on the iMac, so that the Library is stored on my iMac, and then it would be backed up on LaCie, but I would rather not take up all that space on the iMac. How do I store it on the LaCie? Usually to move iPhoto Library, you locate it, and then drag to new location. The LaCie does appear in my Finder. Should I drag and drop it?
I asked LaCie support, and they said the following:
If you do intend to place data on the share that needs to be accessed directly by an application on your computer (such as iTunes or iPhoto), however, then you might want to check with support for the software application itself for advice on the best way to accomplish this. It is important that such an application is able to locate the files once you relocate them to the NAS drive, or else the program will not function properly.
I want to access the Library through iPhoto. The LaCie is not connected directly to iMac, but instead connected via ethernet to my Airport Extreme.
Suggestions?
Thanks,
Armando

I experienced the same frustration when i bought my Iomega NAS (which I do not recommed by the way).
I wanted my iPhoto library to be stored on it, thats the main reason i bought it.
But as you have discovered the library connot be stored on a non Mac formatted disc.
So I began to store my photos in a logical folder structure (based on events) on the NAS and access that folder structure from some other software (Adobe bridge).
The PC users in my household could therefore also access this folder stucture and view all the photos. Bonus.
I wasn't satisfied though. I wanted to use iPhoto. Location, Faces, Events, simple editing, etc.
So I created a new iPhoto library on my Mac and then went to iPhoto preferences / Advanced and UNTICKED the 'Copy items to the iPhoto Library'. This creates what I think is called a reference library. This kind of library has some pros and cons but for me it is all pros.
Then simply drag your file structure from your nas into iPhoto and voila. All your photos and any home movies are added to iPhoto but accessed from the NAS.
I continue to add new photos into the event based file structure on the NAS and then drag the new folder across to iPhoto.
This also has the added benifit in that you don't need iPhoto to view the photos (PC users)
This method works perfectly for me. Enabling me to use iPhoto AND my NAS.
Hope this helps.

IPhoto library won't sync with iTunes

I recently bought an Apple TV and when I went to sync my iPhoto pictures (via the Photos tab in iTunes) no albums appeared in the box beneath. When I tried to sync anyway, the following message apeared: "iTunes cannot sync photos to Apple TV because your iPhoto library could not be found. Open iPhoto to create or update your iPhoto library." Further research showed the same problem with syncing iPhoto to my iPod. Again, iTunes was not "seeing" my iPhoto library for this device either.
I have read numerous posts about this issue and they all point to problems in the existing iPhoto library, however this is not true in my case for two reasons: 1) Creating a brand new iPhoto library from scratch (as was suggested in some posts) does nothing to solve the problem. That new library can't be "seen" by iTunes either. 2) When I transferred my existing iPhoto library to another computer, that new computer's itunes had no trouble "seeing" it. I can therefor only assume it has something to do with the iPhoto program itself, though reinstalling iLife didn't solve the problem.
Any help would be much apprectiated. Oh and Im using an iMac G5 Power PC with iLife 6 and all software is up to date.

It still sounds like a problem in the albumdata.xml file. Dave E described what that file should look like and how to read it to identify a bad iPhoto keyword. Read his instructions in this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3870956&#3870956
If you do find a bad keyword by reading the XML file, you have to go into iPhoto's preferences to correct the keyword list. You can either edit or delete the one causing the problem. One user had an empty keyword that caused this problem, and the only way to find it was through the XML file. Once it was deleted, iPhoto was accessible from the other applications.

Library won't copy to external HD.

Library won't copy to my external hard drive, and current library on external HD has disappeared t be replaced by a folder that says "Itunes" -> "Itunes Media" -> "Music" -> nothing. I've always opened my external HD on one half of the screen, and iTunes on the other half, and dragged my music from iTunes to my HD. Now that doesn't work. How can I get my music onto my external HD?

What does this have to do with iTunes?
If the external drive is not being detected by the computer, address that issue.

How to move music library from old pc to new Mac air

How to move music library from old pc to new Mac air

Here's an Apple article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527?viewlocale=en_US

What is the Best way to move my library from old PC to new PC?

what is the Best way to move my library from old PC to new PC?

See this migrate iTunes library post.
tt2

I was trying to move iphoto library to my external hardrive, realised it was incompatible with Mac. The iphoto will not open now, message is "Iphoto library is either in use by another application or has become unreadable". I have read other posts.

Hi,
I was trying to save a copy of my iphoto library by copying images to my external harddrive. I wasn't sure how to do it, realised the hard drive is not compatible. Now the iphoto library wont open and reads "iphoto library is either in use by another application or has become unreadable".
I have tried to use options command and click on iphoto then rebuild yet nothing happens and same error message occurs.
I have gone to my personal drive, desktop, iphoto library, and found file Albumdata.xml and when i click on it, there is a lot of text in it, i am assuming these are all my photos.
I have tried clicking and dragging this file to iphoto app and it doesn't work, as the same error comes up in iphoto being in use or unreadable....
What am I meant to do with albumdata.xml file and how do I reopen Iphoto from here on in?
Please help as I am not technically minded and still trying to understand how to use the Macbook at all as I am used to Microsoft.
Thank you very much,
KS

Rule Number One - NEVER go directly uinto the iPhoto library - there are no user servicable parts in it and making any change no matter how small can corrupt your library and cause data or photo loss
Exactly how were you trying to save a copy of your iPhoto library?
Albumdata.xml does not contain your photos - and again NEVER make any changes to the content of the iPhoto library - no dragging - no changes - never go into the library
We need to know exactly what you did
And probalby the easiest solution is to load your backup from before you messed things up
For reference after you get things working
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

Trying move iPhoto library, won't copy to new home

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