MacOS Photos - migrate to new machine?

[300bhp/ton]

Anyone know a good way to move your Photos library to a new machine?

I backup my Photos via iCloud. So I know one option is to just let it sync via download. However I have over 70,000 photos and around 2000 videos and the library is well over 500GB. The download speed from iCloud seems slow to accomplish this sensibly. And of course I'd be without access to any photos until downloaded.

I've tried physically copying the file (I have it on a remote drive) and setting it as the primary library for Photos. However when you activate iCloud sync it then tries to upload the entire library again to iCloud! It doesn't seem to duplicate photos doing this. But it is going through the motions of uploading. Which for 500GB+ is a bit crazy. Days on and it still has over 49,000 files to upload. And of course, while it is doing this. It isn't downloading any new photos added via my iPhone etc.

Is there a better solution?

[mph999]

Time machine backup

I just migrated to a new Mac, and just let it restore everything from time machine, which put back all settings, apps, photos the lot. I think the only thing I had to do was allow my watch to unlock it.

[Gixer968CS]

Just done the exact same thing buying a new MacBook Pro. The photos don't come over with the migration assistant. I called the Apple Support Desk and they had me physically copy the photos over from my backup disc. But, I wasn't using iCloud for my photos so don't have the same issue.

Before I called Apple I googled for a while and the best answer I found was simply to send them all to the cloud and down, but that will literally take days, which is why I used the hard copy.

[300bhp/ton]

mph999 said:

Time machine backup

I just migrated to a new Mac, and just let it restore everything from time machine, which put back all settings, apps, photos the lot. I think the only thing I had to do was allow my watch to unlock it.

I deliberately didn't want all the settings and apps.... else I would have done this. Clean machine and off loaded a lot of junk and apps/config/setup I had built up over the past 8 years.

Curious did your Photos still want to upload again to iCloud and is your library very big? If it was a few gig it wouldn't be an issue. But 500GB is fairly significant for an upload. Thanks.

[mph999]

I’ll have to admit, I didn’t look to see if it uploaded anything, the photo library is not that big, so even if it did it wouldn’t have taken that long.

[Troubleatmill]

300bhp/ton said:

Anyone know a good way to move your Photos library to a new machine?

I backup my Photos via iCloud. So I know one option is to just let it sync via download. However I have over 70,000 photos and around 2000 videos and the library is well over 500GB. The download speed from iCloud seems slow to accomplish this sensibly. And of course I'd be without access to any photos until downloaded.

I've tried physically copying the file (I have it on a remote drive) and setting it as the primary library for Photos. However when you activate iCloud sync it then tries to upload the entire library again to iCloud! It doesn't seem to duplicate photos doing this. But it is going through the motions of uploading. Which for 500GB+ is a bit crazy. Days on and it still has over 49,000 files to upload. And of course, while it is doing this. It isn't downloading any new photos added via my iPhone etc.

Is there a better solution?

I use superduper to clone my entire Mac Hard Disk. It is even bootable too.

Fantastic bit of software.
https://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuper...

[300bhp/ton]

Troubleatmill said:

I use superduper to clone my entire Mac Hard Disk. It is even bootable too.

Fantastic bit of software.
https://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuper...

Thanks. But creating a copy of the photos library is easy and I don't need a clone of a disk. I just would like to know if there is a way to add the library to a new instance of Photos and activate iCloud sync, without the need for it to try and upload/download 500GB that is likely to take 2 weeks and will effectively prevent me from using or accessing the photos easily on my machine until it completes.

[Brainpox]

300bhp/ton said:

Thanks. But creating a copy of the photos library is easy and I don't need a clone of a disk. I just would like to know if there is a way to add the library to a new instance of Photos and activate iCloud sync, without the need for it to try and upload/download 500GB that is likely to take 2 weeks and will effectively prevent me from using or accessing the photos easily on my machine until it completes.

I don’t know about the answer to your question. But if you are in a position where you have constant internet access then you don’t need to download the complete library to access photos. They can be kept in the cloud and downloaded when you open them.

[camel_landy]

My initial thought was TIme Machine Backup too but see your points regarding wanting a clean build.

If you can grab the library file, that will probably be the easiest way of transferring the bulk data. I don't know how it will respond to simply being dropped into place but I hope it would pick it up. Worst case scenario would be to open the library file and reintroduce the originals again.

Why not knock up a quick test? Create a new user, drop in some images and then copy the relevant files over.

HTH

M

[300bhp/ton]

It picks the new file up fine and I can see all the content. But to get it to backup to iCloud and sync it then wants to upload everything again. Google hasn’t really shown any other options up.

[camel_landy]

300bhp/ton said:

It picks the new file up fine and I can see all the content. But to get it to backup to iCloud and sync it then wants to upload everything again. Google hasn’t really shown any other options up.

Bugger... TBH - I'm not a fan of iCloud and for reasons like this & lack of granular options.

The only other option I can think of is to have a chat with an Apple techie at a Genius Bar (when they re-open) or at support.apple.com

Would be interested in finding out the answer too.

M

[300bhp/ton]

Yeah I'm not sure if downloading everything would be quicker than uploading....

My broadband is a lot quicker at downloading. But I think iCloud/Apple throttle the speed anyhow.

I'll try contacting Apple, but looking on other forums I can't see any answer. I guess it needs to upload in order to verify. Shame it can't do it by other means.


Neither option seems ideal.

Downloading I'll not have content until it is downloaded.

Uploading I have content, but it isn't syncing new photos until it completes.


I can access via a Browser to iCloud, but functionality is limited.


Has be churning away since Sunday evening so far.....

[camel_landy]

300bhp/ton said:

Has be churning away since Sunday evening so far.....

Even with the BT FTTP 900Mb package (110Mb/s up), 500GB would take nearly 11hrs to upload!!

M

[300bhp/ton]

I'm in a rural area at the end of the exchange. I get about 9mb/sec upload