Managing your photo library across your Apple ecosystem is crucial for keeping your memories accessible and organized. If you’re looking to transfer photos from your MacBook to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Apple provides a straightforward syncing method. This guide will show you how to use checkboxes to select multiple photo albums or folders for syncing from your MacBook to your devices, ensuring you bring along exactly the photos you want.
It’s important to note that if you’re already using iCloud Photos, your photos are automatically kept in sync across all your devices. To use the syncing method described below, you’ll need to disable iCloud Photos in your device’s settings. This method is particularly useful for users who prefer managing photo syncing manually or want to sync specific albums or folders without relying solely on iCloud.
Step-by-Step Guide to Selecting Multiple Photo Albums for Sync
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Establish a Connection Between Your Devices: Begin by connecting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your MacBook. You can use a USB or USB-C cable for a direct connection, or utilize a Wi-Fi connection for wireless syncing. For Wi-Fi syncing, ensure both devices are on the same network and have Wi-Fi syncing enabled. You can find instructions on setting up Wi-Fi sync in Sync content between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch over Wi-Fi.
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Open Finder and Locate Your Device: Click the Finder icon in your Dock to open a new Finder window. In the Finder sidebar on the left, you should see your connected device listed under “Locations.” If you’re using a USB cable and don’t see your device, refer to Apple’s guide on If your device doesn’t appear in the sidebar for troubleshooting steps.
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Navigate to the Photos Sync Options: Once you’ve selected your device in Finder, you’ll see a row of tabs at the top of the window, such as General, Music, Movies, and Photos. Click on the “Photos” tab to access the photo syncing settings.
The Photos syncing option is selected in Finder. If iCloud Photos is enabled on your device, the photo syncing options in Finder will not be visible. You must disable iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to proceed with syncing through Finder. -
Enable Photo Syncing and Choose Your Source: To begin syncing, check the box next to “Sync Photos to your device from.” A dropdown menu will appear, giving you the choice to sync from “Photos” (your Apple Photos library), “Pictures” folder, or another folder you’ve designated for photos. Select your preferred source from this menu.
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Select Multiple Albums or Folders Using Checkboxes: The interface will change depending on whether you selected “Photos” or a folder as your source.
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Syncing from the Photos App: You’ll be presented with options to sync “All photos and albums” or “Selected albums.” To select specific albums, choose “Selected albums.” A list of your photo albums from the Photos app will appear, each with a checkbox beside it. Here’s where the multiple selection comes in: simply check the boxes next to each album you wish to sync to your device. You can browse albums by category like “Albums” or “People” for easier navigation.
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Syncing from a Folder: If you chose “Pictures” or another folder, you’ll see options for “All folders” or “Selected folders.” Choosing “Selected folders” will display a list of folders within your chosen source directory, again with checkboxes. Use these checkboxes to select multiple folders containing the photos you want to sync.
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Customize Your Sync Options: Below the album/folder selection, you’ll find additional checkboxes to customize your sync:
- Include videos: Check this box if you want to include videos in your synced content, whether syncing from the Photos app or a folder.
- Only favorites: When syncing from the Photos app, selecting “Only favorites” will sync only the photos you’ve marked as favorites in your Photos library.
- Automatically include photos from: This option, also for Photos app syncing, allows you to sync photos taken within a specific time period. Choose a timeframe from the dropdown menu to automatically include photos from the last year, last month, etc.
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Apply Your Sync Settings: Once you’ve selected all the albums or folders and chosen your sync options, click the “Apply” button in the bottom right corner of the Finder window. This will initiate the syncing process. You can monitor the sync progress at the top of the Finder window.
You can also set up automatic syncing so your devices sync whenever they are connected. Learn how to enable this feature in Turn automatic syncing on or off on Mac.
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Eject Your Device: After the sync is complete, it’s safe to disconnect your device. Before physically disconnecting, click the Eject button next to your device’s name in the Finder sidebar.
Removing Synced Photos and Managing Checkbox Selections
If you need to remove synced photos from your device, or want to stop syncing certain albums or folders, you can easily manage this through Finder as well.
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To Remove Albums or Folders: Reconnect your device to your MacBook and navigate back to the “Photos” sync tab in Finder. In the list of selected albums or folders, simply deselect the checkboxes next to the items you wish to remove from your device. Click “Apply” to sync the changes, and the deselected albums/folders will be removed from your device upon the next sync.
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Important Warning: If you delete photos or folders from your source location on your MacBook (either within the Photos app or in a synced folder), these items will also be removed from your synced device during the next sync. Be cautious when deleting content from your MacBook if it’s also being synced to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
By utilizing the checkbox selection method in Finder, you have precise control over which photo albums and folders are synced from your MacBook to your mobile Apple devices. This ensures efficient photo management and keeps your devices filled with the memories you want to carry with you.
See also:
Intro to syncing your Mac and your devices
Sync content between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Sync content between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch over Wi-Fi
