Puzzled: Photos iCloud sync not the same count on all devices

We have an old Mac Book Pro with Sierra 10.12.6 an iPad2 with iOs 12.5.7 and an iPhoneSE2 with iOs 16.6 installed.

All sync to iCloud with the same Apple ID. There is enough storage on iCloud.

Photos takes about 174GB. There are 24.888 pictures and 1.192 videos on iCloud.

We have checked this on iPhone, iPad and iCloud.com. They are all in sync.

On the Mac, however the count is: 24.979 photos and 1.194 videos.

Is says: synced just now.

There is no "failed to upload" album or anything like it.

Safe mode didn't help, stopping the sync from Photos preferences and restarting it didn't help, I don't know what to attempt next to solve the puzzle.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Aug 7, 2023 01:48 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 9, 2023 01:40 AM

Hello @K_Faith,


Thank you so much for taking the time to post your reply to my question.


I had already performed an extensive search on Discussions and the Photo’s Help feature but found no answers there.


Replying to your proposed steps - most of which I am familiar with and had already carried out before posting.


”Check the status of your library in Photos”


On iCloud Photos:

  • 24.900 Photos, 1.192 videos


On iPhone AND iPad: 

  • 24.900 Photos, 1.192 Videos
  • Synced with iCloud just now


On MacBook Pro:

  • 24.991 Photos, 1.194 Videos
  • Synced with iCloud just now


“What your status message means”

Thank you for explaining the meaning of status messages, none of them have appeared.


“If your photos still aren't syncing to iCloud”

They are. It’s just the Mac that is out of sync.


“Connect your device to power”

The Mac is connected to power, WiFi and Ethernet Gigabit

“Check your Apple ID”

I did. All devices are signed in to iCloud with the same apple ID


“Learn how to sign in to iCloud”

Thanks. I already am familiar with this procedure.

Also checked the Photo count on iCloud. It’s the same as the iPhone/iPad counts.


“Check which Library view you're in”

I have. I’m NOT in a shared Library view.

No problems at all with the shared albums, either sharing or shared with me.

Like I posted before, the Mac is on Sierra 10.12.6, the iPad2 has iOs 12.5.7 and the iPhoneSE2 is running iOs 16.6.


Doing the math, the Mac has 91 photos and 2 videos more than there are on iCloud.

This mac has NO iCloud Shared Library.

It is using the System Library. There are NO other Libraries.

It has been on and connected to power and internet for more than three days and nights in a row now.

Makes no difference if the Photo’s app is running or not.

Safe mode didn’t help either, just made the performance slower.

I have made screenshots of the library status to compare. Nothing changed. Item counts remain the same.


Using the Mac as main device for managing the library. This really needs solving.

Any other ideas? 

Thanks.

Similar questions

8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 9, 2023 01:40 AM in response to K_Faith

Hello @K_Faith,


Thank you so much for taking the time to post your reply to my question.


I had already performed an extensive search on Discussions and the Photo’s Help feature but found no answers there.


Replying to your proposed steps - most of which I am familiar with and had already carried out before posting.


”Check the status of your library in Photos”


On iCloud Photos:

  • 24.900 Photos, 1.192 videos


On iPhone AND iPad: 

  • 24.900 Photos, 1.192 Videos
  • Synced with iCloud just now


On MacBook Pro:

  • 24.991 Photos, 1.194 Videos
  • Synced with iCloud just now


“What your status message means”

Thank you for explaining the meaning of status messages, none of them have appeared.


“If your photos still aren't syncing to iCloud”

They are. It’s just the Mac that is out of sync.


“Connect your device to power”

The Mac is connected to power, WiFi and Ethernet Gigabit

“Check your Apple ID”

I did. All devices are signed in to iCloud with the same apple ID


“Learn how to sign in to iCloud”

Thanks. I already am familiar with this procedure.

Also checked the Photo count on iCloud. It’s the same as the iPhone/iPad counts.


“Check which Library view you're in”

I have. I’m NOT in a shared Library view.

No problems at all with the shared albums, either sharing or shared with me.

Like I posted before, the Mac is on Sierra 10.12.6, the iPad2 has iOs 12.5.7 and the iPhoneSE2 is running iOs 16.6.


Doing the math, the Mac has 91 photos and 2 videos more than there are on iCloud.

This mac has NO iCloud Shared Library.

It is using the System Library. There are NO other Libraries.

It has been on and connected to power and internet for more than three days and nights in a row now.

Makes no difference if the Photo’s app is running or not.

Safe mode didn’t help either, just made the performance slower.

I have made screenshots of the library status to compare. Nothing changed. Item counts remain the same.


Using the Mac as main device for managing the library. This really needs solving.

Any other ideas? 

Thanks.

Aug 8, 2023 11:41 AM in response to TRATRA

Hello TRATRA,


Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with iCloud Photos not syncing as expected. Try the steps here to see if they resolve the issue: If your iCloud Photos aren't syncing to your device - Apple Support


"If your iCloud Photos aren't syncing to your device

If your photos or videos won't sync to iCloud Photos on your device, learn how to check the status of your photo library and what to do if you see a status message. 


Check the status of your library in Photos

If your photos aren't syncing, check the status bar in the Photos app for a status message, then follow the onscreen directions or learn what your status message means

On your iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Photos app. 
  2. In the Library tab, tap All Photos.
  3. Scroll to the bottom to see the status bar. 
  4. The status bar at the bottom of the Photos app shows that 3 items are syncing to iCloud.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Select Library in the Photos sidebar.
  3. Click All Photos in the toolbar at the top of the window, then scroll to the bottom.



What your status message means

If your iCloud Photos aren't syncing, do not turn iCloud Photos off. Syncing with iCloud might be paused for a variety of reasons, including if you turn on certain device settings or need more iCloud storage.

If you see Saving Cellular Data or Low Cellular Data Mode

iCloud Photos automatically pauses syncing until you're connected to Wi-Fi for a variety of reasons. If this happens, you might see a status message and the option to Sync Now. To sync your photos to iCloud, tap Sync Now. Or, turn off Low Data Mode

If you see Saving Battery Power or Low Power Mode

iCloud Photos temporarily pauses syncing if your device is on Low Power Mode or if it's low on power. To sync your photos to iCloud, you can charge your device's battery, turn off Low Power Mode, or tap Sync Now next to the status message.

If you see Waiting to Sync

If you see a status message that says Waiting to Sync, make sure that your device is connected to the internet and wait a few minutes for the sync to complete.

If your iCloud storage is full or almost full

If you exceed your iCloud storage limit, photos and videos won't sync to iCloud and your library won’t stay up to date across your devices. To continue using iCloud Photos, you can upgrade your storage plan or reduce the amount of storage that you're using.

If you see Move Photos to Personal Library to Continue Syncing

If you're a participant in an iCloud Shared Photo Library and the owner's storage is full, you won't be able to sync your Personal Library until the Shared Library owner upgrades their storage plan or reduces the amount of storage that they're using. 



If your photos still aren't syncing to iCloud

Learn what to do if you don't see a status message at the bottom of the Photos app that explains why your photos aren't syncing, or syncing is taking a long time. If you see a Couldn’t Sync [number of items] to iCloud status message, learn how to move these photos to your library

Connect your device to power

If your device seems to be stuck on a status message that says Syncing [number of items] to iCloud or Syncing with iCloud…, connect your iPhone or iPad to power and to Wi-Fi.

Check your Apple ID

Make sure that you signed in to iCloud with the correct Apple ID on your device.

Learn how to sign in to iCloud

Check which Library view you're in

If you set up iCloud Shared Photo Library in iOS 16.1 or later, iPadOS 16.1 or later, or macOS Ventura or later, check which Library view you're in. When you move photos to your Shared Library, you no longer see them in your Personal Library. You also won't see photos moved to your Shared Library if you're on a device with an earlier version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS or if the iCloud Shared Photo Library owner has run out of iCloud storage.

Learn how to switch between your Personal Library and Shared Library"


We hope this helps.


Cheers!


Aug 10, 2023 06:55 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Well, the outcome was: 1 photo (one!)

I deleted the culprit, and left the machine running overnight.

Nothing changed. No difference in item count when I checked this morning.

Then I instructed my partner (who's library it really is) to start cleaning up, i.e. deleting any pictures or videos that were not good enough for keeping.

The items were deleted from the iPhone, which is the most recent device from all three.

Now I can see that the Photos album in the MBP is trying to keep up, that is, the numbers are changing but still not in sync with what's on iCloud.

Aug 10, 2023 06:54 AM in response to TRATRA

Well, the outcome was: 1 photo (one!)

I deleted the culprit, and left the machine running overnight.

Nothing changed. No difference in item count when I checked this morning.

Then I instructed my partner (who's library it really is) to start cleaning up, i.e. deleting any pictures or videos that were not good enough for keeping.

The items were deleted from the iPhone, which is the most recent device from all three.

Now I can see that the Photos album in the MBP is trying to keep up, that is, the numbers are changing but still not in sync with what's on iCloud.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Puzzled: Photos iCloud sync not the same count on all devices

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