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Can I upload files to an external hard drive that are separate from the computer back up to save storage on the computer. How can I do this?

Can I bring over named albums of photos or videos for example to save storage on my Mac? I've tried dragging and dropping but it hasn’t worked. Is this possible & how do you do this?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Dec 25, 2020 9:24 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 25, 2020 10:52 PM


Hi - The only sensible way is to move your entire library to an external volume with the disadvantage that you must have the external storage connected whenever you want to use photos. (in fact you should have it connected whenever you log in)


The external storage must be formatted APFS or MacOS extended (journaled), and not be (or have been) used for time machine. It must have the 'ignore ownership" checkbox ticked. It should not be on a memory stick, SD or similar. It stands to reason that if you want any sort of reasonable performance it should be a fast drive with a fast connection. (It needs to be directly connected, not a network drive)


See

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201517

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 25, 2020 10:52 PM in response to debfromparker


Hi - The only sensible way is to move your entire library to an external volume with the disadvantage that you must have the external storage connected whenever you want to use photos. (in fact you should have it connected whenever you log in)


The external storage must be formatted APFS or MacOS extended (journaled), and not be (or have been) used for time machine. It must have the 'ignore ownership" checkbox ticked. It should not be on a memory stick, SD or similar. It stands to reason that if you want any sort of reasonable performance it should be a fast drive with a fast connection. (It needs to be directly connected, not a network drive)


See

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201517

Can I upload files to an external hard drive that are separate from the computer back up to save storage on the computer. How can I do this?

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