Can I install iMovie on an external drive and save all the files to it?
Mac mini, macOS 10.15
Do not move iMovie.
Keep iMovie on your Mac but by all means put your Libraries on the new hard drive.
With iMovie open, select File>Library>New and this window will open where you can specify your external hard drive as the destination.
As you can see, my hard drive is called "FCP X EDIT".
If you want to move your existing Library there, simply copy it by dragging and dropping it.
Double-click the moved Library on your external drive to open it.
PS IT's a good idea to close iMovie before you move the Library.
Thank you so much Ian, my reason for this is that my grandson has his own account on my MacMini, the fact that he has many movie files means that I have so little space on the HD that I don’t have enough room to install Big Sur. would you agree that I should transfer his files to an external drive to solve the problem?
I really appreciate your advice, thank you.
You could copy the Library to the hard drive and then put the original Library, which by default will be in the Movies folder, into the trash.
DO NOT DELETE THE TRASH at this moment.
Check that the transferred Library is working.
If it works OK it should be safe to delete the trash to free up space.
Do you actually need to keep the old Library and Projects? Usually the project is exported (shared) as a video and the Project is deleted.
The only reason for keeping old projects is if there is a chance you will want to re-edit them in the future.
These are things that only you can decide.
Ian you are a star, thank you very much for your clear information, I value that and the previous advice you gave to me.
stay safe and clear of the virus.
Michael R K
[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]
Just specify your hard drive as I showed above and everything you do (Libraries, Projects, Imports etc.) will automatically be put there.
Thank you for your prompt reply, exactly how do I save to files on the external drive please?
thank you.
Thank you so much, what an expert!
kind regards,
crikeymikey@icloud.com
can someone help me please? I would like to save all my iMovie files on an external drive, can I also install the iMovie app on the same drive too? thank you, Michael K
