how to move/copy/transfer iMovie projects to new computer

Hi,

You didn't mention but if you are using iMovie 9, you can look in your Movies folder and copy (not move) the folders titled iMovie Events and iMovie Projects to the root level of the external drive or to the drive on your new computer. Root level means not in any folder, but on the drive itself. It you use an external drive it should be formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If it is formatted something else, you can reformat it using the Disk Utility app on your Mac. Reformatting a drive erases all data on it, so before reformatting you must back up all data on it to another drive. You can also copy the iMovie 9 app itself over to your new computer so everything is complete. However, iMovie 9 is not fully compatible with operating systems from El Capitan and later.

Once you have everything copied over, you can open iMovie 10 and do a File/Update Projects and Events to update your iMovie 9 projects into iMovie 10. The projects will still remain in iMovie 9 as well and you can edit them in both versions.

-- Rich

I am not sure what you mean by Movies folder......Is this the folder found in the Finder?

Yes.

Do an Edit/Copy of the iMovie Events folder itself (not the events in it) and Edit/Paste paste it to your external drive. Do the same thing with the iMovie Projects folder.

...and by copying to the root level means I just copy everything directly to my external drive without specifying what part of the external drive they should get copied to?

Yes. The iMovie Events folder and the iMovie Projects folder should not be placed in any other folder on your external drive.

The external drive I am using is already formatted and being used on the new computer so it isn't any problem connecting it to the old computer and using it for these files.

To be sure that your external drive is formatted properly, Control-click on its icon on your desk top and click on Get Info in the drop down menu that appears. An information box will then appear. Make sure that the format is Mac OS Extended (journaled).

-- Rich

Once you do a File/Update Projects and Events in iMovie 10, iMovie 10 will automatically update your iMovie 9 projects into a special library that will be found in the Media sidebar. As mentioned, the iMovie 9 Projects folder and Events folder need to be stored at the root level of your external drive (not in any other folder) in order for iMovie 10 to find them. You then should be able to play and edit the updated projects and events in iMovie 10. On your old computer, you can keep the old iMovie 9 movie files or delete them if you don't think you'll be using them again. I wouldn't delete anything until you satisfy yourself that the folders have completely copied over to your external drive, and that they have been properly updated in iMovie 10. Even after updating them, you still can, and should, keep the old iMovie 9 folders that you have copied to your external drive. You can still work with those projects in iMovie 9 in addition to working on them in iMovie 10. I would copy over to your external drive the old iMovie 9 application as well.

-- Rich

So, now I connect my external drive, open iMovie 10, and go to File, and update events and projects?

Yes.

Will the program search for the copied folders or do I have to direct it to my external drive to locate them?

iMovie 10 will search for the copied folders and find them as long as the folders are at the root level of the external drive (i.e, not in any other folder).

Once the program locates the copied files, it should automatically install or create the same projects I had been working on in iMovie 9, is this correct?

Yes. It will create them in a special library that can be accessed from the media sidebar in iMovie 10. Here's a link to the online help menu that explains it:

https://help.apple.com/imovie/mac/10.1/#/mov902ad0c31

Once that is completed I should be able to delete all the movie files from my old computer.

Yes, you can delete the iMovie 9 projects and events folders from your old computer if you are totally sure that you will not be wanting to go back and edit them in iMovie 9 on your old computer. I would keep the iMovie 9 folders that you copied to your external drive. Never hurts. I also would copy the iMovie 9 app itself to your new computer, just in case. Don't delete anything for awhile until you are satisfied that the iMovie projects have updated properly and are working on iMovie 10. Sometimes problems occur.

-- Rich

You said that your old computer will only boot in Safe Mode. I am not sure whether the iMovie 9 app will copy over when your computer is booted in Safe Mode. If the app's icon is displayed in the applications folder, then you should be able to do an Edit/Copy on it, and Edit/Paste it into your external drive. It would just copy the program itself, since the projects and events are in separate folders in your Movies file. Try it and see what happens.

You mentioned that not all of your iMovie 9 projects "copied over" to iMovie 10. I take it you mean that they were not updated? Do they appear in the iMovie 9 projects folder that you copied to your external drive? If so, you could try copying those projects into a newly created Projects folder, and see if iMovie 10 will update them. Sometimes not all of the projects get updated, which is why I recommended not deleting your old iMovie 9 folders. You can try fiddling with it.

iMovie 9 is a file based app, so some if not all of the projects may play as standalones, in which case you can copy them into iMovie 10, although with limited editing capabilities.

-- Rich