Transferring 22,000 media items from Mac to iCloud Photos

Question

Transferring 22,000 media items from Mac to iCloud Photos

I recently replaced the drive on our old family MacBook. Before replacing the drive, I made sure to transfer the photos to my normal computer (M3 MacBook Air). I transferred 100GB of media in total. Now, I do not want the media taking up space on my computer, so I want to upload the media to my dad's iCloud account.

The problem is, I couldn't find an easy way to do so.

What I have done so far is create a temporary user on my computer, transfer the Photos Library.photos library file to the temporary user's desktop, opened in photos as main library, and signed into his iCloud account. Currently, the Photos app on my Mac is not showing any proof of uploading the photos to iCloud. The only evidence is the bottom saying

"(10 items on This Mac Only)

Syncing 900 Items from iCloud"

This seems counter-intuitive because I am trying to transfer 22,000 items TO iCloud.

The reason that I have not used the iCloud.com method is because that only supports JPEG's and I have MOV, HEIC, and MP4 media types as well.

Any help regarding this situation is welcome.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Uploading iCloud Photos

MacBook Air 15″, macOS 15.6

Posted on Sep 8, 2025 5:08 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 9, 2025 5:28 AM in response to KookiesOinfinity

To transfer 22,000 media items from Mac to iCloud Photos:

Enable iCloud Photos on your Mac via System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos.
Drag and drop your media into the Photos app on Mac.
Ensure “Download Originals to this Mac” is selected for full-resolution uploads.
Wait for iCloud to sync all items, which may take time depending on file size and internet speed.
Check iCloud.com to confirm all photos and videos are uploaded.

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Answer 2

Sep 9, 2025 8:46 AM in response to KookiesOinfinity

Is it correct that

You have a 100 GB Photos Library in the Pictures folder of the NewUser
In NewUser's Photos app you see these pictures
NewUser has a New Account at iCloud.com
NewUser is signed into that account on your Mac
In the Mac's NewUser's Photos' Settings>iCloud you have iCloud Photos and Download Originals both checked
In the NewUser's Photos' Settings>General "Use as System Library" is grayed out.

Is all that right?

What do you see at NewUser's iCloud.com account?

100 GB will take maybe a few days. As much as possible, the Mac should be kept plugged in, on, and with Photos not in the foreground.

Let us know…

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Answer 3

muguy

Level 10

91,172 points

Sep 8, 2025 8:20 PM in response to KookiesOinfinity

Have you not simply logged into iCloud Photos on the Mac? You system library will then sync. Photos - settings - iCloud.

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Answer 4

Sep 9, 2025 4:52 AM in response to muguy

I want to transfer the photos to another iCloud. I have created a new user, and gave it some time but it seems that it hasn't uploaded anything. I created a new user that is signed into the iCloud i want to upload to. I want to find a way to force the upload process

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