Copy a Final Cut Pro for Mac project to another Mac
You can copy or move a project to another Mac to continue editing the project or to make a backup.
To copy a project to another Mac, you must copy the library that contains the project. Final Cut Pro libraries combine your editing projects, video clips, and associated metadata into a single package that’s easy to transfer to another Mac.
If your library contains multiple projects, you can isolate the project and its media files. If you already have copies of the project’s media on the other Mac, you can copy just the library file containing the project, without the media files.
Tip: If the project you want to copy is the only project in the library, you can simply copy the library. See Copy or move a library.
Isolate a project and its media files, then copy them to another Mac
If the Final Cut Pro project you want to copy is in a library with multiple projects and events, you can separate the project and its media files (or the entire event that contains it) from the rest of the library. This simplifies and speeds up copying the project to another Mac.
Connect an external storage device to your Mac.
The device should be formatted in the APFS format. See the Apple Support article Format storage devices for Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor.
In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the library that contains the project you want to copy.
If your project contains any effects, transitions, titles, or generators that were created or customized in Motion, set the Motion content storage location to In Library, then click Consolidate in the Motion Content section of the Library Properties inspector.
Note: You must manually track and move any third-party plug-ins and content, because they are not managed within the Final Cut Pro library. Confirm with the developers that the installer and the plug-ins are compatible with the macOS version and the Final Cut Pro version.
In the Libraries sidebar, do one of the following:
Copy just the project and its media: Select the event that contains the project you want to copy, then select the project.
Copy the project and any other projects or media in the same event: Select the event.
Choose File > Copy [item] to Library > New Library.
Enter a name for the new library, choose a location for it on the connected external storage device, then click Save.
In the window that appears, select options for copying the items.
To include all the media used in your project, select “Copy media stored in external locations.”
Tip: To reduce the file size, deselect “Optimized media” and “Proxy media.” (You can easily re-create these files after moving the project.)
Click Modify Settings in the Media Destination section, then choose In Library from the Media, Motion Content, and Cache pop-menus.
Note: Library backups are not copied. Final Cut Pro automatically backs up the library at regular intervals. Backups include the database portion of libraries only, not the media files. See View and set library storage locations and Restore a library.
Click OK.
If you chose to include optimized or proxy media, and the optimized or proxy media isn’t available, you’re given the option to generate the media during the copy process.
Final Cut Pro copies the project or event you selected and its media to a new library on the external storage device, and the new library appears in the Libraries sidebar.
Select the new library in the Libraries sidebar, then choose File > Close Library.
Quit Final Cut Pro, then eject the external storage device and disconnect it from your Mac.
Connect the external storage device to the destination Mac.
Important: Use the same versions of macOS and Final Cut Pro on both the source Mac and the destination Mac.
Drag the library file to a folder on the destination Mac.
In the Finder on the destination Mac, double-click the library file
to open the library in Final Cut Pro.In the Libraries sidebar, select the event that contains the project, then double-click the project in the browser to open it.
Copy a project to another Mac without duplicating its media files
If there are identical copies of your project’s source media files (and any effects, transitions, titles, or generators that were created or customized in Motion) on both the source Mac and the destination Mac, you can copy the relatively small project file only.
Connect an external storage device to your Mac.
The device should be formatted in the APFS format. See the Apple Support article Format storage devices for Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor.
Note: You may not need to use an external storage device to transfer the project. If the project file is small enough, you may be able to transfer it to the destination Mac by other means, such as online file transfer or email.
In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the event that contains the project you want to copy, then select the project.
Choose File > Copy Project to Library > New Library.
Enter a name for the new library, choose a location for it on the connected external storage device, then click Save.
In the window that appears, select “Project without media,” then click OK.
Final Cut Pro copies the project (without its media) to a new library on the external storage device, and the new library appears in the Libraries sidebar.
Select the new library in the Libraries sidebar, then choose File > Close Library.
Quit Final Cut Pro, then eject the external storage device and disconnect it from your Mac.
Connect the external storage device to the destination Mac.
Important: Use the same versions of macOS and Final Cut Pro on both the source Mac and the destination Mac.
Drag the library file to a folder on the destination Mac.
In the Finder on the destination Mac, double-click the library file
to open the library in Final Cut Pro.In the Libraries sidebar, select the event that contains the project, then double-click the project in the browser to open it.
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