ICloud – Photos: Export all images without downloading them

icloudnasphotosphotos.app

I just started using iCloud Photo Library. I uploaded all images using Photos for Mac. Now, I enabled the "Optimize Mac Storage" option, so the full-resolution files are not stored on my Mac. However, I'd like to keep a local backup of all photos stored in iCloud Photo Library (and therefore in Photos for Mac) on my NAS. There is an option to export images.

Is it possible to export all images without downloading them first?
I'd like Photos for Mac to download all images from iCloud Photo Library directly to my NAS, so that they are at not downloaded/stored on my Mac during the export process.

Best Answer

You can do this in a web browser by logging in to iCloud.com and accessing your photos there. Photos get downloaded to your default download location (which usually is ~/Downloads), so change this in Safari Settings first to point to the NAS.