Can't transfer Photos library to new mac, error that item with the name 'Photos Library' already exists

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Can't transfer Photos library to new mac, error that item with the name 'Photos Library' already exists

I have a new Mac, wasn't able to use Migration Assistant for the docs (the apps seems to have moved over), and now am trying to simply copy my Photos Library from an external hard drive (which is a clone of my old machine) over onto my new machine. However, each time when I am about 90% of the way through, I receive the error:

'The operation can't be completed because an item with the name "Photos Library" already exists'.

I still get this message even after deleting everything within the Photos folder on the new Mac (Users > myaccount > Pictures )

I can open the library while it is on the external drive by using Photos. However, I am looking to move the library onto the new MacBook Pro.

Any help would be appreciated!

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Aug 29, 2019 11:02 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

goshalotofquestions Author

Level 1

22 points

Sep 3, 2019 9:31 PM in response to Old Toad

Thanks!

So I tried something else I didn't expect to work. Instead of dragging the Photos Library directly from the external drive into the Pictures folder of my internal drive, I simply copied it over to my desktop to see if that would be successful.

After it copied over, I then decided to test dragging it from my desktop into the Pictures folder.

I have absolutely no clue why, but I did *not* receive an error message in doing this.

And now I can open the Photos Library just as I could on my old mac. Totally bizarre - I did nothing else...no restarts, etc.

I just did this, but it appears to be working. I'll keep using and crossing my fingers, but as of now that additional step somehow appears to have fixed the issue.

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Answer 2

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Aug 30, 2019 4:31 PM in response to goshalotofquestions

Hello goshalotofquestions and welcome to Apple Support Communities.

I see you're having some difficulties in moving a Photos library from an external drive to a new Mac.

While the process for moving a Photos library from a Mac to an external drive is pretty simple, going in the opposite direction can be a bit fraught. Your best bet will be to treat this like two libraries you are trying to merge. Doing this will require exporting the images from the library on the external drive and then importing them into the system-created library on the Mac. Keep in mind, that if any of the photos in the external library have been edited using the Photos app, you'll want to make sure to choose the option to export the edited versions and not the original ones.

You'll find step-by-step instructions for that process here:

Combine libraries in Photos - Apple Support

Cheers

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

210,389 points

Sep 3, 2019 12:24 PM in response to goshalotofquestions

I can open the library while it is on the external drive by using Photos.

How is that external drive formatted?

There is a way you could get the library from the EHD into a library on your new Mac with the paid version of PowerPhotos.

1 - connect the external HD to the new Mac.

2 - launch Photos with the Option key held down and create a new, empty library in the Pictures folder of your new Mac.

3 - launch PowerPhotos and add the two libraries to its sidebar.

4 - click on the Merge Libraries button:

5 - drag the empty library into the Destination Library window and the EHD library into the other window:

6 - select whether you want to merge only original photos or the edited photos. If you select edited the original version of any edited photos will not be copied over. (That's why I prefer to use originals as one can always reedit an image).

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Answer 4

Sep 2, 2019 7:33 PM in response to chris_g1

Thanks.

A follow-up..

If I do this, does it retain all of the information from the current library on the external drive in terms of time of each image, last files import, etc.?

I ask as I of course want to retain all the original file dates, but also have a number of files I have recently imported that I was looking to sort through, in order.

Separately, if it matters, I still have the Photos Library on the "old" Mac. However, I can't transfer it using Migration Assistant. Is there any way to do the transfer of the Photos Library directly from the old Mac without using the external drive (so to avoid the export/import process)?

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Can't transfer Photos library to new mac, error that item with the name 'Photos Library' already exists

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