Transferring your photo and music library
Twenty years of photographs and an entire record collection are the most precious things on a Mac — and they are also what copies worst. Dragging and dropping rarely does the job.
What is actually going on
A photo library is not a folder of images: it is a structured whole that also holds albums, dates, recognised faces and edits. Copying the files alone loses all that organisation.
The same applies to music bought long ago on iTunes, some of which will never download again. So there is an order to follow, and checks to make before erasing anything on the old machine.
What we do
- Move the whole libraryAlbums, dates, faces and edits come across — not just the pictures.
- Merge without duplicatesTwo libraries that partly overlap become one, cleanly.
- Move a library onto an external driveWhen it no longer fits on the Mac, while keeping normal access from the Photos app.
- Check before erasing the old machineWe count, we open, we verify. The old machine is only wiped afterwards.
Before we arrive
What helps
- Allow for a large enough external drive, and allow time: a big library takes hours to copy.
- Keep the old Mac untouched until everything is verified on the new one.
What is better avoided
- Copying the library file while the Photos app is open.
- Erasing the old Mac on the day of the transfer, without checking.
Your questions
Can I have my photos on both the Mac and the iPhone?
Yes, that is what iCloud Photos does, provided the storage plan matches your library. We work that out with you.
What about music bought on iTunes?
Some of it will download again, some will not. We recover the files from the old machine first — it is the only safe way.
This topic is part of I want to back up or recover my photos and documents. The main page gathers the neighbouring cases and the full process.
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