How do I move my photos library to an external drive?

Hi, I have a question. I have done all the steps that you shared.

However, would deleting the Photos Library in the internal HD also delete the files in the external HD too when the external HD is connected to the comp?

Thanks

No.

Will I be able to download new photos to my external hard drive when I plug it in?

Example: I plug in my camera, and want to download new photos. Will my backup drive automatically add the new photos to my library?

Thanks!

Your back up drive all do nothing. Photos will add the images to the opened library. If you have the correct library open it will add them to that.

If I understand correctly, you want to backup your iOS devices to a drive other than your Mac's (because they have small SSDs). It is possible to backup multiple Macs to a single Time Capsule.

Sadly though, it seems that Time Capsule doesn't support backing up iOS devices (yet. I really do hope this becomes an option soon, and I'm not the only one). Here are ways you can make sure those 50GB in your iPhones don't end up in your Mac's SSDs though.

Photos

In terms of pictures, iOS8 should have you backed up with iCloud Photo Library. If enabled, all your pictures and video will automatically be stored in iCloud, which gives you 5GB of free storage (or 20GB for $1/mo, 200GB for $4/mo).

If that is not your jazz though, you can always sync to iPhoto, but move the iPhoto library to an external hard drive. iPhoto stores all your photos a single archive, the iPhoto Library on your

Pictures

Backups

iTunes backups might be a little more tricky, but it seems to be possible to move the folder where iTunes stores its backups to an external hard drive, and then trick iTunes into backing up there.

I haven't tried doing this myself, but here's a post that claims you can do it and outlines the steps to follow, both for Windows and OSX. The instructions for OSX aren't too bad, as long as you aren't too scared of using the

Terminal

Applications/Utilities/Terminal

1. Copy

   ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/

   to a new location, say

   /Volumes/~Your External HDD~/MobileSync

   . This directory has a folder called

   Backups

   , which is where iTunes stores backups for mobile devices.
   • Note 1:

     ~/

     is an alias computers use for your home folder.
   • Note 2: Your

     ~/Library

     folder is hidden by default. You can open it in Finder by opening

     Terminal

     typing in

     open ~/Library

     .
2. Remove/rename

   ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

   . We won't need it anymore.
3. Create a symbolic link to the new location for

   Backups

   in your external hard drive. This is basically like an alias in the old location of

   Backups

   to its new location. To do so open

   Terminal

   and type in

   ln -s /Volumes/**~Your External HDD~**/MobileSync/Backup ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup

If you launch iTunes now it should follow the symbolic link and go on with business as usual, not knowing that in fact it's now working with a folder that's on an external hard drive.

You'll need to have the hard drive connected to backup,

Hope it helps!

<Link Edited by Host>

You don't understand the question - it make no mention of iOS at all, and it's from last 9 months ago.

Hi

Once you transfer your Photo library on an external disc, will it back up to your time capsule too?

thanks.

Good morning to all of you! I want to ask what happened in my case, I have an external hdd 1tera with MS-DOS format on which I moved the files PHOTOS LIBRARY.photoslibrary containing 12GB of important files for me.

I had to do an action very fast and sudden cause my iMac died unexpectedly... now I bought a new iMac and I wanted to return the file PHOTOS LIBRARY.photoslibrary on new Mac but going to open pictures with the command options (Alt) and going to select that file as a library to open the result is: NOTHING! no photos from here... how can I recover those 12GB inside photos and videos? 😟

p.s. Sorry for my poor english

in my case, for now, I'm not able to recover the files ... I have the 12gb file saved pictures but I will not open the file ...

It's an on inappropriately formatted disk that's why. Drag the Library to a disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and then try open it from there.

Very well, so if I take an external hdd and I format with the format Mac and I copy the library in theory should reread later I try it!!! Thanks so much!

Why does my drive have to be in Mac OS X Journaled? Can I use ExFAT?

Did you copy it back to the Mac?

Paul_Adrian wrote:

First question:

When I open pictures folder, it shows both a "photos library" as well as my old "iPhotos library". I'm pretty sure photos incorporated all the data from the iphotos library into the photos library, but I'm not sure how it all works. Do I have to copy them both? Or, once I copy the photos library, can I just trash the iphotos one. (or is there a reason it was retained in the first place?)

Paul_Adrian

Did you ever find a solution the your first question? I am looking to do the same thing as you.

Paul D

If you are 110% sure you will not want or need iPhoto again then you can archive the iPhoto library and trash it and move only the Photos library - If you have space on your EHD I suggest moving both just in case you want or need the iPhoto library - but moving the the EHD does break the hard links so each will take up the full space reported

LN