Moving or copying a mosaic dataset

The easiest way to move a mosaic dataset is by creating a copy. After you verify that copying occurred correctly, you can delete the original.

To create a copy of a mosaic dataset, use the copy and paste capabilities in the Catalog window or use the Copy tool. In the Catalog window, right-click the mosaic dataset, choose Copy, then right-click the receiving geodatabase and click Paste. You can also drag and drop a mosaic dataset from one geodatabase to another—this makes a copy; it doesn't move the dataset.

Caution:

You cannot use the Copy Raster tool to copy a mosaic dataset. If you use it, you will find that the output is a single raster dataset.

When you copy a mosaic dataset, all the contents within the mosaic dataset are copied, including the footprints, the boundary, and any overviews, and so on. However, if the overviews were created outside the mosaic dataset, they will not be copied along with the mosaic dataset.

Since mosaic datasets contain references to their source data, these paths are not altered as part of the copy operation. Therefore, when you move or copy your mosaic dataset to another computer, if the paths to the source rasters have changed, you will have to update the paths. If the mosaic dataset is moved or copied within the same computer, the paths are likely the same and will not be affected.