When the migration assistant keeps failing part way through, is there anyway to move the photo library over manually like using air drop?

If you have an eternal HD you can connect to the old Mac, copy the library to it, connect it to the new Mac and copy the library to the Pictures folder in your user account.

If you don't have an EHD you can connect the two Mac with Target Disk Mode  and copy the library directly from the old Mac to the new one.

If you try exporting photos you'll lose all editing, organization efforts and added IPTC metadata, i.e. titles, keywords, descriptions, etc., from the old library.

Hey there rustyspark,

We understand there have been issues using Migration Assistant to transfer your data over from your old Mac to the new one and you want to see what can be done. We'll be happy to help.

To begin, we'd recommend double-checking the steps you're using for Migration Assistant to see if we can determine why it's failing. Check those out here: How to move your content to a new Mac

However, if you'd prefer transferring them manually, that's certainly an option too. You could use AirDrop, but it may be easier to export and import the entire library. Use the steps here: Combine libraries in Photos

If you have additional questions, reach out to an Apple Photo app expert here: Get Support

We hope this helps. Cheers!