{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-export-original-photos-to-an-external-drive","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-export-original-photos-to-an-external-drive","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"icloud-photos","title":"iCloud Photos and the Photos library"},"question":"How do I copy my original photos out of Photos onto an external drive?","alt_questions":["Export unmodified originals Photos","Back up iCloud photos to external drive","Save all photos to hard drive Mac","Download original photos from iCloud to SSD","Archive photos outside Photos library"],"short_answer":"Select photos and choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original, then pick a folder on the external drive. With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads originals as it exports, so export in batches if space is tight.","answer_markdown":"Select the photos in Photos, then choose **File → Export → Export Unmodified Original** and pick a folder on the external drive. You get the original files exactly as they were imported, outside the Photos library.\n\nWith **Optimize Mac Storage** on, Photos downloads each original from iCloud as it exports, so it needs a connection and some temporary space — export in batches if your Mac is nearly full.\n\nExported photos on an external drive are a separate copy you control, which is useful as a backup or an archive. Storage Studio's **Duplicates** window can later spot exact copies among exported files outside the library.","answer_html":"

Select the photos in Photos, then choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original and pick a folder on the external drive. You get the original files exactly as they were imported, outside the Photos library.

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With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads each original from iCloud as it exports, so it needs a connection and some temporary space — export in batches if your Mac is nearly full.

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Exported photos on an external drive are a separate copy you control, which is useful as a backup or an archive. Storage Studio's Duplicates window can later spot exact copies among exported files outside the library.

","answer_text":"Select the photos in Photos, then choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original and pick a folder on the external drive. You get the original files exactly as they were imported, outside the Photos library.\n\nWith Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads each original from iCloud as it exports, so it needs a connection and some temporary space — export in batches if your Mac is nearly full.\n\nExported photos on an external drive are a separate copy you control, which is useful as a backup or an archive. Storage Studio's Duplicates window can later spot exact copies among exported files outside the library.","tags":["icloud photos","export","external drive"],"related":[{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-move-my-photos-library-to-an-external-drive","question":"How do I move my Photos library to an external drive and keep iCloud Photos working?","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-move-my-photos-library-to-an-external-drive"},{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-find-duplicate-photos-in-icloud-photos","question":"How do I find duplicate photos in my Photos library?","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-find-duplicate-photos-in-icloud-photos"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I copy my original photos out of Photos onto an external drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Select photos and choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original, then pick a folder on the external drive. With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads originals as it exports, so export in batches if space is tight.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"How do I copy my original photos out of Photos onto an external drive?","path":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-export-original-photos-to-an-external-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-export-original-photos-to-an-external-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I copy my original photos out of Photos onto an external drive?","alternateName":["Export unmodified originals Photos","Back up iCloud photos to external drive","Save all photos to hard drive Mac","Download original photos from iCloud to SSD","Archive photos outside Photos library"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Select the photos in Photos, then choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original and pick a folder on the external drive. You get the original files exactly as they were imported, outside the Photos library.\n\nWith Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads each original from iCloud as it exports, so it needs a connection and some temporary space — export in batches if your Mac is nearly full.\n\nExported photos on an external drive are a separate copy you control, which is useful as a backup or an archive. Storage Studio's Duplicates window can later spot exact copies among exported files outside the library.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-export-original-photos-to-an-external-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud Photos and the Photos library

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How do I copy my original photos out of Photos onto an external drive?

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Short answer: Select photos and choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original, then pick a folder on the external drive. With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads originals as it exports, so export in batches if space is tight.

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Select the photos in Photos, then choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original and pick a folder on the external drive. You get the original files exactly as they were imported, outside the Photos library.

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With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads each original from iCloud as it exports, so it needs a connection and some temporary space — export in batches if your Mac is nearly full.

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Exported photos on an external drive are a separate copy you control, which is useful as a backup or an archive. Storage Studio's Duplicates window can later spot exact copies among exported files outside the library.

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