Q: Should I backup both my iPhoto and Photo libraries to my external hard drive?
I want to move my library of all of my pictures to my external hard drive to free up space on my laptop and to keep everything in one place. Before I just moved my iPhoto library over and have been working from that when it is plugged into my laptop. Since the update and the introduction to the Photos app on my laptop, I am confused as to whether I need to move that library over to my external hard drive as well. I'm just not sure if having 2 libraries are going to cause any redundancy within my external hard drive. Keep in mind, my iPhoto library transferred over to the Photo one already. I'm also concerned as to why I have 2 separate libraries for the same pictures. So, should I backup both my iPhoto and Photo libraries to my external hard drive?
MacBook Pro, iOS 8.3
Posted on May 19, 2015 7:47 AM
See Photos saves disk space by sharing images with your iPhoto or Aperture libraries - Apple Support for some info on why you may have two libraries with the same pictures.
The two libraries are independent once the migration is complete -- changes to one will not be reflected in the other. Unless you are sure you will never need to use iPhoto again, it is worth keeping its library around, & it is always extremely important to maintain at least one backup of anything & everything you can't afford to lose.
Posted on May 19, 2015 7:53 AM