I have just got a new iMac. That means I need to move my photos and music from my old iMac to an external hard drive so that I can run them from there. How do I do it? I have a very big music library and loads of photos and my iCloud has run out of space. So I need to copy the libraries, and run them from a hard drive. Any help? Looked at loads of things that don't seem to help me much....
Drag-copy them, launch iTunes, Music, iPhoto, or Photos as applicable with the Option key held down, and choose that instance of them.
An iPhoto or Photos library needs to be stored on a volume formatted as Mac OS Extended(also known as HFS+) or APFS.
(255298)
Drag-copy them, launch iTunes, Music, iPhoto, or Photos as applicable with the Option key held down, and choose that instance of them.
An iPhoto or Photos library needs to be stored on a volume formatted as Mac OS Extended(also known as HFS+) or APFS.
(255298)
Apple explains how to do it for your Photos library in the link below, the process is the same for your music library.
Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac
IF you bought an iMac with less storage than the Mac you are replacing then this is VERY VERY unwise. While you can you should return the new Mac and purchase one with adequate storage. Then to migrate follow the information below!
· Always connect your old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk prior to startup, this will allow a migration from your TM backup and it will be dead simple! When you start the new Mac for the first time it will startup Setup Assistant (SA), SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another computer, select Yes and follow the on-screen prompts and it's done! It is that simple! This is the easiest, quickest and most reliable method to migrate from the old Mac to the new Mac is to simply connect the old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk to the new Mac using a USB cable before you turn on the new Mac.
· NOTE 1: You will likely need a USB A to USB C adapter, you can find them on Amazon for $10 or less.
· NOTE 2: If you have already done SA on the new computer then simply connect the Time Machine External Hard Disk using a USB cable and launch Migration Assistant (MA) which is located in Applications - Utilities - MA. Then follow the on-screen prompts.
· The ONLY difference between MA and SA is MA will create a new user account that you need to log into.
Both SA and MA migrate applications (not 32 bit apps), data files & settings. They do not migrate Mac OS itself. Some professional apps such as Adobe and Microsoft apps may require re-installing their apps as they will not allow them to be migrated. As long as you kept the security keys for installing their apps, it is not an issue.
Finally, never EVER use Wi-Fi when doing Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant. Why, it simply fails in most cases. Please read and follow the directions in Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant. If you do not have a Time Machine backup of the older Mac then create one! If you are not aware of Time Machine, please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine and finally if you need an External Hard Disk to use as a Time Machine External Hard Disk then many experience users on these forums prefer the OWC Mercury Elite Pro due to it's reasonable price, high level of quality and ease of use.
Moving libraries to external hard drives
