Use an external hard disk, Network Attached Storage (NAS) device (like one from Synology, QNAP, or Morro Data) or other means to copy the library. For extra redundancy, upload the Photos Library to a cloud sync service. If you back up your Mac to a NAS, you can then connect to the NAS from anywhere and copy files. Different companies use different methods for this – either via apps or web browsers – and you can use your NAS the same way you would use a cloud storage service, such as iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.
Prepare your external drive
You can store your library on an external storage device, such as a USB or Thunderbolt drive formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). However, you can't move your library to a disk that's used for Time Machine backups.
To prevent data loss, Apple doesn't recommend storing photo libraries on external storage devices like SD cards and USB flash drives, or drives that are shared on a network.
Move your Photos library to an external storage device
- Quit Photos.
- In the Finder, go to the external drive where you want to store your library.
- In another Finder window, find your Photos Library. By default it's stored in the Pictures folder located at /Users/[username]/Pictures.
- Drag Photos Library to its new location on the external drive. If you see an error, select your external drive's icon in the Finder, then choose File > Get Info. If the information under Sharing & Permissions isn't visible, click the triangle , then make sure the 'Ignore ownership on this volume' checkbox is selected. If it's not selected, click the lock button to unlock it, enter an administrator name and password, then select the checkbox.*
- After the move is finished, double-click Photos Library in its new location to open it.
- If you use iCloud Photo Library, designate this library as the System Photo Library.
Make sure that the drive is turned on and available to your Mac before opening Photos. If Photos can't find your drive, it stops using the Photos Library stored there.
Delete original library to save space
After you open your library from its new location and make sure that it works as expected, you can delete the library from its original location.
In a Finder window, go back to your Pictures folder (or whichever folder you copied your library from) and move Photos Library to the trash. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash to delete the library and reclaim disk space.
Open another Photos library
If you have multiple libraries, here's how to open a different one:
- Quit Photos.
- Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos.
- Select the library that you want to open, then click Choose Library.
Photos uses this library until you open a different one.
Learn more
If you have a permissions issue with your library, you might be able to resolve the issue by using the Photos library repair tool.
* If the volume isn't formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or has been used for Time Machine backups but hasn't been erased, this checkbox will either not be present, or it won't be selectable after unlocking. Erase the drive for this option to be available.
DIY: Backing up your photos on your NAS
Google’s cloud storage for photos, which used to be unlimited, stopped being so this month. Instead, you only get 15GB of free storage, which isn’t a lot for folks who have lots of photos and videos.
If cloud isn’t your thing any more, there is always a network attached storage (NAS) drive that you can set up at home to store your precious data on your phone and PC.
I recently powered up a Synology NAS – the DS220+ – to have my photos and videos safely backed up at home.
Here are some of the steps I took:
Using Synology Moments
The fastest way to backup your images and videos on your smartphone and the PC is to use Synology’s Moments with the NAS.
Backup Photos Library To Nas Drive
The Moments app will organise the uploaded image files into People, Subjects, Places, Tags and Videos. You can also view images from a particular phone using the Folder View.
To back up from your smartphone,
1. Log into your NAS via a Web browser.
2. Install the Moments app via Synology’s Package Center.
3. After firing up Moments, create a folder for your phone backup.
4. On your Android phone, download and install the Synology Moments app.
5. Fill up your login details in the phone app.
6. Choose how the photos are to be transferred over to the NAS. Make sure you choose the DCIM folder on your phone (usually where your camera shots are saved) to be backed up.
7. Tap on More and tap on Photo Backup to start the backup.
To back up from your PC,
1. Complete the steps as above for the Moments app on the NAS
2. Download, install and run Synology Drive Client on the PC
3. Choose Backup Task
4. Log into the NAS server on your PC
5. Select the backup source in the PC, such as your “Pictures” folder. You can choose multiple image folders to backup.
6. Point the destination of the backup to My DriveMoments and click Next
7. Select the backup mode as Scheduled backup
8. Choose the time and day to backup
9. Confirm the settings and click Done
10. Run the backup for the first time.
You will be able to see two folders, Mobile and PC, in the Moments app on the NAS in folder view.
Direct backup using Synology Drive Server Service
If you want a bit more control and features, then you can do a direct file backup using Synology’s Drive Server Service.
This may be useful for avid photographers using DSLR and mirrorless cameras, who have their work saved on a PC.
The easiest way is to identify the folders and set a timed schedule to back them up to the NAS automatically. You can back up your work files too using this method.
1. Log into your NAS machine via a Web browser.
2. Create a Shared Folder named Photo Backup under Control Panel > Shared Folder. Make sure users have read/write access rights. Find an appropriate name for the folder if you wish to save both image and work files into the NAS.
3. Install Synology Drive Server on the NAS via the Package Center.
4. Under Team Folder in the left panel, highlight Photo Backup folder and “enable” it using the Enable button at the top. This will ensure the folder is visible to the client app on the PC.
5. Download and Install Synology Drive Client on the PC.
6. Log into the NAS server via the client app in step 5.
7. Select the backup sources (the photo folder in the PC such as your “Pictures” folder). You can choose multiple image folders to backup.
Backup Photos Library To Nas File
8. Select the backup mode as “Scheduled backup”. Choose the time and date to backup.
9. Confirm the settings and click Done.