1. How Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac
  2. How Do You Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac Computer
  3. How Do You Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac Laptop
  • 1. Mac Files Tips
  • 2. Mac Software
  • 3. Mac Storage Tips
  • 4. Mac Troubleshooting
  • 5. Mac OS

People love taking pictures. That's one of the reasons camera phones becomes standard feature. That is also why photo management feature is crucial for any personal computer. And if you are a Mac user, one of the most popular photo management apps is iPhoto.

But sometimes you need to move your iPhoto library. One of the reasons is because photos and videos can quickly fill out your hard drive. So it might be a good idea to store them on the dedicated external drive. Another possible reason is when you want to switch to a more recent Mac version.

How do you move your iPhoto library to another location?

2017-6-15  Welcome to Mac-Forums. You must Register (free) before posting. To view discussions, select the desired subject forum(s) below. Easiest Way to Transfer Photos from iPhoto to PC. Does that mean you have the images now in that program on another computer or device? There is an 'Export' choice in iPhoto that might solve your transfer issue(s).

Back Up Your iPhoto Library

How to safely move your Mac's iPhoto library onto an external drive. By Stephen Robles Saturday, January 24, 2015, 11:00 pm PT (02:00 am ET) Today's digital cameras and advanced smartphones like. 2020-3-25  For later Photos App on Mac, it will be “Photos”. Or you can create a folder on Mac if the pictures are not in iPhoto Library. Specify the photos by Albums, Events or Faces to be exported. Click Sync and the photos are added into iPad. When the syncing process finished, you can see a promotion on the top of the iTunes window. 2020-4-2  Also note that iPhoto has been removed from the Mac App Store, so before you uninstall it, be sure that you are 100% finished with it. I’m probably going to keep it around for a little while longer and delete it some time down the line. What do you think about the new Photos app? Have you moved your iPhoto library over yet? 2008-9-6  Hi, I need some help with transferring an iPhoto Library from the primary Admin account to a new admin account I set up. When I say transfer, I don't mean that both of the accounts share the same iPhoto library from the same location.

Before doing anything to your library, it's better to back it up. If anything happens, you won't lose any of your precious memory. Routine backups also protect you from image files become corrupted or are unintentionally erased from your hard disk.

You can set up an external hard drive and use it with the Time Machine application to back up your photos. The app will automatically make regular backups of your computer, including your entire photo library. Just make sure that you quit iPhoto periodically before backing up or the Time Machine can't do a full backup of your library.

Create a New iPhoto Library Or Switch Between Libraries

One way that you can use to move your iPhoto library is to create multiple libraries. The advantages of taking this path are you can better organize your photos, albums, slideshows, projects (such as books, cards, and calendars), and then switch between the libraries.

How Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac

For example, you could keep separate libraries for your personal photos and your work photos. Or, if you have a child who takes photos, you can keep his or her photos in a separate library.

The caveat is that you can only modify items (such as albums) or edit photos in one library at a time.

Here are the steps to create a new iPhoto library:

  • Quit iPhoto. Hold down the Option key as you open iPhoto.
  • In the window that appears, click Create New. Type a name and choose a location to store the new photo library. Click Save.

How Do You Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac

To switch between photo libraries:

  • Quit iPhoto. Hold down the Option key as you open iPhoto.
  • Select the library you want to switch to. Click Choose.

If you want to move photos from one library to another, use this steps:

  • Export the photos from the active library. This action doesn't delete the photos from the library.
  • Switch to the library you want to add them to.
  • Import the photos into the new library.

Move Your iPhoto Library to a New Location/Mac

Even though you can use the multiple libraries tricks to move your photos to a different location, you can also move it by using a simple drag and drop.

  • First, quit iPhoto. In the Finder, choose your home folder (it's usually named after you).
  • Open the Pictures folder (in the home folder) to locate the iPhoto Library file.

For moving iPhoto library to a new location:

  • Drag the iPhoto Library file to a new location on your computer.

  • But the process doesn't stop here. You have to tell iPhoto the new location of the library. Open iPhoto. When it can't find the library, it will ask you the location.
  • In the window that appears, select the library you want, and then click Choose.

For copying iPhoto library to a new Mac:

  • Connect your external hard drive. When it displays on Finder, drag the iPhoto Library folder or package to external hard drive.
  • Eject the hard drive from your old Mac and connect it to this new one.
  • Now open iPhoto on the new computer. Hold down the Option key on the keyboard, and keep the Option key held down until you are prompted to create or choose an iPhoto library.

That's for how to move iPhoto library to a new location or a new Mac. If you unfortunately lost some important photos during the transfer, you can use Any Data Recovery for Mac. This app is a complete Mac data recovery solutions to recover all types of files from Mac's hard drive, including recovering photo on Mac, and also from other portable devices like USB flash drive, external hard drive, SD card, iPhone.

HowHow do i move my iphoto library to a new mac
Recover Unlimited Mac Data for You
  • Recover data deleted, formatted or lost on Mac;
  • Restore files from hard drive and external storage devices;
  • Recover data from failed/crashed/dead MacBook;
  • Fully supported latest macOS 10.15 Catalina;

Migration Assistant copies all of your files to your new Mac so that you don't have to copy your files manually.

  • If your files are currently on a Windows PC, follow the PC migration steps instead.
  • If your new Mac is using OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or earlier, follow the Mountain Lion migration steps instead.

Check software, settings, and power

  • Install all available Apple software updates on both Mac computers. Install any updates for your third-party apps as well.
  • Make sure that your old Mac is using OS X Lion or later.
  • Make sure that your old Mac has a computer name: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Sharing and check the Computer Name field.
  • Connect both computers to AC power.

Connect the computers to each other

  • If both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, just make sure that they're near each other and have Wi-Fi turned on. If either is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, connect them to the same network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  • Or connect them using target disk mode and the appropriate cable or adapter. Then start up your old computer in target disk mode.
  • Or connect your new Mac to a Time Machine backup of your old Mac.

Use Migration Assistant

On your new Mac:

  1. Open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  2. Click Continue.
  3. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
  4. Click Continue.

On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these four steps.

  1. Open Migration Assistant.
  2. Click Continue.
  3. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer to another Mac.
  4. Click Continue.

On your new Mac:

  1. When asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or other startup disk, click the appropriate icon.
  2. Click Continue. You might see a security code.

On your old Mac:
If you started your old Mac in target disk mode or are migrating from a Time Machine backup, skip these two steps.

  1. If you see a security code, make sure that it's the same code as on your new Mac.
  2. Click Continue.

On your new Mac:

  1. You should see a list of backups organized by date and time. Choose the backup that you want to use.
  2. Click Continue.

Continuing on your new Mac:

  1. Select the information to transfer.
  2. Click Continue to start the transfer. If you have a lot of content, the transfer might take several hours to finish.

How Do You Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac Computer


In the example above, John Appleseed is a macOS user account. If you transfer an account that has the same name as an account on your new Mac, you're asked to rename the old account or replace the one on your new Mac. If you rename, the old account appears as a separate user on your new Mac, with a separate home folder and login. If you replace, the old account overwrites the account on your new Mac, including everything in its home folder.

How Do You Transfer Iphoto Library To Another Mac Laptop

After Migration Assistant is done, log in to the migrated account on your new Mac to see its files. If you're not keeping your old Mac, learn what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your old Mac.