iCloud Photos

Keeping your snaps synced is one of iCloud’s best features — but be aware of how it works

WHEN YOU UPGRADE to macOS Catalina and launch Photos, it will import your existing photo library, normally in Pictures in your user account’s home folder in Users on Macintosh HD. If you’re using Optimize Mac Storage to keep low–res copies on your Mac, that will stay the same; opening a photo will download the full version of it. (Everything referring to managing photos here also applies to your videos.)

All photos that you shoot, or import into your Camera Roll from sources such as Apple’s Camera Connection Kits, on devices on which iCloud is enabled with your Apple ID will upload to iCloud Photos, and will therefore appear in the Photos app on your Mac as long as iCloud Photos is enabled. You can also manually import photos from other sources, such as your digital camera, into Photos. When you connect a camera that is set to USB access mode, it appears in Photos’ left sidebar, and clicking it lets you preview and import photos. You can also use File > Import to get photos from any connected storage.

IMPORT AND EXPORT

What happens when you import photos depends on Photos > Preferences > General > Importing > Copy items to the Photos library. This is normally checked, meaning imported photos are copied into the Photos library on your Mac, at the location shown in the same pane. All of these pics will sync to iCloud Library. If you want to keep some photos at a different location, such as on an external hard disk or SSD, but visible in Photos, you can uncheck this option before importing. These photo files will stay put, and won’t sync to iCloud or appear on your other devices.

If you have photos in your Photos library, but want to keep a permanent copy of them outside iCloud, you have two options. You can check Show in Finder under Library Location, as above, to reveal your Photos library, then drag–copy it to another location (hold Opt if it’s within the same drive) to make a separate full copy. To browse those archived photos, quit Photos, relaunch it holding Opt and choose the other library. Don’t forget to switch back. Or select some photos in the app and use File > Export > Export Unmodified Original For… to make copies, or Export… to include edits (which won’t be reversible).