The TrueArchive handbook.

New archives place pictures directly in the chosen folder: 2026/2026-09-08/, without an extra media folder. If no date is known, the folder is called Unbekannt. Each media file has one shared XMP sidecar.

Existing TrueArchive archives keep their earlier layout under Medien/. They are not automatically reorganized. Add other picture folders that already contain files as sources.

Sources and the destination stay configured on this Mac. Use the gear next to the source to change its label under “Name” and, for folder sources, its subfolder selection. “Remove from source list …” appears at the top of the open source page and in the context menu for its name. After confirmation, only the saved connection is removed; files in the source and archive stay intact. Other sources’ previews remain.

If a source drive is missing, connect it and select “Check connection again” in its settings. For the archive destination, the action is called “Reconnect”. A different drive at the same path is not accepted without checking. After moving to another Mac, configure your sources again on that Mac.

Add Apple Photos and open its page. If permission has not yet been granted, choose “Allow Photos access”. If the status is unknown, “Check access” first reads the permission status only; only the subsequent permission button can open a system dialog. These actions do not read library contents and do not start a preview or import.

With full access, the status is “Connected”. After denied or limited access, “Open System Settings” opens the macOS app; choose “Privacy & Security” → “Photos” there and allow TrueArchive full access. For a system restriction, check Screen Time or the Mac’s management settings.

The app uses this Mac user’s System Photo Library. An external library must be connected. The source name does not switch Apple Accounts; further scope details are under “Details”.

Use “Archive all items” to start syncing all accessible pictures and videos directly. TrueArchive does not impose an overall item limit. Processing still checks at most 20 items per batch, with at least 15 seconds between confirmed batches. Progress and results apply to the whole run.

Use “Change date range …” on the Photos page to limit the sync to inclusive calendar dates. “From” and “To” can be set together or individually. When the filter is active, items with no known capture date are excluded. Without a filter, undated items are included too.

The capture date range stays saved with the Photos source and applies equally to direct and scheduled syncs. Changing it does not start or enable a schedule. A sync stops on an error or an incomplete batch; once the issue is resolved, you can start again. Already archived items are recognized.

Archiving requests any iCloud resources it needs; local files do not have to be downloaded again. Originals, current versions and available additional resources are included. Live Photos may produce several files. Photos and videos stay in Apple Photos.

Enable recurring syncs separately through gear next to the source → Archive automatically. These also work in limited batches without an overall item limit. The accessible System Photo Library is not independent proof of the complete iCloud collection.

Use + to add an SD card, drive or more local folders. You can select several folders at once. Sources can also use FAT or exFAT; source and archive must be separate.

To import this source directly, use the “Archive now” drive-and-arrow icon next to its name. “Archive all sources” imports all connected sources. For a specific selection, click an individual local source and create its preview; select files and resolve open metadata cases there. Use the gear next to the source to choose whether to include subfolders. The preview checks the selected scope; setup itself does not start a trial import.

Filters and page navigation help with large collections. Check new files, changes and unresolved cases before starting “Archive Selected” . Checking again recognizes matching media that is already archived.

Notices belong to their source. A failed Photos sync appears on the Photos page. When another source is open, only the warning mark remains beside the affected source; its tooltip gives the reason. Click its name to read the report. Shared obstacles such as an unreachable archive remain visible for all sources.

After importing, you see new files, updated metadata, existing content and unresolved cases. “Open archive” opens the result in Finder. Keep the source for later syncs or use “Remove source” to remove the connection. Files on the old drive and in the archive remain. A partial import does not verify the entire contents of the drive.

RAW files and existing XMP sidecars are imported together. Finished pictures in Apple Photos and RAW files on a card are not automatically linked just because their names are similar.

Wait until archive work has finished, then click the eject icon next to the external source. TrueArchive disconnects the corresponding volume. All configured source folders on that volume then become disconnected; their settings stay saved. Wait for the success message. If the drive has other connected volumes, disconnect those too before unplugging it.

The volume containing your archive is not disconnected. The action does not force disconnection and does not apply indiscriminately to every volume on a drive. If macOS reports that the volume is still in use, stop the other access and try again.

Disconnecting makes the source volume temporarily unreachable. “Remove source” only removes the saved connection to a folder and does not eject the drive. Both actions preserve files in the source and archive.

Use the gear next to the source you want to enable “Archive automatically” . Then choose the interval: daily, hourly or every six hours. After errors have stopped a schedule, “Resume schedule” offers another attempt.

Under TrueArchive → Settings → General the “Run schedules” control manages all configured schedules together. Until a schedule is configured, you only see a hint explaining how to enable one at a source. Turning this off prevents further scheduled runs; a sync already running still finishes. Use “Pause” separately to pause a running local operation, or cancel it. There is no second global schedule control on the archive page.

TrueArchive must be running and the Mac awake; the main window may be closed. Missed runs are caught up once. Missing sources wait; after three failed attempts, the affected schedule stops. Open previews are preserved and prevent automatic imports and local keyword tagging, even when another source is displayed.

Apple Photos checks the accessible library in stages, using the saved capture date range. After an app restart, a date range change or an intervening change, a new check round begins; archived resources are recognized. This is not a separate verification of all iCloud content.

Local keyword tagging has its own switch. Automatic keywords explained.

On the archive page, enable “Add keywords automatically” directly. Apple Vision processes new, changed and previously untagged archive pictures on this Mac. It adds at most ten English terms per picture when confidence is high enough; existing keywords and editing data remain. Results are recognized automatically and may be inaccurate.

Videos are skipped. For some RAW formats, macOS does not provide a suitable preview; affected pictures appear in a notice and automatic tagging stops. “Try again” restarts it after the issue is resolved. Turning it off is remembered and also stops ongoing tagging at a safe stopping point. Keywords already added remain.

Analysis runs locally. No picture is sent to an online AI service, and nobody needs to approve pictures individually. The terms are written to the shared XMP under dc:subject. When several sources share the same archive file, it is analyzed only once; separate edit variants stay separate.

Same file, multiple sources: TrueArchive checks the entire file contents. If the media bytes are identical and XMP information is compatible, the existing archive file is reused. The additional origin is added to its shared XMP. Names and source folders may differ. Similar-looking pictures, or a RAW and its finished JPEG, are not automatically considered duplicates.

• Same RAW file, same Nitro edit: one media/XMP pair with multiple origins. Differences only in XML syntax or indentation do not create a new edit.
• Same RAW file, different Nitro edits: each distinct readable edit automatically gets its own media file and XMP when the other metadata is compatible. Both versions can be edited independently. Three distinct recipes therefore result in three preserved variants.
• Importing again: known files, origins and edits are recognized. Repeating the same import should not create more variants.

For example, two drives contain the same RAW file, once in colour and once with a different Nitro edit. Both versions stay in the archive. If you bring the same card again later, those versions are recognized. Separate filenames distinguish the pairs; their relationship is also recorded in the XMP.

Other conflicting metadata: For incompatible ratings, GPS information or third-party XMP fields, the preview shows “Review metadata”. Choose “Keep both versions” to archive separate pairs, or “Review later” to leave the case unresolved. A different Nitro recipe alone does not require this decision. Additional conflicting information still needs review. While other conflicts remain unresolved, the source is not confirmed as complete.

What the result counts mean: “Origin Added” means no additional media file was copied. A preserved edit variant counts as a new file. “Additional Copying Avoided” refers to media bytes not copied again during import; this does not mean additional disk space was freed.

Where did a picture come from? The origin list in the shared XMP contains the source identifier, role and relative file path. For local sources, available drive and selected folder names are included. For Apple Photos, logical items and roles remain associated; albums and keywords are added compatibly. The archive remains readable without a mandatory catalogue database.

Check existing copies: On the archive page, “Check duplicates” starts a read-only run. It checks supported picture, RAW and video formats, distinguishing identical copies, intentional edit variants and hard links. Separate editing data and other file types are outside this scan. Unmanaged or unreadable files also appear as notices. The check can be paused or cancelled; a partial result is not a complete check. Existing copies are not automatically deleted or merged.

None of these steps changes or deletes sources. Nitro recipes in XMP are preserved; additional Nitro files .photo and .photo-edit are still not imported. The status of actual round-trip testing with Nitro and digiKam is listed in the version’s testing notes .

• Originals: unchanged files with their embedded metadata.
• Apple Photos: current edits, accessible albums, date, GPS, favourite status and available editing resources.
• Local sources: existing XMP data, source drive name, selected folder and relative file path. Supported changes are merged with independent archive information; conflicts remain visible.

The current adapter does not provide Apple Photos titles, descriptions, keywords, people or the original time zone. Information already embedded in the original remains intact.

Proprietary editing recipes cannot automatically be edited further in every other app. Nitro files .photo and .photo-edit are not yet imported. Full round-trip testing with Nitro and digiKam is still pending.

The TrueArchive menu bar icon shows the current status and opens the app window.

During checking or importing, the small arrows beside the drive rotate. The icon stays still when idle; pause and issue states have their own fixed marks. If macOS “Reduce Motion” is enabled, the arrows also remain still. Click to see the exact operation and its progress. During a full sync, “Cancel entire sync” also stops all remaining sources.

You can pause local imports and resume them within the same open run. Source and archive must stay connected. Photos export supports cancellation but does not yet support pausing.

After an interruption, select the same archive. If “Interrupted import found” appears, you can start “Recover import” . The app checks the records again and completes clearly prepared steps. Uncertain files are preserved for review.

Create a new preview afterwards. Fully archived pictures are recognized. “No pending imports” is not a full check of all archive files and does not prove that a second backup exists.

If “Archive already in use” appears, wait for the other operation. Do not delete .bildarchiv/write.lock to unlock it.

Yes. The archive consists of ordinary files and XMP sidecars. You can open it in Finder and search it with an existing digiKam installation. Search and face recognition remain digiKam’s responsibility.

TrueArchive does not yet install or configure digiKam. Wait until importing has finished before making changes in the archive.