Wait for Photos v2
Join the waitlist above. We'll email when beta access opens.
Apple Photos backup
Back up the library you actually use.
Apple Photos is where memories, edits, and originals can get tangled with iCloud. macup is planning library-aware Photos support for v2, built around visible backup state and restore confidence.
Coming in v2 · Late 2026
Why Photos is hard
It's a bundle pretending to be a file.
The .photoslibrary "package" is a folder containing a database, thumbnails, edit data, and references to originals. With Optimize Mac Storage, what appears on disk may be a lightweight local file that points back to iCloud. The planned Photos support is meant to make that state visible before you trust the backup.
The macup approach
Detect. Quiesce. Download. Snapshot.
The planned flow is straightforward: detect Photos libraries, wait for Photos to settle, make iCloud-optimized originals explicit, then snapshot the library in a state you can inspect. The point is not magic. It is knowing whether the real files are protected before you need them.
Wait for v2 — or start backing up everything else now.
Start backing up everything else
macup backs up the rest of your Mac today — Lightroom catalogues, Final Cut projects, your Documents folder, Desktop, and external drives. Join the trial and add Photos later when the library-aware feature is ready.
Start a 14-day trial →About Photos support.
When will this ship?
Apple Photos support is planned for v2. Join the waitlist and we'll email when beta access opens.
Can I back up Photos today without this feature?
macup can back up files that are present on your Mac today. The planned Photos feature is for library-aware handling, especially when iCloud optimization means originals are not currently on disk.
Does this work with iCloud Photos?
That is the goal of the planned feature: detect optimized files, guide the download of originals when needed, and make the backup state clear before you rely on it.
What about Aperture, Capture One, Lightroom Classic?
Those are separate apps with their own library formats — they work with macup today via regular folder backup. This page is specifically about Apple's built-in Photos app.
Photos support is coming. Everything else is ready now.
Trial macup today. Join the Photos waitlist for the beta.