- Transfer Photos Library From One Mac To Another
- Migrated Photo Library From One Mac To Another Iphone
- Move Photos Library From One Mac To Another
Jul 30, 2011 Your iPhoto Library is located in the /Home/Pictures/ folder. Copy it to an external drive and transfer it to the same location on the new computer. If you don't have an external drive to use then you can restore it from your backup drive, if you have backups. Or, if you have a home network use File Sharing to transfer it over the network.
The Mac line comes with a program called Migration Assistant, which makes it super easy to move data across your computers or even from a Time Machine backup. You can connect two devices using Thunderbolt, FireWire, Ethernet, or even just using the same Wi-Fi network if you don't have the required cable. Migrating your old data to your new computer will make it possible for you to start working on your brand new Mac without missing a beat.
If you are new to Mac, you can also migrate your old PC data.
Before you start
- Update your software - If your old Mac is running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or earlier, you will need to update your software first.
- Name your old Mac - If you haven't done so already, make sure your old Mac has a name. Open System Preferences > Sharing > and enter a name in the Computer Name field.
- Connect your old and new computers to a power source - Both devices need to be plugged into a power source to ensure that you don't run out of juice in the middle of the migration process.
- Get your Thunderbolt, FireWire, or Ethernet cable ready - Direct connection is the fastest way to migrate your data from your old Mac to your new. If you don't have the required cable, you can use your local Wi-Fi network instead, but the process will be slower.
How to migrate your old Mac's data to your new Mac
Start with your old Mac
- Connect the Thunderbolt, FireWire, or Ethernet cable from your old Mac to your new Mac.
- If you are using local Wi-Fi, make sure both Macs are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Open your new Mac
- Launch a Finder window by clicking on the Finder icon in your Dock.
- Click on Applications in the sidebar.Source: iMore
- Double-click on the Utilities folder.
- Double-click on Migration Assistant.Source: iMore
- Click Continue.
- Enter your administrator password if prompted.
- Click OK.Source: iMore
- Click From a Mac... when prompted to select how you want to transfer your information.
- Click Continue.Source: iMore
Go back to your old Mac
- Launch a Finder window by clicking the Finder icon in your Dock.
- Click on Applications in the sidebar.Source: iMore
- Double-click on the Utilities folder.
- Double-click on Migration Assistant.Source: iMore
- Click Continue.
- Enter your administrator password if prompted.
- Click OK.Source: iMore
- Click To a new Mac... when prompted to select how you want to transfer your information.
- Click Continue.Source: iMore
Go back to your new Mac
- Migration Assistant will be looking for a source. Select your old Mac (if you are using a Time Machine backup, select your Time Machine hard drive).
- Click Continue.
- A security code will display on the screen.
Source: iMore
Go back to your old Mac
- Confirm that the code on your old Mac is the same as the one on your new Mac.
- Click Continue.Source: iMore
Go back to your new Mac
- Select the files, settings, apps, and other information you want to transfer to your new Mac.
- Click Continue.Source: iMore
This will probably take a while, so grab a cup of coffee and watch your favorite movie while the process takes place.
When you're done
Your new Mac should have all of the data that you selected to transfer. If you migrated everything, your new Mac will look almost exactly like your old one.
If you are planning on selling your old Mac, don't forget to clean it before transferring to its new owner.
Questions?
Let us know in the comments below!
Updated December 2019: Current through macOS Catalina.
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By Stephen Robles
Saturday, January 24, 2015, 11:00 pm PT (02:00 am ET)
Today's digital cameras and advanced smartphones like the iPhone 6 take stunningly detailed photos, but all that extra resolution comes at the price of larger image files. Moving part or all of your iPhoto Library to an external hard drive is one of the most effective ways to free up precious space.Saturday, January 24, 2015, 11:00 pm PT (02:00 am ET)
Before starting the process, we suggest making an up to date Time Machine backup of your computer to an external hard drive or Time Capsule. Be sure the external hard drive you use to perform this backup is a separate unit from the one you will move the iPhoto Library to should anything happen.
If you have an account with a cloud storage service, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or even iCloud Drive, you can also upload the iPhoto Library to these services for extra redundancy.
To begin moving your library, open iPhoto, click File in the Menu Bar and select Switch to Library.
A new window will appear listing any and all iPhoto Libraries detected on your computer. If you're not sure where the iPhoto Library file is located, look at the (Default) listing and the file path will be listed underneath. This should be located in the Pictures folder of your Home directory.
Quit iPhoto by going to Quit iPhoto in the iPhoto Menu Bar or pressing Cmd+Q. Connect the external hard drive that you will use to copy the iPhoto Library. You should see it appear on your desktop.
Open a new Finder window and click Pictures in the left sidebar. Click and drag the iPhoto Library file onto the external hard drive icon on your Desktop.
Depending on how large your library is and the connection speed of the external drive, it may take several minutes or longer to complete the copy process.
Once the copy is completed, hold the Option key on your keyboard and open iPhoto from the Dock or Applications folder. A new window will pop up asking you to Create a New Library, Choose the Selected Library or Other Library. Click on Other Library.
In the browser window that appears, navigate to your external hard drive, click the iPhoto Library file you've copied and click Choose.
Transfer Photos Library From One Mac To Another
iPhoto will open and as long as the external hard drive is connected, will reference the library on the external drive and not on your computer's drive.
Quit iPhoto once again and eject the external hard drive holding your new iPhoto Library. Open a new Finder window and navigate to the Pictures folder in the left sidebar again.
Right click or Ctrl+click on the iPhoto file and move it to the Trash.
Finally, to free up the space on your internal hard drive, open the Trash from the Dock or Finder window and click Empty Trash in the upper right corner.
Your iPhoto Library has officially been removed from the internal drive. You can now reconnect the external hard drive you used to copy the iPhoto library, open iPhoto and use it as normal.
Migrated Photo Library From One Mac To Another Iphone
If you open iPhoto without your external hard drive connected, iPhoto will give you an error message saying the 'Library cannot be found.' Quit iPhoto, connect the external hard drive and reopen to fix.For those looking to expand their beyond their Mac's internal storage HDD or SSD, AppleInsider recommends having at least 1TB of extra space at the ready. A few high quality external and portable hard drive options from Seagate, HGST and Western Digital are listed below.
Move Photos Library From One Mac To Another
- Seagate 1TB Backup Plus Slim for Mac for $72.99 from B&H and Amazon.com or $88.99 from MacMall
- Also available in 2TB for $99 from Amazon and B&H or $149.99 from MacMall
- HGST 1TB Touro S Ultra-Portable External Hard Drive for $69.99 from B&H or $83.99 from MacMall
- Available in 4TB for $149 from Amazon and B&H
- Western Digital 1TB My Passport Drive for Mac from Amazon for $68.45, $69.00 from B&H or $70.99 from MacMall
- Available in 2TB for $96.24 from Amazon, $99 from B&H or $101.99 from MacMall