photos running slow on external hard drive when editing

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Level 1

8 points

photos running slow on external hard drive when editing

I recently moved my photos library to an external hard drive due to my imac hard drive getting too full. My photos library is 320GB. It's now on a 2TB external drive via USB connection. The hard drive is Seagate Expansion 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STEA2000400).

I now notice photos is very slow when editing the photos. I feel the slowness has started with using the external drive. Should this be expected and how can I improve.

My Imac hard drive 1TB has 200GB left of storage, perhaps I should stay with it on the Imac?

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), iOS 11.2.5

Posted on Feb 4, 2018 9:24 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

216,964 points

Feb 4, 2018 10:00 AM in response to fisher_i_am

How is the external HD formatted? Where is it safe to store a Photos Library? Requirements for the external drive

Download and run Etrecheck. Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

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Answer 2

Rich839

Level 8

48,214 points

Feb 4, 2018 10:31 AM in response to fisher_i_am

There might be something about your system configuration that is causing your issue. I don't notice any decrease in editing performance with the Photos libraries on my external drives.

You can try using a different USB 3 port on your computer, and replacing your USB cable. Connect directly to your computer (no hubs, switches or extension cables). Shut down any background programs that may be using up processor power.

-- Rich

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photos running slow on external hard drive when editing

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