Each time I want to update the photo library on external HD (for a few added new photos), it starts to copying the whole library for 2 hours all over again. Is there an easy way to add only the new few photos to the existing library in external HD?

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Level 1

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Each time I want to update the photo library on external HD (for a few added new photos), it starts to copying the whole library for 2 hours all over again. Is there an easy way to add only the new few photos to the existing library in external HD?

In Macbook Air - Photo Library, there is 100GB albums and photos. I keep adding new albums and/or photos every week. Once in a while i want to update the already existing Photo Library on the external HD. However i can only manage that by copying the whole album once again instead of copying just the new ones. Is there a way for the system to work as going through the album and finding the new ones only (skip the already existing ones) and asking me to copy those only. There should be an easier way for Updating a backup. Thank you for the assistance.. (Ventura 13.4.1)

MacBook Air 13″

Posted on Aug 27, 2023 2:14 AM

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Answer 1

★ Helpful

léonie

Level 10

193,401 points

Aug 27, 2023 2:41 AM in response to cagla50

Which system version do you have installed?

On macOS 10.12 Monterey and macOS 13 Ventura you can import new items from your library on your internal Photos Library into the existing archive library, by importing the Library. See: Import photos from another library in Photos on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

However, it will take a long time, when you are importing from a large library. Photos will scan the library to be imported, compare the photos to the items in the archive library, then (perhaps hours later) will show a list of new items to be imported to the archive. The larger the source library is, the longer you will have to wait for the comparison of the two libraries to finish.

Importing from your system library is only possible, if you are not using iCloud Photos. The import will save the media (photos and videos), with all adjustments applied, plus the original versions, stacked as one phot, so you can revert all adjustments individually. That is a great new feature. But the albums and folders will not be imported, only the media items.

If the internal library and the archive are both kept identical, you could use cloning software to update the archive incrementally, for example Carbon Copy Cloner, or similar.

I am using Power Photos to merge the new photos and videos into my archive library. It is a bit faster than Apple's importing from libraries, and it will also import the albums and folders.

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Answer 2

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Old Toad

Level 10

205,094 points

Aug 27, 2023 10:09 AM in response to cagla50

One way to update the library on the EHD is to use a syncing app that does incremental backups. Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper are two. They will copy only those files in the source library that have been added, modified or removed (removed from the destination library). It only takes seconds to update a 35 GB library of 7500 photos and 160 videos.

I use CCC and it allows me to program it to backup on a set schedule, hourly, a couple times a day, daily, weekly or whatever. It's very versatile.

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