FamilyAlbum migration guide
Move photos from FamilyAlbum and keep the story in order.
Save your own copy first, test the dates on real files, then build a private timeline around the memories you already shared.
Before you begin
Keep the originals, then make a copy.
FamilyAlbum can be a meaningful record for a whole family. If you are adding a second home for those memories, begin with its current download, export, or support options and save the files into a folder you control. Product options can change, so use FamilyAlbum’s current help material rather than an old tutorial as the source of truth for getting your own content out.
Do not delete anything from FamilyAlbum while you are moving. Treat the first import as a second home for the files, then check a handful of old, new, and edited photos before making any cleanup decisions.
The practical route
Move photos from FamilyAlbum in four calm steps.
- 1. Use FamilyAlbum’s current download or export path to save a copy of the photos you want to keep. If you cannot find a bulk option, ask its support team about the account’s current export choices.
- 2. Place the saved files in a dated folder on your computer and leave the originals unedited.
- 3. Check a few photos from different years for an embedded capture date. Do not rely only on the date they were downloaded.
- 4. Import a small sample into Our Pear Tree. When it lands correctly, bring in the rest in batches you can verify.
The date check
Do not let a transfer rewrite your history.
An app can show the right date in its timeline while an exported or saved copy has different file metadata. A quick sample import is the only responsible way to see what is preserved in the files you received. If a photo comes through without a usable capture date, we surface that instead of guessing.
Our Pear Tree reads an image’s embedded capture date when the file includes one, then places the photo on that day. If there is no usable capture date, the import labels the lower-confidence filename or file-date clue for review instead of treating it as a fact. You can correct the photo yourself before you rely on its place in the timeline.
A five-minute safety check
Before you import the whole archive.
- Keep the original FamilyAlbum account and downloaded copy until you have checked your imported timeline.
- Test a photo posted long after it was taken, because upload date and capture date are different things.
- Test a photo saved from a shared view separately from a photo you originally uploaded.
- Keep the exported files in their original folders while you test, in case you need to trace one back.
When the sample looks right, bring in the rest. On the web you can drop a folder; on iPhone you can choose from the camera roll. See the full explanation of how date-preserving import works.
Questions
Moving from FamilyAlbum, answered.
Can I move my FamilyAlbum photos even if I keep using it?
Yes. An import can be a private second copy of your own archive. You do not have to close one service before you begin checking another.
Do I need to recreate the whole timeline by hand?
No. When a file retains its capture date, Our Pear Tree files it on that day. The small number that arrive without one are made visible so you can decide what is right.
Why is this guide not a one-click FamilyAlbum importer?
We would rather describe what is true today than promise a connection we do not offer. A tested download-and-import route keeps you in control and works even when another service changes its product or export flow.
Sources and review
Use the current instructions from the service you are leaving.
We checked these public sources on 2 August 2026. Their menus, export options, and account rules can change, so use them as the final word before you move a large archive.
Bring the story over without starting it again.
Start free, keep the originals, and make sure the dates still mean what they meant.
Start freeFree to start · No credit card · Your photos stay yours