You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: kzed99
kzed99 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Setting up a new Mac mini - migrating photos from an external drive

All the data used in Photos on my current Mac are on an external drive. (No photos except old iPhoto images are on the old iMac.) How do I ensure that the photos on the external drive are migrated to the new Mac mini and directly usable by Photos? I’m concerned that if I just do a straight “automatic” migration the new mini will replicate how the old iMac handled Photos (i.e. without any photos stored on the computer) and won’t pull in the data from the external drive. On the advice of an Apple specialist online some years ago, we moved all the photos to an external drive because there were permissions issues between accounts on the old iMac. We’d like to go back to having Photos store all the photos on the computer, with only backups on external drives. Any advice?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Sep 12, 2022 7:58 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: TonyCollinet
TonyCollinet
User level: Level 7
23,954 points

Posted on Sep 12, 2022 9:25 AM

Ok - this is pretty straightforward.


First - are all the original photos in the library on the external drive (if you were using iCloud then optimise storage was not on)


If that is the case, then simply drag the whole library from the external drive into your pictures folder (I assume you now have the space for this - and bear in mind, the same sharing issues will exist : you can't share a library on the internal drive between two accounts)


Keep the library on the external drive as a backup until converted on the mini and you've verified that everything is there and editable.


Once it is in the pictures folder, open it (hold down the option key while starting photos and select it/navigate to it). Photos will then convert it for use with the version on your new mac. Once open, go to photos preferences and click the "use as system library" button.

View in context

Similar questions

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: TonyCollinet
TonyCollinet
User level: Level 7
23,954 points

Sep 12, 2022 9:25 AM in response to kzed99

Ok - this is pretty straightforward.


First - are all the original photos in the library on the external drive (if you were using iCloud then optimise storage was not on)


If that is the case, then simply drag the whole library from the external drive into your pictures folder (I assume you now have the space for this - and bear in mind, the same sharing issues will exist : you can't share a library on the internal drive between two accounts)


Keep the library on the external drive as a backup until converted on the mini and you've verified that everything is there and editable.


Once it is in the pictures folder, open it (hold down the option key while starting photos and select it/navigate to it). Photos will then convert it for use with the version on your new mac. Once open, go to photos preferences and click the "use as system library" button.

Reply

Setting up a new Mac mini - migrating photos from an external drive

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up