MisterQuint
Level 1
(0 points)
Q: Need to move the Photos library.
I found this in the Help for Photos:
Change where Photos stores your files
When you import photos and videos into Photos, they’re copied to and stored in the Photos library. If you prefer, you can store photos and videos outside the Photos library (for example, in a folder on your Mac or on an external drive) and still view them in Photos. Files stored outside your library are called referenced files. For more information about referenced files, see Where are my imported files?
Referenced files aren’t automatically uploaded and stored in iCloud Photo Library, and they aren’t backed up along with the rest of your files when you back up your photo library—you must back them up manually. If you want to avoid manually backing up referenced files, you can move or consolidate the files into your library.
Store imported files outside the Photos library
- Choose Photos > Preferences, then click General.
- Deselect the “Copy items to the Photos library” checkbox.Now, when you import photos or video, Photos leaves the files in their original location and accesses them as referenced files.
Copy referenced files into a Photos library
You can copy referenced files into your photo library so they’re easier to back up and are automatically included in your iCloud Photo Library.
- Select the files that you want to move into the photo library.
- Choose File > Consolidate.
- Click Copy.
- So this makes me wonder.. what are the differences between having Photos library based on my MacBook Air vs. an external drive?
When I take pics with my phone.. do they properly go into the Library.. are they "references files" that need to be manually added.. or will they just add into my iCloud library automatically?
Will I still be able to browse my photos on my MacBook Air when disconnected from the external drive or will it be complicated some how?
My library is clearly too large to reside on my computer so I have to move to external drive.. just wanting to know caveats.
Also.. I've seen conflicting information on various sites about how exactly the external drive needs to be formatted.
Most confoundingly, I don't see any official Apple sanctioned method to move the library over... (Maybe it's so simple I shouldn't worry about it?)... seems like various places I can find guidance.. just want to know the officially blessed method before I pursue some madness with this.
Cheers,
David
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MacBook, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4), MacBook Air
léonie
Level 10
(109,203 points)
With the settings you posted in your screenshots (Optimize Mac Storage) you should be able to keep your Photos library on the internal drive on your MAc. It really depends on the amount of free storage you can afford to use for Photos on your Mac. The library will need the storage for the optimized thumbnails, faces, database files. How large is your internal drive? Can you sacrifice 20 GB to your Photos Library on the internal drive? If yes, then try the following.
- Wait, till the upload to iCloud has finished. There should be no progress bar in the Photos > Preferences > iCloud pane.
- Create a new Photos library on your internal drive (Launch Photos with the options key held down and select to create a new library in your Pictures folder.
- Make this new, empty library the System Photo Library and enable iCloud. Make sure, "Optimize Mac Storage is enabled".
- Photos will now (slowly) download optimized versions from iCloud to your new library on the internal drive. This library should be smaller than the one you are now having on your external drive.
There is one draw-back. You can reduce the size of your library this way, but you will have to name the faces all over again. And the projects will not download back from iCloud. To work with your books, calendars, faces switch back to the library on the external drive.
Just a caution: With your current options "Optimize Mac Storage" even the Photos library on your external drive does not hold all your originals. Right now, the only full, original copies of your photos seem to be in iCloud.
You must not disable iCloud Photo Library and start over without downloading your originals at least to the Photos Library on your external drive. There should be enough free storage on the external drive.
While the library on the external drive is still your System Photo Library, disable temporarily "Optimize Mac Storage". The originals will download to your external drive and you can backup this library. Once the original have been downloaded, you can switch again to the library on the internal drive and enable "Optimize Mac Storage" again to keep the internal Photos Library small.
