To transfer photos to an external hard drive, you need to connect the drive, copy your photo files from your computer, and paste them into the drive's folder. This process frees up space on your computer and creates a backup of your memories, and the exact steps depend on whether you use Windows or Mac.
Before you start: choose the right format for your external hard drive
Your external hard drive must be formatted correctly for your computer to read and write files. For Windows, format the drive as NTFS. For Mac, use APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If you need to use the same drive with both Windows and Mac computers, format it as exFAT for cross-platform compatibility. Formatting erases all data on the drive, so do this before transferring any photos.
How to transfer photos to an external hard drive on Windows
The classic File Explorer method
- Connect your external hard drive to a USB port on your Windows computer. Wait for the drive to appear in File Explorer.
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder containing your photos, such as the Pictures folder.
- Select the photos you want to transfer. To select multiple individual photos, hold the Ctrl key and click each photo. To select a consecutive group, click the first photo, hold Shift, then click the last photo.
- Right-click any selected photo and choose Copy, or press Ctrl + C on your keyboard.
- In File Explorer, click your external hard drive to open it. Right-click an empty area inside the drive and choose Paste, or press Ctrl + V. The photos will copy to the drive.
The Photos app import alternative
You can also import photos directly to your external drive using the Photos app. Open the Photos app, select Import, then choose From a connected device. When prompted, select your external hard drive as the destination for the imported photos.
How to transfer photos to an external hard drive on Mac
Moving the entire Photos Library file
- Quit the Photos app completely.
- In the Finder, locate the Photos Library.photoslibrary file. It is usually in your Pictures folder.
- Drag this file to your external hard drive to copy it. This may take some time depending on the library size.
- After the copy completes, hold the Option key on your keyboard and open the Photos app. A dialog will appear asking you to choose a library.
- Select the library file on your external hard drive. The Photos app will open using that library.
- If you use iCloud Photos, designate the library on the external drive as the System Photo Library. Go to Photos > Settings (or Preferences) > General, then click Use as System Photo Library.
Important: Do not store your Photos library on a drive used for Time Machine backups, an SD card, a USB flash drive, or a network or cloud drive. These are not recommended for Photos libraries.
Exporting unmodified originals from the Photos app
- Open the Photos app and select the individual photos or videos you want to transfer.
- From the menu bar, choose File > Export > Export Unmodified Originals. This preserves the original files and their metadata.
- In the export dialog, choose your external hard drive as the destination folder and click Export.
Verify your photos transferred successfully
Before you delete any photos from your computer, you must confirm the transfer was successful. Open the destination folder on your external hard drive and check that all your photos are present. Compare the file count between the original folder and the copied folder. Open a few random photos from the external drive to ensure they display correctly. If you are also clearing out cloud storage, you may want to transfer Google photos to external hard drive to consolidate everything in one place, and similarly transfer photos from Amazon photos to external hard drive to unify your entire library. Only after this verification should you delete the original files from your computer.
Safely eject your external hard drive
Always eject your external hard drive before disconnecting it to prevent data corruption. On Windows, click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray, then select your drive. On Mac, click the Eject button next to the drive's name in the Finder sidebar. Wait for the notification that it is safe to remove the drive, then unplug it.
For the wider topic, see organize Google photos.
