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"Missing File"
Photos with unavailable original files cannot be opened.
The original photo “cook-2.jpg” is either offline or cannot be found. Click “Find Original” to reconnect."
Nothing works when I try to open these photos that have been downloaded from a professional photographer. They used to open, so downloading isn't the problem. Help!
MacBook Pro Retina
Hi
Do you have the "copy items..." check box checked in photos preferences. If not, this is what Russ is referring to as a referenced library - and is not recommended for the photos app by experts here for the reasons explained in the link that Russ provided. It means the image files are stored external to the library - where they were when you imported them, and the library only keeps links to the external files. If you move the external files, or rename them, or manipulate them in any way (including transferring everything to a different drive), then photos will lose those links, and lacks the tools to easily reconnect them, except one at a time, and you have to find them manually. You have to know where they have been moved to.
If this is the case, then your best bet will be to find all the photos imported in this way, Remove them from the photos library, then re-import them after checking the "copy items...." checkbox.
You can easily find any referenced photos in your library using a smart album as shown in the second screenshot.
Hi
Do you have the "copy items..." check box checked in photos preferences. If not, this is what Russ is referring to as a referenced library - and is not recommended for the photos app by experts here for the reasons explained in the link that Russ provided. It means the image files are stored external to the library - where they were when you imported them, and the library only keeps links to the external files. If you move the external files, or rename them, or manipulate them in any way (including transferring everything to a different drive), then photos will lose those links, and lacks the tools to easily reconnect them, except one at a time, and you have to find them manually. You have to know where they have been moved to.
If this is the case, then your best bet will be to find all the photos imported in this way, Remove them from the photos library, then re-import them after checking the "copy items...." checkbox.
You can easily find any referenced photos in your library using a smart album as shown in the second screenshot.
Have you recently moved the Photo library to a different drive.
It sounds as though you may be using a 'referenced' library, i.e. the photos are kept outside of the Photos library rather than within it.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250002591
Have you recently deleted files in your download folder or elsewhere?
Thanks for taking the time to answer me!
I was able to download some of the professional pictures again and they seem fine now. Lots of photos still get a message saying "missing file". I wonder if it has something to do with moving them around from folder to folder? Looking through my "photos" library, it seems to be mostly things that I have scanned that gets that "missing file" message. Does that make sense?
"missing file" when opening photo in Photos
