RGardens

Q: How can I make sure my iPhoto has been backed up to Time Machine

I just backed up my MacBook to TM. But when I open up my external hard drive to find the most recent iPhotos, I don't see them.

I go to MacBook-Users-My name-Photos and not half of them are there.

Any advice? Thanks.

 

I know I have enough space on my drive and my software is up to date.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2010)

Posted on Dec 21, 2014 4:53 PM

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Q: How can I make sure my iPhoto has been backed up to Time Machine

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  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Dec 21, 2014 5:27 PM in response to RGardens
    Level 10 (84,540 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 21, 2014 5:27 PM in response to RGardens

    A few things

     

    1 - it has been reported that TM does not backup the iPhoto library if iPhoto is running so do not leave iphoto running

     

    2 - I believe that TM only backups laptops while they are plugged in (no while they are on battery) so plug in and force a backup - and you should always having TM running - it works best when it can make hourly backups

     

    3 - Where is your iPhoto library located?

     

    4 - the TM backup is not designed for direct access - You have to use TimeMachine to restore files to have them complete

     

    This is not an iPhoto question - it is a TM question so this is not the best place for detailed TM questions  - ask in the forum for your version of the OS or see the TM FAQs for some assistance - http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

     

    LN

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Dec 22, 2014 11:14 AM in response to RGardens
    Level 10 (106,799 points)
    iLife
    Dec 22, 2014 11:14 AM in response to RGardens

    Here is an Apple Support document on restoring your iPhoto Library from Time Machine:

     

    iPhoto '11: Restoring from Time Machine with iPhoto '11 (9.2 or later) and OS X Lion 10.7.2 (or later) - Apple Support

     

    Larry already summarized most of the issues, but note this paragraph:  iPhoto no longer supports browsing Time Machine backups:

    When using iPhoto ’11 (version 9.2 or later) and Time Machine with OS X Lion 10.7.2 (or later), iPhoto no longer has the Browse Backups option. This means that instead of restoring specific photos within your iPhoto Library, you must restore your entire iPhoto Library.

    And this is critical:

     

    • Time Machine canʼt do a full iPhoto Library backup when iPhoto is open. To ensure that Time Machine does a complete backup of your library, periodically quit iPhoto before backing up.

    It is important that you quit iPhoto before doing the first backup of an iPhoto Library, because you will need a full backup of the library. Later it will suffice to quit iPhoto occasionally, before Time Machine starts. You will not want to do a full backup of your iphoto library, every time Time Machine is running.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Dec 22, 2014 11:45 AM in response to RGardens
    Level 10 (84,540 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 22, 2014 11:45 AM in response to RGardens

    Personally I prefer to not leave iphoto running - it does seem to interfere with TM backups of the library and if the Mac crashes form some other cause it can damage the iphoto library during a crash - so for me it is best to only launch iphoto when I want to use it

     

    LN