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Phase 2 — Data Migration

Goal: Move all existing photos and documents from Google Photos, Google Drive, and iCloud into the UNAS2.

Time estimate: 2–4 hours active work + 1–2 days waiting for Google Takeout to prepare exports
What you need: UNAS2 running and accessible on your home network, a Mac on the same network, Google account credentials for both accounts, wife's iPhone
Prerequisites: Phase 1 complete (UNAS2 configured with Shared Drives and SMB enabled)

Overview

Migration happens across five streams:

Stream Source Destination
A Bipin's Google Photos Photos_Bipin
B Bipin's Google Drive Documents_Bipin
C Ahana's Google Photos Photos_Ahana
D Ahana's Google Drive Documents_Ahana
E Ahana's iPhone photos Photos_Ahana/Camera (via PhotoSync — Phase 3)

Start the Takeout exports first — they take time to prepare on Google's end (anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days). Kick them off, then do everything else while you wait.

PC photos (older years): Bipin's photos from years prior to the Takeout export (2022, 2023, 2024 etc.) are stored on the home PC. These will be copied directly to Photos_Bipin when back at the PC. This is a manual step — no Takeout needed, just drag and drop into the mapped NAS drive.

Step 1 — Start Bipin's Google Takeout Export

Do this from a browser logged into Bipin's Google account.

  1. Go to takeout.google.com
  2. Click Deselect all at the top
  3. Scroll and tick only:
  4. Google Photos
  5. Google Drive
  6. Scroll to the bottom → click Next step
  7. Configure export settings:
  8. Delivery method: Send download link via email
  9. Frequency: Export once
  10. File type: .zip
  11. File size: 10 GB
  12. Click Create export

Google will email download links when ready. This can take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days depending on library size.

Step 2 — Start Ahana's Google Takeout Export

Log into Ahana's Google account in a separate browser or incognito window and repeat Step 1 exactly. Her export should include:

  • Google Photos
  • Google Drive

Download links will be sent to her email. Make sure you have access to her email to download the files when ready.

Step 3 — Map the UNAS2 as a Network Drive on Your Mac

Before copying files, map the relevant Shared Drives so you can drag and drop directly into them from Finder.

  1. Open Finder
  2. In the menu bar → Go → Connect to Server (or press Cmd+K)
  3. Connect to each Shared Drive one at a time: smb://192.168.1.2/Photos_Bipin smb://192.168.1.2/Documents_Bipin smb://192.168.1.2/Photos_Ahana smb://192.168.1.2/Documents_Ahana
  4. When prompted for credentials, use your File Service Credentials (not your UI account password)
  5. Tick Remember this password in my keychain
  6. Each connected drive appears in Finder under Locations in the left sidebar

Step 4 — Download and Copy Bipin's Takeout Export

When Google emails your download links:

  1. Download all zip files — there may be multiple 10GB chunks
  2. Create a temporary folder on your Desktop called Takeout_Bipin
  3. Extract all zip files into this folder
  4. Inside you will find two subfolders:
  5. Google Photos — photos organised by year and album
  6. Google Drive — all Drive files and folders

Review the Google Photos folder structure before copying: Your export contained the following folders:

Google Photos/
├── Photos from 2021/    ✅ Copy
├── Photos from 2025/    ✅ Copy
├── Photos from 2026/    ✅ Copy
├── Archive/             ✅ Copy
└── Trash/               ❌ Skip — these are deleted photos

About Untitled folders: Check their contents before copying. Delete if they contain nothing useful.

Copy photos to NAS: - Open the mapped Photos_Bipin drive in Finder - Copy the four folders (2021, 2025, 2026, Archive) directly into it - Result on NAS: Photos_Bipin/ ├── Photos from 2021/ ├── Photos from 2025/ ├── Photos from 2026/ └── Archive/

Copy documents to NAS: - Open the mapped Documents_Bipin drive in Finder - Copy the entire contents of the Google Drive folder into it - The folder structure from Google Drive is replicated exactly on NAS

About .json sidecar files: Google Takeout exports each photo with a companion .json metadata file containing timestamps, GPS location, and descriptions. Keep these — do not delete them. Some photo tools can read them to restore correct dates and locations. They are harmless and can always be cleaned up later if needed.

About HEIC files: Some photos may be in HEIC format (Apple's default photo format). These are completely normal — iPhones shoot in HEIC and some would have entered your library via shared photos from Ahana. HEIC files are fully supported on modern devices and apps. No conversion needed.

About previewing HEIC files from NAS: If HEIC files don't preview directly from the mapped NAS drive, copy one to your Desktop and open from there — this is a known macOS SMB quirk, not a file issue. The files are not corrupted.

Step 5 — Download and Copy Ahana's Takeout Export

When Google emails Ahana's download links:

  1. Download all zip files
  2. Extract into a temporary folder called Takeout_Ahana
  3. Review her Google Photos folder structure the same way as Step 4
  4. Copy her Google Photos folders → Photos_Ahana on NAS
  5. Copy her Google Drive contents → Documents_Ahana on NAS

Step 6 — Spot Check Everything

Once all copies are complete:

  1. Open each Shared Drive in Finder
  2. Open a few photos to confirm they display correctly
  3. Open a few documents to confirm they are intact
  4. In UniFi Drive dashboard, confirm storage usage has increased as expected under Storage → each Shared Drive

Do not delete anything from Google Photos or Google Drive yet. Wait until Phase 3 (auto-backup) is fully running and Phase 7 (Backblaze) is set up before removing anything from Google. You want at least two independent copies before deleting from cloud.

Step 7 — Clean Up

  1. Delete the temporary Takeout_Bipin and Takeout_Ahana folders from your Mac — no longer needed
  2. Eject the mapped NAS drives from Finder when done
  3. Note the approximate storage used in UniFi Drive dashboard

Google Takeout exports expire and are automatically deleted from Google's servers after 7 days — no manual deletion needed.

Pending — PC Photos (Older Years)

Bipin's photos from years not covered by the Takeout export (2022, 2023, 2024 etc.) are stored on the home Windows PC. When back at the PC:

  1. Map Photos_Bipin as a network drive on Windows: \\192.168.1.2\Photos_Bipin
  2. Enter File Service Credentials when prompted
  3. Copy the relevant year folders directly into Photos_Bipin
  4. Maintain the same year-based folder structure for consistency

Verification Checklist

  • [ ] Bipin's Google Takeout export downloaded
  • [ ] Ahana's Google Takeout export downloaded
  • [ ] UNAS2 Shared Drives mapped in Finder
  • [ ] Bipin's Google Photos copied to Photos_Bipin
  • [ ] Bipin's Google Drive copied to Documents_Bipin
  • [ ] Ahana's Google Photos copied to Photos_Ahana
  • [ ] Ahana's Google Drive copied to Documents_Ahana
  • [ ] All files spot checked and opening correctly
  • [ ] Temporary Takeout folders deleted from Mac
  • [ ] PC photos (older years) copied to Photos_Bipin (pending — when back home)

Troubleshooting

Google Takeout taking too long: Large libraries can take up to 48 hours. Check progress at takeout.google.com under Manage your exports.

SMB connection refused or credentials rejected: Confirm you are using File Service Credentials, not your UI account password. If forgotten, go to UniFi Drive → People → select user → Settings → Assignment → File Services Credentials and reset them.

Cannot see UNAS2 on the network: Confirm UNAS2 is powered on and ethernet is connected. Try connecting directly via smb://192.168.1.2 in Finder → Go → Connect to Server.

HEIC files not previewing from NAS: Known macOS SMB quirk. Copy the file to Desktop and open from there. Files on the NAS are not corrupted.

Copy stalling or slow: Connect your Mac to the router via ethernet for the duration of the copy — wired transfers to the NAS are significantly faster than WiFi.

Zip files failing to extract: Re-download that specific chunk from the Google email link. Each 10GB chunk can be downloaded independently.

Phase 2 complete. Proceed to Phase 3 — Auto Photo Backup.