Can I merge two Photo Librarys?
Can I merge two Photo Librarys? If not what is the best way to get the pictures from one library to another?
MacBook Pro 13″, OS X 10.11
Question marked as
Best reply
Photos has no tool to merge photo libraries. Apple recommends to export the photos from the smaller library and to import them into the larger library: Combine libraries in Photos - Apple Support
This will just move the photos between the library, but the albums and organisation will be lost, and you cannot transfer the edited versions paired with the originals. Use this method only, if you did not invest much work into organising your Photos Library.
The best method to merge two libraries is iCloud Photos. If you are already using iCloud Photos and your main library is already in iCloud, make your second library your iCloud Photos Library and the libraries will be merged in iCloud and download back to your second library as a merged library. Naturally, you will need sufficient paid cloud storage and a lot of patience - syncing a library with iCloud takes a long time.
The second best method is the app PowerPhotos. You will need the full, paid version however. PowerPhotos makes it easy to combine libraries. You will get the best results after upgrading to macOS 10.15.1 or newer. In earlier version of macOS X you cannot move the originals paired with the edited version, unless with iCloud Photos.
See this link for more details: Notes on Merging Photos Libraries, 2019 Version