Hi.
I have a 500Gb Photos library (my primary, iCloud, Photo library) on one Mac, but want to move it to another Mac, without downloading 500Gb of data again.
What's the correct procedure to do that?
Best,
Bjorn
Mac mini, macOS 14.2
I would copy the photoslibrary to a fast external drive (formatted as APFS), and use that to copy the library to the new Mac. A fast SSD will copy the 500GB in a few minutes. Don't try it with a Flash Drive-- it will take hours, but it may stall part way though.
The Library will be readable only on Macs running macOS 14 if, as you indicate, that's the OS of your current Mac. An older OS will not be able to read a new library. If you're trying to move the library to an older system, then iCloud syncing is the only way.
Bjorn, how do you want to use the 500GB library on your new Mac? Do you also want to use iCloud Photos on the new Mac? If you want to sync the new Mac with the same library as as your old Mac, it would be more economic to to simply create a new, empty Photos Library on the new mac, then turn on iCloud Photos and sync the new, empty library with iCloud Photos. Photos will then download the photos from iCloud to the new library.
If you copy the library to the new Mac, Photos will waste a lot of time by uploading the copy of the library into iCloud Photos and merging it into the existing library. You will need 500 GB of free cloud storage, before you can turn on iCloud Photos. And then a lot of patience. Downloading the library from iCloud to an empty library will be faster, because you will avoid the long upload and merging.
If you can connect the two Macs in Target Disk Mode you can copy it directly to the other Mac provided it has enough room to house it.
BjoernDirchsen wrote: And then... Just select the new copy as System Photo Library, and it will pick up and no f*k up all the photos? :)
Right-- turn off iCloud on the old Mac, and make sure that the new library has the same name and same Apple ID.
I often turn off iCloud for my regular library so that I can make another Library my System Library (but not iCloud) while I make adjustments. Then I switch back to the regular Library, again make it my System Library, and turn on iCloud, all with no problems. iCloud should just think your computer got disconnected for awhile.
Old Toad wrote: If you can connect the two Macs in Target Disk Mode
That's great, OT-- I haven't done that since Firewire days! It should be very fast.
Ok. Thats also what I thought I would do.
And then... Just select the new copy as System Photo Library, and it will pick up and no f*k up all the photos? :)
Br, Bjorn
How to move 500Gb Photos Library to another mac
