How to Back Up Photos on a Mac Using a Flash Drive

Mac computers are known for their user-friendly operating system and easy-to-access features. This not only applies to editing home movies and creating personal webpages, but also includes basic functions like backing up files and documents. USB flash drives, also sometimes referred to as thumb drives, are small portable disks used for storing any type of file or folder. As of 2011, USB flash drives are available with a storage capacity of up to 256 gigabytes. You can use a USB flash drive to back up photos from your Mac.

Click on your “Finder” and create a new folder by simultaneously pressing the “Command,” “Shift” and “N” keys. Give your folder an appropriate name, such as “Photos” (without quotes).

Choose the photos you want to copy from your iPhoto photo library if your are using iPhoto, select “File” from the top menu bar and then select “Export.” Choose the “File Export” tab and select “JPEG” as your file format under “Kind” from the drop-down menu. Choose “Maximum” as your file quality to export full resolution photos. Click the “Export” button, choose your new folder as the destination and click “OK.” If you are copying from a folder, you will be able to drag and drop directly.

Plug in your USB flash drive. If you need to format your flash drive, open Disk Utility by clicking the “Applications” folder and then the “Utilities” folder. Double-click the Disk Utility icon to open the application. Select your flash drive from the menu on the right, then click the “Erase” tab; you will have to erase the contents of your drive to reformat it. Select “MS-DOS (FAT)” if you want your flash drive to be compatible with both Windows and Mac, as well as other devices including video game consoles. Click the “Erase” button.

Choose the photos you want to copy from your Finder if you are using a folder or choose the folder containing the images you exported from iPhoto. Drag the folder and drop it into the USB flash drive device icon, located on the left-hand shortcut menu bar of your Finder.

Allow your photos to copy completely, then click the “Eject” icon to safely remove your drive. If you have over 500 photos, copy in batches to reduce chances of your computer stalling.