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How to Transfer Iphoto Library to External Hard Drive

An external hard drive can be beneficial for backing up photos from a MacBook. For photographers, marketing managers and all other professionals who keep a large library of business photos, backing up the files not only protects your business by making duplicates in case your computer crashes, it frees up system memory if you choose to delete the photos from your computer's hard disk.

Export from Photos App

The macOS Photos app does not store photos as separate graphic files, it keeps them in a special photo library. For those who manage their photos with the Photos app, you must first transfer photos from the Photos app to files.

  • Click the Photos app to launch it.
  • Click the Photos button to see all the images in the app.
  • Select all the images you want to copy, holding down the "Command" (⌘) key.
  • Click the File menu, choose Export, and click Export xxx Items..., where xxx is the number of photos you've selected.
  • Choose the type and quality of image file from the dialog box that appears.
  • Click the Export button. A file browser will appear; choose or create a folder to hold these photo files, then click Export again to generate the files.

Connect the External Drive

Connect the external hard drive to the computer using the USB cable and power on the unit. The external hard drive's icon appears on the desktop.

View Files on the External Drive

Double-click the external hard drive's icon to view the files on the drive.

Use Finder Search Tool

Click Finder on the Dock to launch a new Finder window, then locate the photos to transfer to your external hard drive. Use the Spotlight search tool in the upper-right corner to search for photos if you're not sure where they are located on your internal hard drive.

Open "Pictures" Folder

Click your computer's name under Favorites and click the Pictures folder to view images and albums created with photo applications. Double-click the folder containing the photos to open it.

Select the Photos

Browse and select the photos. Press and hold the "Command" key while clicking photos to select multiple non-adjacent files. Press and hold the Shift key while clicking photos to select multiple adjacent files.

Drag Photos to External Drive

Drag the selected files from their locations to the external hard drive's window that you opened. When you click and drag a group of selected files, the Finder copies all of them. A status bar displays the progress of the transfer. Wait for the transfer to complete.

Organize Photos in a Folder

Click the File menu at the top of the Finder window and select New Folder to create a folder to organize the photos. Name the folder and then drag images to it. You may want to create many different folders to organize photos by content and purpose.

Eject the External Hard Drive

Close all open Finder windows when you finish and then drag the external hard drive's icon from the desktop to the Trash bin on the Dock. The Trash bin changes to Eject and the icon disappears from the desktop.

Using Backup Software

The above steps will organize and copy only the selected photos to your external hard drive. To conveniently copy all files, including your photo library, to an external drive, use Apple's Time Machine backup software or a third-party program such as Get Backup Pro, ChronoSync or SuperDuper!. These programs automatically copy your files based on date and other criteria.

How to Transfer Iphoto Library to External Hard Drive

Source: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/transfer-photos-macbook-hard-drive-external-hard-drive-54008.html