Relink "Photos Library" to iCloud Photo Library

correct as posted that option is available (and to me the preferred one)

and this is simply not correct

This is where I'm stuck having to ignore my local backup and re-download 150GB of photos and movies.

All you have to do is increase your iCloud storage and let the verification complete then cancel the increase and go back to the original - you will have a small one month change for this

as to ICPL it is trivial to avoid doing a total download, just let Photos verify the library (downloading may be faster but you lose face identification and projects and if you have photos missing from iCloud.com you do not get them)

LN

I might be disagreeing here but I think the discussion has revealed two options where only one was apparent to me at the outset.

1. Ignore your local backup. Start with an empty photo library and re-download all photos. Pros: Quick and easy for a small library, uses download bandwidth (mostly). Cons: If some images have not been uploaded they are lost, you lose projects (needs to be verified), and you have to rebuild all face identification data.
2. Use local backup, make sure it is the system photos library and let Photos verify all the images. This may force a short-term cost as Photos thinks you have two libraries until it completes the verification. Pros: You ensure any local photos or movies are not lost, verification should be faster than re-upload (maybe faster than re-download), no face re-verification. Cons: A charge for double the space you really need, time for photo verification.

Thank you for weighing in. I hope the conclusions are answers for others who might visit this thread.

You can not

If you restore a library or repair one it triggers a total upload to assure that everything is in sync, there is no way to avoid that - you can just start a new library and let ICPL populate it form iCloud - this loses people and all

LN

It is very disappointing that you cannot relink your library. Mine is >150GB and not trivial to re-download. Besides that means you need to trust that Photos actually uploaded all the photos in the first place -- which I do not.

You do not need to re-download - you simply let Photos upload everything and at the end all photos will be there

In any case that is the way it works (and if you think it through you will see that is is the only possible way for it to work - when a user attaches a different library to ICPL the only possible way to assure integrity is to examine the entire library and verify that all libraries are in sync

LN

I can find no way to avoid re-downloading. When I click on 'iCloud Drive' I get prompted to "increase storage" to accommodate my new (which it is not new) Library. When I click next, it cancels out and does not link the existing (restored) library to iCloud. Unless you are suggesting delete everything from iCloud and re-upload? (that would take longer and be worse as iCloud would no longer be my 'backup' in case things went south).

Background:

I have replaced the drive in my Mac and done a clean install of macOS Sierra. I copied over my old Photos Library from my backup -- similar to the original poster's situation. This is where I'm stuck having to ignore my local backup and re-download 150GB of photos and movies.

iCloud Drive is s totally different service and is not involved with iCloud Photo Library in any way

and this is simply not correct

This is where I'm stuck having to ignore my local backup and re-download 150GB of photos and movies.

All you have to do is increase your iCloud storage and let the verification complete then cancel the increase and go back to the original - you will have a small one month change for this

as to ICPL it is trivial to avoid doing a total download, just let Photos verify the library (downloading may be faster but you lose face identification and projects and if you have photos missing from iCloud.com you do not get them)

:LN

Yes, my apology, 'iCloud Photo Library' is what I am using, not 'iCloud Drive'.

It could be that I'm just frustrated with the situation, but the notion of having to pay, even a small charge, to restore my library from a backup that I already have is a bit crazy. The verification and 'relinking' should not require it.

Whether it be re-downloading or re-uploading, it still shouldn't have to do either. It should just scan the library file and then see that everything is already uploaded to iCloud Photo Library, so that this poor guy can avoid downloading 150 GB of photos he has locally on disk.

And in spite of the uploading message scanning is exactly what it does - it is much much faster than the original upload

If he chooses to download rather than scan to verify things, which is not necessary, that is his decision and then everything of course will have to be downloaded because that is what he chose to do

LN

Ok - but it does so you have two choices - do it or do not do it and do something else

all the RANTing in the world will not change how it works or what you options are

and no one here can change anything - you are simply wasting your time and ours and eveyone else who is actually looking for answers here

LN