Photo lib on external drive. Can it still use iCloud?

[whitedragon101]

If I move my photos library (Currently synced to iCloud) to an external drive can I still have it synced with iCloud?

If you can is this a method officially supported by Apple or is it risky for iCloud syncing?

 

[0128672]

I haven’t tried it, but I think based on this Apple support article, it should work as long as the Photo Library you’re moving to the external drive is designated as the System Photo Library.

Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

To save storage space on your Mac, you can move your Photos library to a different storage device.

support.apple.com

 

[skyhawkmatthew]

Yes, it works exactly the same as if it's on an internal drive. I keep my Photos library on an external SSD and have never had any issues with iCloud. After redesignating the System Photo Library, it may take some time "uploading"/syncing as it determines that the "new" library on the external drive has the same contents as already exists in iCloud, but just let it do its thing and all will be well.