Force shrink Photos library using optimize storage

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Level 1

143 points

Force shrink Photos library using optimize storage

I have a 450GB Photos library which for a long time I've stored on an external drive. Recently I turned on iCloud Photo Library, and I want to shrink the library on my external disk down to around 300GB, to fit on my internal MBP drive instead.

Obviously the Optimise Storage tool is the right way to go, but my understanding is it only removes Originals from the library when it doesn't have enough space for them on whichever disk it is on. Is there a method to force the Photos library to shrink down to the 300GB mark I'm targeting? Or a way to tell the library the maximum size you want it to be?

Posted on Oct 3, 2016 6:31 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

200,879 points

Oct 3, 2016 6:59 AM in response to Pete A

It is difficult to move an optimized library, because Photos will remove the optimized images, if you enable switch to the optimized library in the new location.

Try the following, while your library is still on the external drive:

Enable iCloud Photo Library in the Photos Preferences > iCloud, but do not enable "Optimize Storage". (https://help.apple.com/photos/mac/1.2/?lang=en#/phtf5e48489c)
Let the library upload.
Then create a new, empty library Photo Library on your system drive (https://help.apple.com/photos/mac/1.2/?lang=en#/pht6d60b524) and enable this library as your iCloud Photo Library, this time with "Optimize Storage". The full resolution image originals will not download to this new library, only optimized smaller versions. So the library will start as small as possible.

Now you have a full backup of the library on your external drive, a full copy in iCloud with all original files, and a smaller, optimized version on your system drive to access the library in iCloud.

The drawback of the method described above is, that the named persons will not sync back from iCloud. I would assign keywords with the name of the person to all photos in the Person album of each person.

Alos, iCloud Photo Library does not store the project. Keep the library on the external drive as a backup of the original image files, the named persons, and your projects.

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