How To Transfer an iMovie Project to Another Mac

Are you working on an iMovie project for your class on a Mac and need to transfer it to your own one? Thankfully, the process is not that complex.

To help make this task easier, we have written an extensive guide on transferring your iMovie project to another Mac with simple instructions. We will also discuss a few fixes if you cannot make the transfer.

Transferring an iMovie Project to Another Mac

If you don’t know how to transfer your iMovie project to another Mac, our step-by-step method will help you accomplish this task effortlessly.

Step #1: Copying the iMovie Project From Mac 1

To transfer an iMovie project to a different Mac computer, you must first copy it into an external drive, like a USB. Plug it into the USB port on your Mac 1, and launch iMovie.

At the upper-left corner of the screen, click the “Project Library” button. From your iMovie projects, drag your project into your external USB drive in the library pane to copy it. If prompted, select “Project and events” instead of “Project”.

Open Finder, and in the left pane, click the eject icon next to your USB drive to remove it you’re your Mac safely.

Step #2: Transferring the iMovie Project to Mac 2

Now that you have copied your project into the USB drive, plug it into your Mac 2. Once it’s identified, launch iMovie and click the “Project Library” button in the upper-left area. In the “Project library” pane, drag your project from your USB drive to your iMovie projects.

If prompted, select “Projects and events” to transfer your iMovie project successfully.

Are You Unable To Transfer Your iMovie Project to Another Mac?

If you are facing issues transferring your iMovie project to another Mac, try the following troubleshooting methods to resolve the issue.

Method #1: Restarting Your Mac

To resolve the issue of iMovie not transferring, restart your Mac in the following way.

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Click “Restart”.
   
3. Let your device turn on, relaunch iMovie, and try again.

Method #2: Relaunching iMovie

Sometimes, iMovie might become unresponsive if you’re trying to transfer a resource-heavy project. In such cases, try relaunching your app after force-quitting with these steps.

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Click “Force Quit”.
3. Select iMovie in the new window and click “Force Quit”.
   
4. Click “Force Quit” again to confirm.
5. Relaunch the iMovie app after a few seconds and try to make the transfer again.

Alternatively, you can press the Option + Command + Esc keys to open the “Force Quit” window.

Method #3: Updating the iMovie App

To resolve the transfer issue on the iMovie app, try updating it using these steps.

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Click App Store.
   
3. Click “Updates”.
4. Locate iMovie in the list and click “Update”.

Once your app has been updated, launch it and check if you can make the transfer.

Method #4: Reinstalling iMovie

If you cannot transfer your projects using the iMovie app, delete and reinstall the app in the following way without getting rid of your data.

Step #1: Deleting the iMovie App

To delete the iMovie app from your Mac, launch Finder from the Dock and open “Applications”. Locate iMovie in the app list, right-click it, and select “Move to Trash”. Enter your Mac password in the pop-up to authenticate the action.

Now, right-click the trash icon in the Dock and select “Empty Trash”.

Step #2: Reinstalling the iMovie App

Once deleted, you can quickly reinstall the iMovie app on your Mac. Open the Apple menu and select App Store. In the sidebar, click your name, and find iMovie in the list.  Click the download icon next to the app name to reinstall it, and try to transfer your iMovie project again.

Method #5: Updating macOS

You might face issues with your iMovie app if your Mac isn’t updated to the latest version. Use these steps to update your device and try to make the transfer again.

1. Open the Apple menu.
2. Click “System Settings”.
3. Click “General”.
   
4. Click “Software Update”.

On an older Mac, click the Apple icon to open the Apple menu, click “System Preferences”, and select “Software update”.

Summary

We have discussed how to transfer your iMovie project to another Mac in this guide. We have also discussed multiple troubleshooting methods to fix the iMovie project not transferring issue in detail.

Hopefully, your query has been resolved, and you can safely transfer your project without losing any data.