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I want to clean up Mac storage and move my iMovies, events, projects that are completed to an external drive. I created a library on the external drive but can't find information on how to move everything to the new external library.
Help?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.1
Hi, Carol780,
To copy events to a new library, open the current library and the new library. Then select the events in the iMovie side bar listed under the name of your current library. Do a File/Copy Events to Library _____.
To copy projects to a new library, again open both libraries and go to the projects browser of your current library where your projects are displayed as icons. Select a project and move your cursor over the title to make a little circle with dots appear to the the right of the title. Click on the circle and a drop down menu will give you the option to Copy the project to your new library. Before copying the project do a File/Consolidate Project media to make sure that all the media that the project is using will be consolidated into the project and will be copied over to the new library.
Best to first copy the projects and events rather than move them. If everything works O.K. and functions properly then you can delete the projects and events from your current library to free up space. Be aware, however, that deleting an event will delete the media that it contains and make that media unavailable to all projects in the library that might be using the event's media.
Moving projects does not free up much space because projects do not contain any original media but hold only small sized editing thumbnails that refer to the original media. But you don't want to move and delete just the events because then you would disable all projects that use the media in those events.
The drive that contains your new library must be formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS in order to store a library on it. Any other formats could result in a loss of data. If you need to reformat, be aware that reformatting erases all data on the drive, so first back up any data that you want to keep.
For safety, you should have two external drives, with a copy of the library in each so that you have a backup. Drives can go south and then you will lose your iMovie library unless you have it backed up.
-- Rich
Hi, Carol780,
To copy events to a new library, open the current library and the new library. Then select the events in the iMovie side bar listed under the name of your current library. Do a File/Copy Events to Library _____.
To copy projects to a new library, again open both libraries and go to the projects browser of your current library where your projects are displayed as icons. Select a project and move your cursor over the title to make a little circle with dots appear to the the right of the title. Click on the circle and a drop down menu will give you the option to Copy the project to your new library. Before copying the project do a File/Consolidate Project media to make sure that all the media that the project is using will be consolidated into the project and will be copied over to the new library.
Best to first copy the projects and events rather than move them. If everything works O.K. and functions properly then you can delete the projects and events from your current library to free up space. Be aware, however, that deleting an event will delete the media that it contains and make that media unavailable to all projects in the library that might be using the event's media.
Moving projects does not free up much space because projects do not contain any original media but hold only small sized editing thumbnails that refer to the original media. But you don't want to move and delete just the events because then you would disable all projects that use the media in those events.
The drive that contains your new library must be formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS in order to store a library on it. Any other formats could result in a loss of data. If you need to reformat, be aware that reformatting erases all data on the drive, so first back up any data that you want to keep.
For safety, you should have two external drives, with a copy of the library in each so that you have a backup. Drives can go south and then you will lose your iMovie library unless you have it backed up.
-- Rich
Thank you!
You are welcome. 😋
-- Rich
HOw to move events to a new library
