Apple Photos: unable to open my existing photo library on external hard drive

Question

Level 1

9 points

Apple Photos: unable to open my existing photo library on external hard drive

I've been using a photos library on external drive for a few years now. Today it's not opening anymore: "The library could not be opened. Photos was unable to open the library “Photos Library.photoslibrary”. (4302)"

The library is pretty big: 1.73 TB, so copying it will be a big challenge.

I tried disc utility first aid, didn't find any issues.

Is there any detailed logs on my Mac I can look into?

Mac OS 12.4

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.4

Posted on Jul 14, 2022 1:42 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

197,291 points

Jul 15, 2022 1:22 AM in response to vovanmix

What else is on the external volume with the Photos Library? A photos Library must not be on a volume used for Time Machine backups or other backup software installed. Can you set the "Ignore ownership on this volume" flag, as described here? Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support. If you can't set this flag, there is a problem with the volume.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

210,585 points

Jul 14, 2022 8:57 AM in response to vovanmix

As a test launch Photos with the Option key held down and try to create a new, test library on the external drive. Import some photos and test to see if the same problem persists. Does it? This tells us if the problem is limited to your current library or is more wide spread.

Have you run any system updates since last successfully opening the library?