So the default location for the Photos library is: ~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary.
I'm using a solid state drive that doesn't have much space. Any idea how I can change this library location to a different hard drive?
iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)
Same as with iPhoto or Aperture:
Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
1. Quit the app
2. Copy the Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching Photos. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
Regards
TD
How to use an SSD with your HDD If you are going to use an SSD as a boot drive together with your existing HDD as the "data" drive, here's what you can do. After installing the SSD you will need to partition and format the SSD using Disk Utility. Then, install OS X on the SSD. After OS X has been installed boot from the SSD. Use Startup Disk preferences to set the SSD as the startup volume. Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and authenticate. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on your user account listing in the sidebar and select Advanced Options from the context menu. You will see a field labeled "Home dir:" At the right end you will see a Change button. Click on it. In the file dialog locate the Home folder now located on the HDD (HDD/Users/account_name/.) Select the folder, click on Open button. Restart the computer as directed. When the computer boots up it will now be using the Home folder located on the HDD. Another more technical method involving the Terminal and aliases is discussed in depth here: Using OS X with an SSD plus HDD setup - Matt Gemmell. This is my preferred approach because I can select which of the Home's folders I want on the HDD and which I don't want. For example, I like to keep the Documents and Library folders on the SSD because I access their content frequently. Be sure you retain the fully bootable system on your HDD in case you ever need it. |
EDIT: Oh, thank you both for the quick replies. They came in as I was adding this one. 🙂
As an alternative (since I'm just getting started) I created a new one by holding down 'option' and opening Photos and then creating a new one in the desired location.
I'd still like to know how to move an existing one if anyone figures that out.
A followup - same issue - however I can only share iCloud streams from the *default system* library... so if I want to use my external library, I can no longer access any cloud photo streams.... this ***** unless someone can give me a workaround.
I can certainly open the library on the external drive... and I can access photostream from the *default* library, but I can't do both at the same time. I tried removing the directory and making a soft link to the external library, but that seemed to muddy the water even further.
HELP!
Not sure what your question is there, but it's never been possible to open more than one library at a time in iPhoto or Aperture either.
A followup - same issue - however I can only share iCloud streams from the *default system* library... so if I want to use my external library, I can no longer access any cloud photo streams.... this ***** unless someone can give me a workaround.
You can designate any library as the System Library. The setting is in the Photos Preferences.
If you want the Photo Stream to import to the library on the external drive, make that library the System Library.
Do you know if there will be a problem with iCloud photo library when you move the library file? Do I need to upload again, or will the link between the local library and iCloud library still work?
Hi, I was also having to move my system photos library to a new location (from SSD to a new Mac formatted external Hard drive). Please note that my library contained almost 35,000 files and about 150GB space and it was ALREADY uploaded and synced with iCloud as I had enabled this option in settings (Icloud Photo Library -> enabled). HOWEVER, After i've followed step-by-step the above instructions on moving the library (quit photos app, option-opened again and point to new location, with terror I've seen that after a 10minutes "preparing" notice, I've had to re-upload all 35,000 files again! (it gave me the message "uploading 35,000 files" AND that i was probably running out of iCloud space so i had to upgrade storage to 1TB) Doesn't the photos app "see" that it's exactly same library with the one stored in iCloud, so there's no need to re-upload, or there's a bug here? Also, what about migrating to a new mac (or restoring to an earlier time machine backup of your earlier photo library)? I assumed before that, that I would just have to copy the system library to a backup disk, and option open photos app on the new mac who is supposed to "compare" the local system library with the one stored online iCloud and upload ONLY the changed files. But to my bitter example that was wrong.. Pls help here (of course I've stopped the process for the time being).
Has anyone yet figured out how to fix attiki77's problem? I also need to move my library to an external drive as I have a 500gb photos library. I am very concerned about duplicate photos in the cloud.
I had the same problem and visited this thread yesterday. Just let it run. It goes much quicker and didn't send nearly as much data. I think it's checking everything on the hard drive against the cloud. I had the same problem and it worked out just fine. All in sync now.
It'll work out just fine. I ran it against 130GB and I got no dupes.
I'm having the same problem as attiki77. I attempted to move my Photos library after it had synced with iCloud Photo Library. Now when I select the new library location and set as system library, it prompts me to upgrade my iCloud storage because there is not enough space for the new library. Clearly Photos/iCloud does not understand that it is the same library. When I select continue (instead of upgrading storage), it forces to me use an "optimized" library. I attempted to revert to the old library location in the Pictures folder (I made a copy of my library to the new location and left the old one in place for now). Same prompts to buy more storage and only "optimized" is allowed unless I increase storage.
So does this mean I need to delete my entire iCloud Photo Library and start over? This is pretty absurd. There are many compelling reasons to move a library file and iCloud shouldn't be so brain-dead as to not understand that it's the same library file, just a new location.
Same issue for me, After moving library to a new disk I can't turn on the iCloud Photo Library in the prefs because it says I don't have enough space. I don't have enough space because many of the photos in the library were already uploaded. Only option seems to be to delete the library and start all over which is easier said than done. I have over 700GB total in my library and over 300GB of completed uploads would have to be dumped. There has to be another option?
Yup. This is a real problem.
I just purchased a new iMac and have opened the Photos library that I have kept on an external drive. After getting past some permission problems (which initially prevented me from even opening the library at all), iCloud treats this as a new library. Since it is over 700 GB, even with the 1 TB iCloud plan, I cannot get it to work with iCloud anymore. iCloud thinks this is an entirely new library and cannot sync with it since there is not enough space.
Seems that the only way past this is to completely wipe out my iCloud library and have it re-upload the entire 700 GB library. Last time, this took over a month.
Not good.
I had the exact problem you had and I have the answer! Just got off the phone with Apple support. To get around having to upgrade your iCloud storage (or being totally stuck if you have the 1 TB plan like I do) Do the following:
Moving the Photos.app library?
