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transferring photos ibrary

I need to transfer my entire Photos library from my iMac to my new MacBook. I can't seem to locate the library. It needs to look identical on the MacBook.. Advice please.

Posted on Jan 8, 2020 7:00 PM

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5 replies

Jan 11, 2020 6:43 PM in response to JG Here

Hi JG Here,


It sounds like you need help with your Photos library, and I want to help.


Which version of macOS are you using on each Mac?


If you would like your libraries to be identical on both it might be a great option for you to setup and use iCloud Photos:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support


With Photos syncing, every change made on one device will occur on any device logged into your Apple ID and using iCloud Photos.


If you'd prefer to move the photo library manually, you can use these steps to locate the library file to copy:


  • Open Finder > Users > [username] > Pictures > Photos Library
  • Copy this file to your new Mac.
  • If you're using an external drive to facilitate the transfer, take a look at the steps 1-4 in the section titled "Move your Photos library to an external storage device" here: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac
  • Once you've copied the library file to your MacBook use these steps to designate the copied library as the System Photo Library: Designate a System Photo Library in Photos


If you want to transfer all your content over, you might use Migration Assistant instead:

How to move your content to a new Mac - Apple Support


Good luck!


Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

Jan 11, 2020 7:52 PM in response to Rigo_O86

Thanks for the help but I finally got it. I wasn't able to simply replace the photos library file with the new one because the OS version on the MacBook was one behind current. I did the system update and then all I had to do was replace that file, and all my photos were there. Now if I could only sync them to my iPhone... That's an ongoing problem with no solution yet. I don't use iCloud Photos because I manually sync to my phone. Can't do that with iCloud photos on.

Jan 12, 2020 4:01 PM in response to JG Here

I don't use iCloud Photos because I manually sync to my phone. Can't do that with iCloud photos on.

iCloud Photos is perfect to keep the Macs in sync, even if the system versions on the Macs are different. And you can use iCloud Photos on your Macs and still sync the iPhone manually; just keep iCloud Photos disabled on the iPhone.


transferring photos ibrary

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