This means that all your photos and videos stay firmly on your Synology but Apple Photos (for the most part) works exactly like it used too and nothing goes to iCloud (except your new stuff from your devices which also appears.) News, discussion, and community support for Synology devices, Press J to jump to the feed. We recommend switching to Synology Drive mobile app for enhanced compatibility with Synology Drive Server.. DS cloud is the mobile counterpart to Cloud Station . Migrate Apple ICloud Photos to a Synology & Qnap NAS Posted on 24 Oct 2021 Also Read. If you have one of the best external hard drives just laying around, you should consider using it for making an external library to backup your iCloud Photo Library. I am in a near identical situation to you guys here, 320gb library nearly full on my 512 MacBook pro. I need to point you to two great blog posts to read: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/05/03/how-to-photos-for-mac-referenced-mode/, https://www.macworld.com/article/3445482/how-to-selectively-choose-what-photos-sync-in-photos-for-mac.html. If it's an external drive, click on it in Finder. Thanks for that Zathras. I do use iCloud. i will check out those alternatives. So since Im already paying Apple, why would I want another backup? My approach is a combination of Moments and Apple Photos with my iMac. Note: If you plan to back up your entire digital library to your Mac's hard drive, you'll likely want to do it on a desktop Mac with at least a 1TB drive or more. You can export individual images and videos to your external drive. QNAP NAS are optimized for Apple's Pro Apps. This container is going to be a lifesaverthank you so much for sharing and posting your compose. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Once you make the transition, you will not go back. Even though your entire iCloud Photo Library is (as the name implies) stored online in iCloud, it's worth considering a second online backup as one of your redundancies. The typical backup time for Synology to back up photos ranges from half an hour to two hours. It is scary because everything disappears and blank folders appear in the user home folder. the option to create a new System Photo Library in the place of . Also, Apple's iCloud photo and video transfer works so well that we really do not want another app. Step 3. We each then pointed our Synology Drive desktop and documents folders at our respective "empty" Apple user home folders. I am doing the backup. If not, consider it a good time to start! There are a few command line scripts that can talk directly to your iCloud account, but they all looked a bit fragile I want a setup that is going to work reliably and doesnt require maintenance. The kids create incredible amounts of digital content even after it has been cut, scaled, and compressed. Then install the photos app on your IPhone and let photos copy all your pictures to the Nas itself. I think I knew I could connect remotely (provided there is an internet connection, which isn't always the case for me) but wasn't sure if Apple support the iCloud System Photos Library being on an NAS. I always have to run my files through exiftool to change the modified and creation timestamps. Or Apple loses my data somehow? I don't know if it's still the case, but I read previously that there were issues with Live Photos in that app. :), Edit: thanks for all your replies! Set the route to save downloaded iCloud backup photos. Ive configured the Mac Mini and Synology to wake up for a few hours every day to do this and so far its working really well. I hope this helps other Dads or Moms who were in my same boat. While Pixel owners will still get some perks, those with larger digital libraries will have to choose whether to pay for the extra storage or ditch Google altogether.If you're leaning towards the latter, that's where . For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I export them in unmodified original format to prevent any quality loss. So I decided to make this post to give it greater visibility. iCloud Photos are stored in iCloud and they count towards your storage. Ok so this is by far the easiest way of doing it, but it does require you have a desktop Mac or a MacBook that, a) has a full copy of your photos library, b) Is awake and connected to your network at regular intervals to run the backup. First: Apple Photos. Or use tmux or screen to run the command so that you can come back to it easily. Select an option for File Name and Subfolder Format, and then input your text as desired. DiskStation Manager - Knowledge Base | Synology Inc. Onsite backup - better to another NAS or to an Expansion unit? One way to use a Synology device is to back up an iCloudPhoto Library. and our Level 10. After installing, you will have an iCloud Drive folder in your Windows Explorer. It's really just your photo library in a single place even if you don't use Optimize . After I disabled sleeping, the process ran to completion without issue. Once you turn on "Shared Photo Library," it creates a folder call "photo" in the Shared Folders section of DSM. I chose to use Backblaze's B2 for my NAS backup. Photos and videos are transferred either in the original format or in industry-standard formats that are easy to open and read. Then there's an option to clean up space. If you've turned on the Download Originals option for your Photos library, you can back up your Photos library as part of your regular backup routine with Time Machine or even an online clone service like Carbon Copy or BackBlaze. (No, the Photos app specifically doesnt let you choose a network share as a destination.). They're cheaper now. Your advice and information is most welcome and useful. Command: ~/.local/bin/icloudpd -d -u --set-exif-datetime --auto-delete --no-progress-bar --threads-num 2 --log-level info, Open Synology > Control Panel > Task Scheduler > Settings, Check save output results and give it a folder that you are ok with filling up, Highlight the upgrade task by clicking on it and then click Run, Select Action > View Result to see terminal output, Make sure that the current status says Normal (0), Highlight the download task and then click Run, This will download your entire iCloud Photo Library dont do this when you need your bandwidth. For #3, you can just add `nohup` before the command and then ` &` at the end if you're running it via SSH and that will prevent the command from stopping if your SSH connection breaks. Easily connect your Synology NAS to cloud services including BackBlaze B2, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive to combine the different . #apple_ID #backup_and_sync #external_library #icloud #icloud_backup #icloud_library #icloud_photo_library #icloud_photos #icloud_services #iCloud_storage #ios #ipad #iphone #mac #mac_hard_drive #macOS #online_backup #optimize_storage #photo_backup #storage #storage_space #windows # . Is there a similar app for Google photos? Open any folder. I have the Synology photos app and did a full sync on first run and it got all photos from iCloud and my phone, and now it just runs in the background uploading photos as I take them to iCloud and Synology Photos. You can select a folder or customize the path according to your needs, and it is best to choose the path containing all pictures of iCloud Photos. New York, iCloud Photos Downloader . Click the top file, hold down Shift, and then click the bottom file. Good news: If you already use a service to back up your hard drive and you've already synced your full iCloud Photo Library to your Mac, it's easy to back it all up there too. 7) Click the "connect . Run as a scheduled task in Synology to keep a local backup of your photos and videos. Doing so risks corruption which every Apple Photo help article explains. I ask because every time I log into iCloud to download the original full resolution image, the timestamps do not have the original time, but they have the time when the download is done. Copy everything from the iCloud desktop and documents folders to your Apple user home desktop and documents folders and let drive do the magic. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Direct transfer between services, devices & NAS. I use it to move files between drives at home too because it's so fast and accurate. Check in on the container logs every few hours or so and keep an eye on progress/error messages. https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/10hw71g/comment/j5f8bd8/. If you have more than one photo library, be sure to back them all up. Once transferred to Google, the filenames of albums and videos start with "Copy of.. With the exported files, I create my own file structure based on years/Months. Thus, on any computer or mobile, a file can get dropped in to this admin "Family" folder and it is instantly accessible on all devices in the "Shared with me" folder of Synology Drive. DS file functions as a document provider, allowing files to be directly accessed and imported from other cloud storage providers (e.g., iCloud or another Synology NAS with DS file installed on your iOS device). A few tips/notes from my experience: Make sure you install Python from the Package Center (I'm not entirely sure this is actually necessary, but I did it anyway). When my laptop went to sleep, it seemed to break the SSH connection, which interrupted icloudpd. In hindsight, Im not sure what I was expecting: the cheap miniPC was temperamental, Windows never stopped updating and Apple iCloud for Windows seemed well not their main focus, lets put it that way. Amazon has the DS216+ (the current version of my NAS box) for $300. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Fill out each tab as follows: General: Give it a name, run as your user. While Synology Drive's paid plans are quote-based, Apple iCloud, on the other hand, offers three storage plans that are perfect for your needs. This is great as an extra local backup. Cloud Sync. I suggest opening a separate thread for that if you need peeps to share their experience. You can request to transfer a copy of your iCloud Photosphotos and videos associated with your Apple IDto another service. Does deleting iCloud backup deletes iCloud Photo library? That's why if you are truly serious about keeping all of your pictures and video safe, you want some redundancies in your backup process. I am using iCloud photo library and have chosen to download originals to my MacBook Pro because I want to have local copies of all my photos. I couldnt find a perfect solution so honestly I just use Synology Moments as well. Switching from Google Photos to a Synology NAS. But Synology can do one better with Synology Drive and its Desktop Client. Transferring photos and videos from iCloud Photos doesnt remove or alter the content you store with Apple, but sends a copy of your content to the other service. Your Google account has enough storage available to complete the transfer. I am writing this post because I want to give those who are considering or approaching Synology from my perspective a clear path. I thought i would optimize my photos on my iphone and keep the originals in the cloud, that was after i found out i cannot download them from the cloud unless its one at a time. Docker noob here. That, in turn backs up to . Installation, Configuration, Migration, Expansion. Hi and welcome to the forum and into Syno world. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Works on Mac, Linux, Windows, and Synology DSM. Couple of pro tips: You can use Synology Drive folders in the Apple Files app on mobile but you need to enable it. Step 2. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apples smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. Step 2. At $0.99 per month, you can enjoy 50 GB storage for your photos, videos, and files to back up the data on your devices. Navigate to your Recently Deleted folder. We do not use the "auto import" function of Moments (or Photo Station) because we do not like the file structure it produces. Don't worry though, it is all still in iCloud. A somewhat pricey solution is a NAS box. Next, I backup. The wiki on github explains that pretty well. Once done, you will have a local copy of your documents and desktop, and after sync, they will be on your Synology which is easily accessible from the Synology Drive App on any mobile platform. In some cases, you may find that the transfer didnt include all the photos, videos, or formats that you expected and there are a few reasons why this could happen. Any cloud storage that syncs comes with a risk that all your photos could disappear suddenly this prevents that from happening. You will likely receive a prompt that warns you that you will delete your iCloud Photo library folder. You have basically now created a situation like the old "Aperture" used to function with a referenced library. Read more SynoForum.com is not owned by, or affiliated with Synology Inc. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Doesn't that look like it's working with iOS device backups that are stored in iCloud? As an idiot, I needed a lot of help figuring out how to download a local copy of my iCloud Photos to my Synology. - In Photos, under Preferences/General, check "Metadata: Include location information for published item". They can also continue to use Apple Photos as usual for editing, etc. You have a Google account to use Google Photos. When setting it up, you will want to choose which folders to sync and turn off the little check that says "create SynologyDrive folder." The price is right at a half cent per gigabyte per month. To start a request to transfer the photos and videos in iCloud Photos: Youll be asked to sign in to your Google account to start the transfer. Downloading was quick, but it took about a week for my NAS to index and convert all of the photos. Registration is free, easy and fast! The best way to back up the images and video in iCloud Photo Library is to make sure you're downloading all your content onto your Mac. Excited! Apple strives to collect and store the minimum amount of data required to provide the services you use. In other words, they will not be stored in iCloud twice -- once in iCloud Photos and once in iCloud Backup. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed. Huge thanks again to u/Alternative-Mud-4479 !! Quit Photos. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Open a browser, enter icloud.com and sign in, and upload the files from the local computer to iCloud, your Synology iCloud photo sync task will be started. The format is specific year-month-day so keep to that format (shown in the ini file). Step 1. Apple Photos 1.0.1. 442,769 points. Click on iCloud Drive. Transfer a copy of your iCloud Photos collection to another service. In my experience, this was not needed- but it does not hurt running a final "integrity" check. JavaScript is disabled. Find this folder, select files and directly backup them to NAS. Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. Next, I backup. Rick. [duplicate]I hope you found a solution that worked for you :) The Content (except music & images) i. It also leaves the "Moments" library on "Synology Drive" for their personal collections.