Back up external Photos.app library to Google Photos?

June 24, 2021 2:57 PM

How can I get Google Backup to recognize the pictures in my Photos.app library (on an external HD) and upload them?

On my older MacBook Pro, the Google Backup program used to have no problem reading the contents of the "Masters" folder (inside iPhoto) and uploading them to Google Photos.

Since I upgraded to Bug Sur, and got forced into Photos.app, the Google app doesn't see the pictures in my photo library. The photo library is on an external drive, but that wasn't an issue before.

My wife has a 2019 MacBook, running Big Sur & Photos.app, and once I get this sorted, we also want to migrate her 80k-picture library to Google Photos from a 2011 MacMini (I know, I know!). But if the Google Backup app can't read from an external drive, what do we do?

Thanks for any suggestions.

posted by wenestvedt to Technology (3 answers total)

You can option-click on the library and select "show package contents", to see the photos in Finder. Or from within the app, you can select all the photos and go to the menu and select File > Export unmodified originals... Which will export the photos as regular files in full quality.
posted by goingonit at 6:13 PM on June 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: That works for a one-time migration, but not for ongoing use of Google as a second, non-Apple backup.

It creates a second copy of every file -- and future updates require another full export.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:09 PM on June 24, 2021

Ah, gotcha. Are you sure you're on the latest Google photo backup app? I just installed this guy and it has no problems with my Photos library.
posted by goingonit at 7:43 PM on June 24, 2021