How to copy Photo Libraries on to external drive

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How to copy Photo Libraries on to external drive

I am trying to copy all of my photo libraries on to a new 20 TB external drive but keep getting the message below. . Permissions on the libraries and on the external drive are all read & write. Please advise me what I might be doing wrong?

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.3

Posted on Apr 20, 2025 12:42 PM

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Answer 1

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léonie

Level 10

203,991 points

Apr 20, 2025 2:51 PM in response to jakiefromut

Dis you prepare the external drive exactly as described here: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

Try to set the "Ignore ownership on this volume" flag for the external drive.
Use a wired connection - do not use a NAS.
The file system format should be MacOS Extended (Journaled) or APFS.
The volume with the Photos Library should not have been used for Time Machine backups or have any backup software installed.

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How to copy Photo Libraries on to external drive

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