1. Create New Photo Library Mac
  2. Copy Photo Prints

Dec 11, 2018 Photos are some of the most important files people want to keep safe. Storing them in the cloud is nice, but you might also want the peace of mind of having your pictures stored locally. Luckily, it’s easy enough to copy your Mac’s Photos library to an external drive. Jul 12, 2017  Apple’s new Photos application was released as part of a recent system update. By default, Photos creates its library in your Pictures folder, but it can be easily moved or newly created. There are any number of reasons you might want to create a new Photos library or move it to another location. To transfer your photos library from an Apple Mac to an external drive, you first need to locate the photos or a folder you wish to move. You can right-click and copy, then paste in the new location. Dragging and dropping will also copy the images or folder.

How to transfer photos from iCloud to Mac? Here in this post, we introduce you four simple ways to transfer photos from iCloud to your Mac.

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This all-in-one iCloud content transfer could help you transfer photos from iCloud to Mac. Download it now and easily transfer photos from iCloud to iMac or MacBook.

We love taking photos with our iPhones and store them on Mac and iCloud for preservation. However, if our cherished photos on Mac are lost due to the wrong operation or system crash, how to get them back by exporting from iCloud?

When it comes to transferring photos from iCloud to Mac, normally, we have two choices – one is transferring photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac, and the other is transferring photos from My Photo Stream to Mac. However, for most of us, we don’t clearly know what iCloud Photo Library or My Photo Stream is, and photos waiting to be transferred are iCloud Photo Library photos or My Photo Stream photos.

To decide which way to go, all you need to do is checking on your device with the following steps:

Go to Settings > iCloud > Photos > Check whether iCloud Photo Library is on.

If iCloud Photo Library is enabled, you can transfer photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac, if it is off, you can transfer photos from My Photo Stream. No matter what kind of iCloud photos you want to transfer to Mac, here in this guide you can find what you want.

Also Read: Differences Between My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Library >

Part 1. Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac

Photo Library uploads all photos to iCloud and keeps them up to date across devices and you also can get access to them through iCloud.com. To transfer photos from the iCloud Photo Library to Mac, please refer to the two methods below.

Method 1. Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac Through iCloud Preference Panel

Step 1. Go to iCloud Preference Panel > Click Options next to Photos.

Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac Through iCloud Preference Panel – Step 1

Step 2. Choose Photo Library > Click Done.

Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac Through iCloud Preference Panel – Step 2

Method 2. Transfer Photos from iCloud to Mac with AnyTrans

Copy

Though convenient transferring photos from iCloud to Mac by enabling Photo Library is, this method does have its limitations. What if we just want to save some instead of all iCloud photos to your iMac/MacBook? There, AnyTrans is needed.

AnyTrans is specialized in managing iCloud data. AnyTrans supports transferring iCloud contents to Mac or PC and it is easy to transfer photos from iCloud to Mac with AnyTrans. Second, to that, AnyTrans could also help you delete and edit iCloud contents, like contacts, notes. Last but not least, AnyTrans even allows you to sync iCloud contents to another iCloud account. Here are steps to transfer photos from Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans.

Step 1. Free Download AnyTrans and launch it on Mac > Click iCloud icon and login an iCloud account.

Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 1

Step 2. iCloud Category Management > Photos.

Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 2

Step 3. Hold Command key and choose pictures you want to backup > Click Download.

Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 3

Part 2. Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac

My Photo Stream uploads and imports photos automatically to all devices, but only photos were taken recent 3 months, 1000 maximum. Here are two methods for transferring photos from My Photo Stream to your iMac or MacBook.

Method 1. Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac by Setting Up iPhoto

Step 1. Click iPhoto > log in iCloud Account.

Step 2. Click iPhoto on the upper left corner > Choose Preferences.

Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac via iPhoto – Step 2

Step 3. Choose iCloud > Check the box of My Photo Stream.

Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac via iPhoto – Step 3

Method 2. Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac with AnyTrans

Step 1. Download AnyTrans and connect your iPhone to computer.

Step 2. Click Device icon, choose Photos and click Photo Stream.

Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 2

Step 3. Hold Command key and choose photos you want to transfer, then click the To PC tab.

Create New Photo Library Mac

The Bottom Line

AnyTrans also does a good job of managing data on your iDevices and iTunes. Know more about AnyTrans. For any problems, please let us know via e-mail.

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I've had a multi-Mac household pretty much since college, rocking a laptop and desktop in addition to miscellaneous iOS devices throughout the years. Dropbox and iCloud sync made most of the pains of using several Macs disappear, but iPhoto was always a problem. My laptop is tiny! My iPhoto library, not so much.

Thankfully, Photos for Mac — paired with iCloud Photo Library's Optimize Storage feature — makes working with and syncing multiple Macs a breeze. Here's how you can do it.

How to use Photos and iCloud Photo Library with multiple Macs

Here's a quick, simple breakdown on setting up your Macs to support Photos and iCloud Photo Library.

I recommend starting with your biggest iPhoto library; it'll usually be on your desktop Mac. When you open Photos for the first time, your library should import automatically; if it prompts you to create a new library, your Photos library may be stored in another location on your Mac, and you may need to manually open it.

Once you've imported your biggest library on your Mac, make sure iCloud Photo Library is turned on and syncing. You can do this by following these steps:

  1. Launch Photos on your Mac.
  2. Click Photos in the menu bar.

  3. Select Preferences (or do this quicker by pressing ⌘,).

    Source: iMore

  4. Click on the iCloud tab.

    Source: iMore

    Access Library Folder On Mac. The Library Folder on your Mac contains Preference Files, Caches, and Application Support Data. While regular Mac users may not find the need to access the Hidden Library Folder, advanced Mac users will at times come across the need to access files inside the Library Folder for troubleshooting and other purposes. Show library folder mac. Jan 12, 2020  The Library folder contains many of the resources that installed applications need to use, including application preferences, application support documents, plug-in folders, and ever since OS X Lion, the files that describe the saved state of applications.

  5. Check off the box for iCloud Photos.

    • You can also check off the box for Download Originals to this Mac if you have the space.
    • You can check off Optimize Mac Storage to save space on your Mac by only saving a percentage of images and video locally — the rest will be thumbnails that you can click on to download when you want to.

    Source: iMore

Now, open your other Mac, and launch Photos. If you have an iPhoto library on that secondary Mac, follow the same steps as above — import your library, then turn on iCloud Photo Library. If you have duplicates of the same photo on each computer, iCloud should automatically resolve those conflicts when it syncs, providing you with just one version of your photos when the sync process finishes.

If you don't have an iPhoto library on your secondary Mac, create a new library in Photos and turn on iCloud Photo Library. If you want to save storage space on this secondary Mac, make sure Optimize Mac Storage is selected: This will save a certain percentage of images and video locally to your device, while providing thumbnails of all the others for you to download at your leisure.

After you've set up all your Macs with Photos and the sync process has finished, you're now good to go. From here on out, any time you add photos, they'll sync to every computer you've set up with Photos.

What syncs, what doesn't sync

Photos for Mac syncs a lot more than just your original photos and videos. How do i find library on my mac laptop. According to a support document on Apple.com, here's what else you should expect to see sync:

  • All folders and albums
  • Smart Albums
  • Keywords
  • Memories
  • Searchable keywords
  • Key photo selections

There are a few things iCloud Photo Library won't sync, however. Here's Apple's list:

  • Books, cards, calendars, and slideshows
  • Keyword shortcuts
  • Unused keywords
  • Last imported album on the Mac in question
  • Names and faces in the People album

For those not using iCloud Photo Library

If you've chosen not to enable iCloud Photo Library, Apple still offers you free syncing of your last 1000 photos via My Photo Stream, which doesn't count toward your iCloud disk space.

This will sync and download images you've imported or taken on other devices, but you won't have the option to optimize your storage or sync your albums.

Octoober 2019: Updated for macOS Catalina.

Serenity Caldwell contributed to an earlier version of this guide.

Copy Photo Prints

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