Moving PhotoStructure to a new computer

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  1. Make sure your 8TB drive is mounted to a drive letter. For the example below, let’s say it’s D:

  2. Install PhotoStructure on the new computer

  3. Start PhotoStructure. After the “welcome” page, make sure you use the same email you used to sign up for PLUS so your license gets re-activated on that computer.

  4. In the “Where would you like your PhotoStructure library stored?” section, pick the directory you used as a library on your old computer (like D:\PhotoStructure or D:\Pictures).

  5. It may take a handful of seconds to load your prior library, but then all your photos should show up.

Notes

  1. Make sure you have a backup of your stuff! In my experience, HDDs are most apt to fail when you don’t have a backup of their contents…

  2. PhotoStructure tries to find existing PhotoStructure libraries in the root directories of all your drives, so don’t be surprised if it suggests your prior D: library! You’ll be able tell because it will say “This is a PhotoStructure library” next to the directory suggestion in the “Where would you like your PhotoStructure library stored?” section.

  3. If you pick a different library directory and your photos don’t show up, don’t panic. PhotoStructure doesn’t move files, it only copies, precisely to avoid drama and panic in this scenario.

    If you click “Start” on the settings page and you don’t see your photos show up, just return to the settings page and pick the correct directory. Hint: if you used “automatic organization,” it will be a directory holding a bunch of directories with year names (like 2019, 2020, 2021), and, if File Explorer is set to display hidden files, you’ll see a .photostructure directory as well.

  4. To prevent volumes from being duplicated from one computer to another, they need to have matching “volume UUIDs”. See more here: PhotoStructure | What's a “drive,” or “volume?”

  5. If anything feels odd, confusing, or not quite right, tell me and we’ll get it sorted! Email, DM here on the forum, or chat on discord: whatever is more convenient.