I am doing the backup. Maybe Im missing something that Synology Photos doesnt do that this does. Schedule: your preference, I chose once a month. Follow the prompts to complete your request. I run this docker container on my Synology to have it download a backup of my iCloud Photo Library Click Create > Scheduled Task > User-defined Script. The problem is that you can not put the Apple Photo library on a NAS. The unofficial Synology forum for NAS owners and enthusiasts. The iCloud Drive documents are synchronised by iCloud to your Mac accounts Library / Mobile Documents folder. Quit Photos. Using the cloud and backing up to an external fast drive is fairly painless. They can also continue to use Apple Photos as usual for editing, etc. How to Transfer iCloud Photos to NAS - Multcloud.com ; Create an external library for backing up iCloud Photo Library Second, they strip ALL exif data off your images, which is a big no no.. Avoid this method to be honest, it was a waste of my time. Also, this will work even if your phone is not connected to the network with your NAS and you don't have your NAS exposed externally or through a VPN. iMore is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. I'm afraid I don't know enough to answer your questions now . [duplicate]I hope you found a solution that worked for you :) The Content (except music & images) i. Its configured to only add files, not delete them. 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. It is succeeded by a new application, Synology Drive Server.DS cloud is only supported by Synology Drive Server versions below 3.0. Fill out each tab as follows: General: Give it a name, run as your user. Whenever possible, photos are transferred with their albums. DiskStation Manager - Knowledge Base | Synology Inc. Onsite backup - better to another NAS or to an Expansion unit? 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. Select the data you want to back up > specify the backup path to backup iPad to Synology Nas > Start Backup. How to back up your iCloud Photo Library | iMore It's easy! Select the photos and video you want to back up. It's one of the best ways to keep all of your memories together on your Apple devices. These devices attach to a network and allow users to store, share and access files and data. I just got this working, thanks! The typical backup time for Synology to back up photos ranges from half an hour to two hours. And the second one, do you think that the performance could be good with the HDD connected to the Time Capsule? Building your own Synology NAS Google Photos replacement - 9to5Toys Is there a similar app for Google photos? Synology Community Open the Photos app. When setting it up, you will want to choose which folders to sync and turn off the little check that says "create SynologyDrive folder." More information about what data is transferred is listed below. 1. Google Photos also has a limit of 20,000 photos per album. I run this docker container on my Synology to have it download a backup Can't wait for 1823+. Once you make the transition, you will not go back. In the Finder, open the folder that contains Photos Library. From Finder you can't access this folder but you can in Terminal app. This will force the container to perform a comparison of downloaded images (on file) vs images in your cloud. (Note: Why isnt this enough backup? Well done Synology. Then, each family member downloaded the Synology Drive Desktop Client from here: https://www.synology.com/en-us/support/download. That, in turn backs up to an encrypted BackBlaze. A Practical Guide to Uploading A Lot of Photos to iCloud Once transferred to Google, the filenames of albums and videos start with "Copy of.. Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. However, an acceptable solution for me has been to use DSPhoto on my iPhone to automatically back up my photos to my NAS by setting up a geofence (sounds harder than it is) - this really works great. You must log in or register to reply here. My library was just over 1TB at the time, so Ive been paying for the 2TB plan ever since(Ive been collecting photos in my library since 2001 and while it could definitely use a bit of trimming, I dont think theres much I want to get rid of). I think that for the moment, the only "good" solution if you want to use iCloud and have everything synchronized is to have a "desktop" Mac at home (iMac/Mini) with enough space to store all the original files and a Time Machine Backup of this Mac to the NAS. Both unlikely, but it can happen. I just wish I could run a second instance for wifes phone but will setup symbology photos in hers to do the backup automatically or try to find an old mac mini cheap. Open any folder. . I intend to start the image using a scheduled task, but for now I'm just launching the container when I want to pull new stuff from iCloud. Transferring photos and videos from iCloud Photos doesn't remove or alter the content you store with Apple, but sends a copy of your content to the other service. I will now set up the same thing for other family members. Step 2. How to back up iCloud Photo Library- The cloud based sync service You can find the files to build the docker image yourself here: https://github.com/jake-b/icloud_photos_downloader/tree/master/docker. If your final integrity check comes back with a success/complete message, you can start running below compose for scheduled back-ups. Over time, you're going to end up with a lot of photos especially if you have kids and pets but even your best iPhone only has so much space. If you add, update, or delete content after the transfer starts, or if your images and videos are still uploading, these changes or additions might not be included in the transfer. Select the photo library you want to back up. Cloud Sync. Only the most recent edit of the photo is transferred and not the original version. Don't worry though, it is all still in iCloud. SynoForum.com is an unofficial Synology forum for NAS owners and enthusiasts. My family each created a documents and desktop folder in their Synology Drive accounts. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. This process is rather lengthy so just let it run through. Tap a desired document provider, or tap Browse to find DS file or others available. 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). PhotoSync - Photo Transfer and Backup App | For iOS & Android - PhotoSync If your computer went to sleep at any point, you may have to ssh to your Synology again, Run ~/.local/bin/icloudpd -d -u --recent 10 --only-print-filenames --threads-num 2, If it fails if you have spaces in your path, youll need to enclose in single quotes, See if it succeeds (it should print 10 filenames), Run ~/.local/bin/icloudpd -d -u --recent 50 --set-exif-datetime --auto-delete --threads-num 2, Check your folder using the Synology file browser to see if the photos are there and whether they open correctly, In the Synology web UI, open Synology > Control Panel > Task Scheduler, Create an upgrade script to keep the iCloud Photos Downloader up to date, Click Create > Scheduled Task > User-defined Script, General: Give it a name, run as your user, Schedule: your preference, I chose once a month, Notification: Your email here, only if abnormal termination (if you want), Highlight the resulting entry and click run, Click Action > View Result and ensure that the Current Status is Normal (0), Click Create > Scheduled Task > User-defined script again, Schedule: Your preference, I chose daily at 4am, Note that this may occasionally take a long time to run, frequencies <1 day arent recommended. Way 2. So it can be used in multiple scenarios. It means your photos arent stored in a recognizable, hierarchical folder format and your access to the library depends on Apple continuing to offer a reliable service. I then used SMB (network drive) on my iMAC to transfer over my entire folder structure of photos and videos I had just exported. Click the top file, hold down Shift, and then click the bottom file. 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. If you use macOS TextEdit app to copy/paste/tweak your commands, make sure you select Format>Make Plain Text! All you have to do to back up your data to iCloud is copy it into this folder, paste it, or drag it there. Was that what you were thinking of with the spare Mac? In setting everything up on my Synology, I drew from this community, the YouTuber mydodads, and the excellent writeup at wundertech.net. Works on Mac, Linux, Windows, and Synology DSM. Before you request to transfer your iCloud Photos content, please make sure: If you add more photos or videos to iCloud Photos before your data transfer starts, youll need additional space in your Google account to complete it. If you go this route, it's highly recommended to set up bi-weekly reminders for the following steps to keep the Photos library backed up regularly. Switching from Google Photos to a Synology NAS. First I looked into ways to get the Synology to pull my photos down directly. DS file | iOS - Synology Knowledge Center Migrate Apple ICloud Photos to a Synology & Qnap NAS To run as a scheduled back-up solution, once all images have been downloaded: Also a note here that if you are running the container for the first time, you'll need to go through the proper authentification using 2FA. On my study user, I have copied the photo library to my external drive and set "download full res images to this Mac". A few years ago, I decided to go all-in with iCloud Photos. Isn't a trailing ' &' enough to put the command to run in a job independent from the effective terminal connection? Start . Thanks. There are a few differences. One way to use a Synology device is to back up an iCloudPhoto Library. Any tips for a guy whos been pulling his hair out for the past 3 hours? In the config file there are two ways to download photos. Run as executable, docker container, or from the source; Run one time or continuously watch for changes to keep a local backup of your photos and videos. Everyone's favorite IPhone backup app : r/synology - Reddit Migrate Apple ICloud Photos to a Synology & Qnap NAS Posted on 24 Oct 2021 Also Read. Thanks for pointing it out! While that person could be the most altruistic individual, the data is still not under my control. (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore), How to back up iCloud Photo Library to your Mac's hard drive, Back up iCloud Photo Library to Mac HD by showing: Launch Photos, Back up iCloud Photo Library to Mac HD by showing: Click Photos, Click Preferences, Back up iCloud Photo Library to Mac HD by showing: Click iCloud, click Download Originals to this Mac, How to back up your iCloud Photo Library content to an external drive, Back up iCloud Photo Library to Mac HD by showing: Click the Finder icon, Back up Photos Library manually by showing: Click Pictures in the Finder side bar, Back up Photos Library manually by showing: Click and drag your Photos Library to your external hard drive, Back up portions of your iCloud Photo Library by showing: Hover over the Export option, ack up portions of your iCloud Photo Library by showing: Select to Export Unmodified Originals or as-is, Back up portions of your iCloud Photo Library by showing: Input a file name and subfolder format, Back up portions of your iCloud Photo Library by showing: Click Export, How to make an online backup of your iCloud Photo Library, How to back up iCloud Photo Library to Mac's HD, How to back up iCloud Photo Library content to an XHD, How to make an online backup of iCloud Photo Library, external library to backup your iCloud Photo Library, Apple VR headset won't require an iPhone, will have "in-air typing", iPhone 15 Plus leak shows slimmer bezels, Dynamic Island, USB-C, Five dead Apple products that deserve a 2023 revamp: iPod, iMac Pro and more, iPhone 15 Pro is getting an upgrade for the LiDAR sensor, Read everything from iPhone to Apple Watch, Mags delivered straight to your door or device. The transfer includes copies of photos and videos that you store in iCloud Photos, associated with your Apple ID. It's got two hard drive slots. Videos are transferred separately, without their albums. Set the route to save downloaded iCloud backup photos. New (and old) photos and videos are downloaded to a custom folder structure based on date, and any old files that I might delete from iCloud in the future will be deleted from the copy on my Synology (using the optional --auto-delete command). For more information, please see our Backup iCloud Photo Library to Synology with Docker image. It also leaves the "Moments" library on "Synology Drive" for their personal collections. To answer some questions, I used the "shared photo library" in moments so my wife and kids can view the photos on the moments App on their Phones/iPads. Im on Windows btw, but I have a Mac notebook as well but thats mainly for work. Supported transfer combinations are basically endless! This container is going to be a lifesaverthank you so much for sharing and posting your compose. And yes, download them as well. The permissions for your Photos library may conflict with those for the Time Machine backup. Formats include: .jpg, .png, .webp, .gif, some RAW files, .mpg, .mod, .mmv, .tod, .wmv, .asf, .avi, .divx, .mov, .m4v, .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .m2t, .m2ts, .mts, and .mkv files. Transfer photos & videos directly between targets without having to first import them into the iOS Photo Library / Android Photo Gallery. Hope my solution helps other lost souls. Correct. Any cloud storage that syncs comes with a risk that all your photos could disappear suddenly this prevents that from happening. Docker noob here. Introducing our latest photo management solution for both pros and hobbyists, Synology Photos.Watch Synology 2021 sessions- System Management with DSM 7.0 - . 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 . 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. Step 1. My weekend project is to backup my iCloud photos library to my Synology. I have fiber and 10gbe and anything I download from Apple is absurdly slow. How to back up iCloud Photo Library - The cloud-based sync service - VK DS cloud (iOS) Version 2.11 . I will look into both. NY 10036. I'm only using one, with a 3 TB drive. Chronosync would be my second choice. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Remember though that Backblaze has data storage in accordance with USA law. I didn't need to install manually, but YMMV. In fact, the Apple Photo library does not even really like external storage unless it is formatted a certain way and has adequate size to do file swap. Its super convenient to have all my photos everywhere at all times (whats the point in taking them if you cant enjoy them? You can easily (and securely) access your NAS box over the Internet in a number of different ways. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. You can request to transfer a copy of photos and videos you store in iCloud Photos to Google Photos. Or use tmux or screen to run the command so that you can come back to it easily. JavaScript is disabled. I currently do that to a portable drive that stays offsite. When you export out of Photos, even if the mac is set to "optimised" you can export the full size file to the external, as it gets downloaded to do so. Given that the venv quasi-containerizes the python packages, I didn't really see any benefit going the Docker route for this specific instance. Apple strives to collect and store the minimum amount of data required to provide the services you use. Photosync has an app that worked as well. Using HB will enable you to keep your user configurations and certain package settings. Apple Photos and iCloud and Synology : r/synology - reddit u/Alternative-Mud-4479 's super helpful instructions were written in the comments of a post about Apple Photos library hosting, and were bound to be lost to future idiots who may be searching for the same help that I was. I chose to use Backblaze's B2 for my NAS backup. We do not use the "auto import" function of Moments (or Photo Station) because we do not like the file structure it produces. 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. You can then delete the desktop and documents folders from iCloud and go to Apple system settings, Apple ID, and turn off desktop and documents in the "options" menu of iCloud Drive. Set up a spare Mac Mini to do this sync regularly to an external drive, and replicate that result over to my NAS. Tips: Creating an iPad full backup is also a good choice that keeps you away from iPad data loss. Sucks that it doesnt do it in the background. Once that was done, though, everything is working fine. If you are subscribed to iCloud, and you want to move your photos to NAS, your synology photo apps mobile back up functionality works as expected; just choose backup all photos and let it have access to all your photos then your whole iCloud will start to be downloaded to the NAS. Because of the way this script tracks (and removes) deleted photos, it must be run at a frequency less than 30 days deleted photos are pruned from iCloud after 30 days. This takes all the photos out of your iCloud Photo Library and syncs them to your Synology. One of the best things is having whatever you put in your documents folder or on your desktop immediately available on all your devices in the Apple ecosystem. Easily connect your Synology NAS to cloud services including BackBlaze B2, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive to combine the different . Anyone found a solution to this issue that doesn't involve running another mac or using external storage permanently connected. I then go to the Apple Photos File menu and select "Import." Try it Specifications Applied models DiskStation Manager; Cloud Sync. It gets uploaded to iCloud Photos. The transfer process takes between three and seven days. Considering moving back to Apple Photos and using NAS as a backup Navigate to your Recently Deleted folder. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You probably shouldnt empty the deleted photos folder more frequently than you run this script or it will leave photos on your Synology that youve removed from iCloud, Synology with plenty of extra storage space, Your Synologys local IP or domain (something like .local), Familiarity with ssh, the terminal in general, and other computer inner workings, Allow SSH through your Synology firewall (only if your firewall is on), Make sure Encrypted Terminal Service appears on one of the entries with an action of allow, Enter the command `ssh @ as in ssh sam@harddrive.local', Enter your synology password when prompted, Youll see a slightly different command prompt, Check that it is by typing python -V into your terminal and pressing enter, The result needs to be at least 3.6 (Mine was 3.8.8 which I believe is included with DSM 7.1), In order to install more Python packages, we need to install an up-to-date version of pip, the Python package manager, I followed this great guide to enable pip, Run the following commands in your terminal, sudo python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip, The order of this step is very important we need to install WHEEL first, Run ~/.local/bin/icloud username , Enter your real iCloud password when prompted app-specific passwords do NOT work because it is the API, Two factor users will get prompted for your code. If not, consider it a good time to start! When it comes to backing up iCloud photos, these are the best solutions possible. Having your entire photo library in iCloud is a mild risk. QNAP NAS are optimized for Apple's Pro Apps. Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac 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. QNAP NAS expands your media library while maintaining instant access to all of your files. The other way is by album, but also constrained by the added . r/synology Started with a DS1813+ from EBay two months ago. You can open your home folder by choosing Go > Home from the Finder menu bar. 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. upload photos to a cloud service like Google Photos or iCloud; Option 1: Whole Computer Backup. Some posts say that it requires Photo Station installed as well but this is not the case. Click each icon to preview and select the wanted files . Any stand alone NAS (DS) would be a "smarter" choice. ), but I did want to find a way to have a secondary backup solution that doesnt rely on Photos or iCloud. If I am understanding correctly, I don't think there is a way, without exporting the full size copies to an external (which is what I do monthly). However, when you are creating the best user experience, it tends to happen overtime because it is hard to keep tight integration with an entire ecosystem and stay completely open. Whats the difference between backing up my photos on iPhone and storing Your Google account has enough storage available to complete the transfer. But Synology can do one better with Synology Drive and its Desktop Client. 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. This service is available to customers in over 240 countries around the world for transfers to Google Photos. I use it to move files between drives at home too because it's so fast and accurate. First Synology. I use GoodSync. The free 5GB individually is actually enough. Try out 'iclouddp' which you can run as a docker container on your NAS. The price is right at a half cent per gigabyte per month. Step 2. Click to select a folder. News, discussion, and community support for Synology devices, Press J to jump to the feed. It isn't perfect, but gets the job mostly done. You can check the status of your request at privacy.apple.com/account. What I have done is moved to using my Synology to holding almost all my photos / videos / files while still retaining the smooth feel of using my Apple products. Thanks for that Zathras. I have iCloud for windows setup on a computer that is always on running iTunes for home sharing to all the Apple TVs to access the movies etc and it backs up my iPhone photos to the NAS when I get home and connect to the wifi network. A flexible and comprehensive management tool that allows photo backup and browsing by chronological order or folder structure. Step 2. . Nobody else has anything close. Move Photos Library to the storage device. 7) Click the "connect . Hey, thanks! Download the files that you need from Synology NAS to your local computer. Move all iCloud photos to NAS : r/synology - reddit.com When she isnt writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. I did consider that when I was first installing this, but I went this route since it was just installing some python packages within a venv, so it's entirely self-contained and not modifying any system bits. Wait for it to copy over. If it will be your primary image library . Thats what I did, Id recommend using a Docker image if your NAS supports it to avoid having to install stuff manually on the NAS. 2. I'm sticking with Synology C2 as that for me is under European data protection. Loved it, saw a DS1815+ with the C2000 bug for cheap. Well, that is it. Select an option for File Name and Subfolder Format, and then input your text as desired. So I have been using this Synology Photos app to backup my iPhone photos. Also, I tried downloading all of my images using Apple's recommended method by requesting a copy of my data. But my C: doesnt have 2TB of space and mapping iCloud folder to a network drive on windows 10 isnt allowed. I just got a NAS and my method was probably not the fastest or most elegant, but I simply downloaded my 300GB of photos from my browser on iCloud.com. If you have more than one photo library, be sure to back them all up. 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. Youll receive an email notification of your transfer request and another email when your transfer is complete. Step 3. You can download all of your photos in bulk first, then setup synology photos to only sync new images to your library. Once I backup all of my photos to the NAS, would I then delete a large portion of my iCloud library before disabling iCloud photo backup since I dont have enough space to store all of the originals. I only keep 3 versions and use inteliversioning. This is great as an extra local backup. New York, All the solutions I found online doesnt fit m case (ie they move less than 1000 photos or they have more disk space than there are photos). Next, I backup. Drag Photos Library to a location on your external storage device. Second: Documents and Desktop. I tried syncing all my photos with the Synology photos iPhone app, and it never worked well. I do use iCloud. Otherwise, consider backing up to an external drive. Thus, they always have all their photos and videos in the Moments app but do not pay for extra iCloud space. You have basically now created a situation like the old "Aperture" used to function with a referenced library. As an idiot, I needed a lot of help figuring out how to download a local copy of my iCloud Photos to my Synology. I found a simple solution. I have used this to backup some shared albums to a shared space on the DS220+, then keep my own photos in my personal space. Wait until the initial . Run as a scheduled task in Synology to keep a local backup of your photos and videos. :), Edit: thanks for all your replies! When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.