Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Geds

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 26, 2016
2
0
My MacBook Pro 250GB SSD is full and its mostly photos and videos. Is it possible to point the Photo's app to store its library on a NAS drive? This would release 3/4 of my local Mac storage and still allow me to use the Photo's app as my interface which I like.
 

FreakinEurekan

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,478
3,357
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT201517 says "Storing your library on a network share can lead to poor performance, data corruption, or data loss" - so I'd avoid that. But, you could move it to a 256GB USB flash drive. Or, utilize iCloud Photo Library (with either the 200GB or 1TB data plan).
 

Geds

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 26, 2016
2
0
Thanks for that - See what you mean. That's disappointing as my MBP 250GB SSD is completely full and moving the Photos library seems the fastest way of releasing a load of disc space. Also, the Photo's library is going to continue to grow and ultimately outgrow the SSD. Having to always pair a USB HDD is not very practical or is a bit cumbersome for MBP casual use and I'm not keen on moving the contents of my drive (either my documents or my photos) to the Apple iCloud. Placing the library on a NAS should be the most effective solution. Disappointed Apple can't manage to make this work without the risk of poor performance, data corruption, or data loss.
 

Dekema2

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
856
437
WNY or Utica
Is the alternative to this removing all of the images from Photos and then just putting them into folders?

I'd have to imagine there's an alternative. Don't people here run home networks with tons of photos and videos on them?
 

FreakinEurekan

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,478
3,357
Lots of alternatives. As I said, use an external disk or iCloud. Or, use a different app.

Personally I do use iCloud Photo Library with good results. I have my library on my MacBook, my Mac Mini, my iPhone, and my iPad. All are completely in sync and all original photos are both in iCloud and on my Mac Mini's external disk. The other devices use storage dynamically so if space starts getting low, photos are removed from local storage but still accessible from iCloud on demand.

Photos works great if you utilize the features they've provided. If you want to roll your own solution that's fine, but perhaps Photos isn't the app for you. Or, maybe you need to purchase a computer with enough storage for the stuff you want to keep on it.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.