Home Forums Peripherals & Multimedia Audio, Video, Photography Where are imovie backups?

I noticed something interesting. WIth Mac apps, Mac forces backups, or maybe even project files to icloud folder. So in finder, icloud folder, I see preview, and text edit there. Never go into to look at that, rarely use. But then I did start using Garageband, and in there (not created by me) is folder called: Garageband for Mac OS. Are these original project files or just copies?

And last week I started using imovie for 1st time and yet I do not see an imovie folder there, none at all why not? Thanks.

The files are mirror images, When you are editing a file it is present on your iPhone but the edits are copied to the iCloud. For example you can start a file on you iOS device, then later edit it on your Mac, and when you go back to the iOS device the edits you made on your Mac will be there. Years ago it was necessary to specify a file was to go to the iCloud, but today that process is invisible. When this transfer takes place and how much is actually stored on the iPhone is handled by iOS which optimizes everything to conserve cellular data use and iPhone Storage. NOTE: in MacOS 10.12 and 10.13 if you turn on System Preferences > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Options > Desktop & Documents folder MacOS works the same way.


Were you using iMovie on your iPhone or on your Mac? Those Application specific folders you are seeing on iCloud are there to support the iOS apps, but you can also access those files through Finder > iCloud Drive on MacOS devices.

Joe, this is all desktop stuff not ios, so on desktop / laptop, I see garageband for Mac OS, I never made that folder. Ditto with text edit, and preview.

And garageband. text edit, preview seem to be putting work, primary or back up in those folders

Yet an imovie is not there with others.. why not?

Check iMovie > Preferences > Theater and see if Automatically Upload to iCloud is checked. I have used iMovie on the Mac a few years but recently I have only used it on my iPhone or iPad. obviously there have been a LOT of changes on MacOS so it took me a while to figure this out. When you have a "Project" complete and ready to go, you click on the "Share Icon" (a box with an upward Ponting arrow at the far right end of the iMovie tool bar) and you are offered the options of

• Theater
• Email
• iTunes
• YouTube
• FaceBook
• Vimeo
• image
• File

Choosing one of the options renders the "movie" into an appropriate format (which will take a good while) and sends it to the chosen location. iMovie Theater is a Library found in your home folder and if the preferences are set properly it will also upload to your iCloud Drive. Other than that, as far as I can tell iMovie media may be drawn from any source on either local storage, servers, and iCloud, but the Projects remain on the Mac.

iMovie on iOS, on the other hand puts just abut everything on iCloud. Why iMovie is different, you will probably have to ask the developers.

Thanks Joe, yes that is checked, but I don't see it from the desktop icloud Drive.. Wonder where it's going...

Look in ~user>Movies>iMovie Projects.

This is a folder, whereas iMovie Theater opens in iMovie. iMovie seems to save in many different places. I have the above Projects folder, but in the same location I also have a folder "iMovie Events" that contains other iMovie projects of mine.

I suspect some of this is the result of Apple making significant changes in the iMovie application over a period of time; older iMovie work gets left where it was, but new stuff is put in a new location. Maybe.

Thanks Ira, went to users, movies, imovie, but the few projects I saved with specific names I don't see, are they anywhere to see in the finder?

And also, again:
Should I not see imovie for mac in icloud folder as I see garageband, preview, and text edit there?

iMovie Library and/or iMovie Theater are package files. You open them to see their contents by control+click on them to open the context menu then selecting Show Package Contents and drill down through the internal folders and files. They are not visible in Finder otherwise.

Joe, all is does when click on library is open the app. So in short, there are not files to save to archive, it's kept in the app container....

Final question again then, well then that answers why we don't see it in icloud as we do garage band, text edit, and preview?

Do the iMovie Library and iMovie Theater have unique icons, not just the standard folder icon, and are you holding the control key down while you click on them? Even if they are not package files a Control+Click (or right click) on any file or folder in MacOS SHOULD bring up a context menu.

As to the question of why iMovie behaves differently from other Apple apps you will have to ask Apples iMovie developers.

Thanks Joe, cool, yes right click does show my uniquely titled projects!

It's way too cumbersome to be useful though, but I'll file the knowledge away!