
Each major shoot or event is in its own library.
MY LIBRARY PHOTOS FULL
I have a desk drawer full of external drives. You can start managing your shoots like a pro! (You can get off Auto mode and take stunning photos in real life with our Photography Unlocked course!)
MY LIBRARY PHOTOS HOW TO
Now you know how to copy Photos Library to external hard drive. If you hold the option key and click the Photos app, you can select the library you wish to open from a list. When you connect a camera or phone, you will import the photos straight to the external device. Any iCloud-based images will automatically appear and download if you select them to edit. Whenever you want to add more images or edit existing pictures in your library, plug in your external drive and open Photos. Once you have deleted the library file from your pictures folder, your pictures will no longer be on your Mac. It is worth stating that you must connect your external hard drive each time you use the Photos App. Drag the file to the bin, right-click, and select empty bin. And you can delete the original Photos Library file from your pictures folder. And you can decide if you want to share albums with other people or subscribe to their albums. You can choose whether to store imported photos in the cloud. You can further optimize your storage in the iCloud tab.

But you cannot copy to a drive used for Time Machine backup.

MY LIBRARY PHOTOS MAC OS
Any APFS or Mac OS Extended format drive works. A USB-C port gives you the fastest data transfer. Step 1: Connect Your External Storage DeviceĬonnect your external drive to your machine.

Here is our step-by-step guide to transferring your files. But if your library is closer to 1 TB (1,000 GB), be prepared to leave it overnight to finish! How to Move Your Photos Library Files A few gigabytes can transfer in a matter of minutes. If you are transferring an extensive photo library, it can take some time. Available in sizes up to 4 TB, these drives are super fast, reliable, rugged, and portable-perfect for your camera bag!
MY LIBRARY PHOTOS PORTABLE
I use and would recommend an external Solid State Drive (SSD) such as the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD. Keeping large media-type files on something other than your system drive is considered good practice. Mac OS creates the library the first time you open Photos on your machine.

This import is directly from a camera, device, or your iCloud photo library. Photos Library is the folder where the Photos App stores the images you import. Here’s what you need to locate to move your images. What You Need to Copy Photos Library to External Hard Drive
