How to save Live Photos (while keeping them Live Photos)

[William Lawes]

• A "Live Photo" is not a single file.
• It's a HEIC and a MOV file (the HEIC is your photo and the MOV is the short animation/video)
• A "Live Photo" only "exists" in the Photos App

If you want to save your "Live Photos" (e.g. to an External Hard Drive), you have to save the HEIC and the MOV file.
There are two ways to access the HEIC and MOV files from your Photos Library on macOS.

Option 1 (suited for copying large amount of Photos)

• go to your Home Folder
• open the Pictures Folder
• Right-Click on your Photos Library
• click on "Show Package Contents"
• open the "originals" Folder
• the containing Folders are all your Photos and Videos in the Photos App ("Folder 0" is your "Recently Deleted" files of your Library)
• copy the HEIC and MOV files or the whole folders

To view your "Live Photos" in the Photos App, add both of the HEIC and the MOV file back to the folder. The "Live Photos" will appear as single "Live Photos" in the Photos App again.

Option 2 (suited for copying single "Live Photos")

• open the Photos App
• select a "Live Photo"
• click "File" on the menu bar
• go to "Export"
• go to "Export unmodified Original for 1 Photo..."
• click "Export"
• click "Export Originals"

As in Option 1, to view your "Live Photos" in the Photos App, move both of the HEIC and the MOV file back to the Photos App. The "Live Photos" will appear as single "Live Photos" in the Photos App again.