[Feature] Native ability to move assets between storage locations/libraries while preserving metadata (Albums, Favorites)

[gabricocche]

I have searched the existing feature requests, both open and closed, to make sure this is not a duplicate request.

• Yes

The feature

Currently, I use a fast SSD for the upload_location (recent photos) and a large HDD for older photos (External Library). When my SSD fills up, I want to move older photos (e.g., from 2023) to the HDD. However, if I move the files manually via the filesystem:

Immich detects the files as "deleted" from the SSD (removing them from Albums and Favorites).

Immich re-scans them as "new" files on the External Library. Result: I lose all my manual curation (Albums, Favorites) and the process is cumbersome.

I would like a native "Move" or "Archive" function within the Immich Web UI.

Action: Select assets (e.g., "Select all photos from 2023") -> Click "Move to..." -> Select a destination path (e.g., a mapped External Library or a secondary storage path).

Behavior: Immich should physically move the files AND update the database record to point to the new path, preserving the Asset ID (UUID), Album associations, Favorites, and People recognition data.

Currently, the only alternative is to accept the loss of metadata/albums when moving files to cold storage, or to keep everything on a single expensive storage pool.

This feature would effectively enable "Storage Tiering" (Hot storage on SSD for recent years, Cold storage on HDD for archives) without breaking the user experience.

Platform

• Server
• Web
• Mobile

[bo0tzz]

#16394