Note: If you wish to backup your project to the MC Storage Space, you will need to sign up before backing up your iMovie/Final Cut Pro/GarageBand project.
The very easiest way to get projects from GarageBand on iOS to GarageBand on the Mac is to store those projects in iCloud Drive. If you do that, all you need is to double-click the project in the. You will quickly see where a lot of space is used, and the garageband files, such as the Instrument Library, and Apple Loops should quickly move to the top, so you can move them off. You may even find (if you have ever used Garageband) that there will be Logic folders with some of the files that Garageband might use. The actual GarageBand folder keeps coming back in /Users/Music even if you delete it and have saved your project file on your external hard drive. I believe GB will always recreate that folder, so it will be there, but if you don't use it, it will not be 'the default folder'.
Saving Your Project
In order to save your GarageBand project when you’re ready, simply navigate to the File menu at the top of your screen and select Save As.
In this save window, you can give your project a title at the top. On the left-hand side, click on Desktop in order to save your project to the computer’s Desktop.In the bottom-left corner, uncheck the Hide Extension box, so you can identify your file as a .band file.
Once you’ve named your project, click on Save in the bottom-right corner. This will save your GarageBand project out to the Desktop of the computer you’re working on.
Once your project is saved, you will need to quit out of GarageBand to avoid any errors.
Do not just click the red circle, that does not close the program. Click “GarageBand” then “Quit GarageBand.”
Your saved project file will look like this on the desktop:
Backing Up
Now that you’ve saved your project, you are ready to connect whichever storage method you prefer. This can be a flash drive, an external hard drive, or the Media Commons Storage Space. If you are saving to cloud storage like Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox, simply login to your account from a web browser.
If you are using a flash drive or hard drive, connect it to the iMac via USB. It will show up on the Desktop as an icon, so you can double-click on this icon to open your drive and view its contents.
If you wish to save to the MC Storage Space (after you’ve signed up for a folder), double-click on the Access My MC Storage Space icon out on your Desktop.
Where Are Garageband Files Stored
After your .zip file copies into your drive or uploads fully into your cloud storage account, you are good to go! Your project is now backed up so you can access it later and continue recording and editing.
Restoring
When you are ready to begin working on your GarageBand project again, you will want to access whichever storage device you used to backup your project.
Once you’ve found your .zip file on your drive or downloaded it from cloud storage, you want to make sure to drag it onto your Desktop.