- Why You Should Migrate Your Photos Into One Library
- Step 1 – Export Everything Correctly
- Step 2 – Normalise Formats Before Merging
- Step 3 – Deduplicate Your Entire Archive
- Step 4 – Build a Universal Folder Structure
- Step 5 – Choose a Master Library Platform
- Step 6 – Automate Future Imports
- Final Checklist – Migrate Your Photos Into One Library Without Losing Anything
Migrating your photos into one library in 2026 is one of the most useful upgrades you can make for your digital life. Right now the same memories are often scattered between iCloud, Google Photos and a NAS or external drives, each using different formats and metadata. This guide walks you through a clean, repeatable process to export everything, remove duplicates and rebuild a single, unified Master Library that works across macOS, Windows and smart TVs.
Why You Should Migrate Your Photos Into One Library
Keeping separate photo archives in iCloud, Google Photos and NAS backups makes it hard to find anything quickly. The same trip can appear three or four times in different resolutions and formats. iCloud uses HEIC and Live Photo bundles, Google Photos stores JPEG or HEIC with JSON sidecars, and NAS shares often contain RAW folders from cameras mixed with smartphone dumps. A unified photo library solves this by giving you one searchable, backed-up and future-proof archive.
Once you migrate your photos into one library, you simplify backup, make AI search more effective and avoid losing images when you switch phones, laptops or cloud providers.
Step 1 – Export Everything Correctly
The most common mistake is exporting in a way that strips metadata or breaks Live Photos. Before you touch duplicates or folder structures, export from each platform with maximum fidelity.
Exporting From iCloud Photos
On a Mac, open the Photos app and export unmodified originals:
- Select the albums or All Photos you want to merge.
- Go to File → Export → Export Unmodified Original Items….
- Disable any conversion options so HEIC and MOV files stay untouched.
This preserves EXIF, Live Photos (as HEIC + MOV) and full resolution. If you only use iCloud on the web, log into iCloud.com, open Photos, select everything and choose Download Unmodified Originals.
Exporting From Google Photos (Google Takeout)
For Google Photos, the correct path is Google Takeout:
- Open Google Takeout and select only Google Photos.
- Include all albums so the export covers your full history.
- Export as ZIP archives and download them to a local drive.
Every photo or video will be accompanied by a JSON file containing creation date, edits, locations and other metadata. Do not delete these JSON files; they are vital when you rebuild timelines after you migrate your photos into one library.
Exporting From NAS or External Drives
If you use a NAS (Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS) or loose external drives, copy their photo folders without changing timestamps or names. Use SMB, NFS or rsync and avoid tools that “optimise” or recompress images on the fly. Treat this as a raw dump of everything you have ever stored.
Step 2 – Normalise Formats Before Merging
At this stage you will have three big piles of content: iCloud originals, Google Takeout archives and NAS folders. Before you merge anything, you must normalise formats so every platform can read them consistently.
HEIC vs JPEG
HEIC is Apple’s efficient format, but not every TV, PC or NAS app handles it perfectly. If your future master library will live in iCloud, you can safely keep HEIC. If the master will live on a NAS or mixed environment, consider converting HEIC to JPEG for maximum compatibility while you migrate your photos into one library.
Live Photos Bundles
Live Photos should always exist as matching pairs: IMG_XXXX.HEIC and IMG_XXXX.MOV. Google Takeout and some backup apps can split or rename one of the files. Use scripts or third-party utilities to repair broken pairs and keep them in the same folder so iCloud or other viewers can re-link them later.
Step 3 – Deduplicate Your Entire Archive
By now you probably have several terabytes of overlapping content. The next step in migrating your photos into one library is deduplication. You want to keep one best version of every memory, not three half-edited copies.
Understand the Types of Duplicates
- Exact binary duplicates with different file names.
- Cloud-edited copies exported alongside originals.
- Low-resolution messaging app versions of the same photo.
- RAW + JPEG pairs from cameras (you may choose to keep both, or only RAW).
Use a Smart Duplicate Photo Cleaner
Choose software that can compare image content, not just file names. It should detect near-duplicates, bracketed exposures and slightly edited images. Always review suggestions before deleting anything and work on a copy of your archive, not the only copy.
Step 4 – Build a Universal Folder Structure
Once duplicates are gone, you can finally migrate your photos into one organised library. The goal is a simple folder layout that every app understands and that you can browse even without any special software.
A reliable pattern looks like this:
Photos/
2026/
2026-01-01/
2026-01-02/
2025/
2025-12-18/
2025-12-19/
Videos/
2026/
2025/
RAW/
2026/
2025/
Use EXIF capture date as the folder basis whenever possible. When metadata is missing, fall back to file system timestamps or your best guess based on nearby images.
Step 5 – Choose a Master Library Platform
You now have a clean, deduplicated folder tree. The next decision is where your new unified photo library should actually live. You need a single source of truth that everything else mirrors.
Option A – iCloud Photos as Master
iCloud is ideal if you live fully in the Apple ecosystem:
- Seamless sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
- Excellent handling of Live Photos and HEVC video.
- Good AI memories and search.
Import the new folder tree into the macOS Photos app and let it upload. Keep “Download Originals to this Mac” enabled on at least one machine as a local backup.
Option B – Google Photos as Master
Google Photos is strong if you use Android or want best-in-class facial recognition and object search. Drag and drop your new master folders into the Google Photos web interface. Where JSON sidecars exist from older Takeout exports, Google can use them to restore original dates and some edits.
Option C – NAS as Master
For photographers, videographers or privacy-focused users, a NAS-based master library makes sense. Synology Photos and QNAP QuMagie both index folders, generate thumbnails, run on-device AI and expose the library over the network.
Synology NAS options on Amazon UK
QNAP NAS options on Amazon UK
Step 6 – Automate Future Imports
A one-off migration helps, but you keep long-term order only if you standardise how new photos enter your world. After you migrate your photos into one library, set a clear workflow for every device:
- Phones automatically upload to iCloud or Google Photos.
- Cameras get ingested through a card reader into a dated folder, then synced to the Master Library.
- Messaging app media gets periodically exported and merged into the correct year and month.
Useful hardware for this step includes fast USB-C card readers and portable SSDs for on-the-go backups:
USB-C card readers on Amazon UK
Portable SSDs for photo backups
For more tips on handling mobile storage efficiently, see our guide Speed Up Smartphone Storage for Travel Editing (2025).
Final Checklist – Migrate Your Photos Into One Library Without Losing Anything
- Export full-quality originals from iCloud, Google Photos and NAS.
- Normalise formats and repair Live Photos bundles.
- Deduplicate using a content-aware photo cleaner.
- Rebuild a simple, date-based folder structure.
- Choose one master platform: iCloud, Google Photos or NAS.
- Automate future imports so every new photo lands in the Master Library by default.
If you follow these steps carefully, you will finally migrate your photos into one library that is searchable, backed up and ready for whatever devices you use over the next decade.
