how to import photos into photos from your desktop

I like to drag the photos directly into photos, if it are only a few. It is working well for me on macOS 11 and macOS 12. Which version are you using?

If the photos are already in a folder you can simply open the destination album in Photos and drag the photos into the open album or onto the album name in the sidebar in photos to import them and to add them to the album at the same time.

Importing by dragging may not work, however, if the files are on iCloud Drive, for example if your Desktop is syncing with iCloud and you are trying to drag from the Desktop. Then you have to ensure, that the photos have been downloaded from iCloud. There must not be a download arrow be shown for the files you want to drag.

For example, I dragged a folder with two images from the Desktop into the Photos Sidebar, and Photos imported only one photo, not two, because one of the photos needed downloading:

You can also drag a folder or selected photos below the the word "my albums" in the sidebar, or into a folder in the sidebar and photos will create a new album.

Importing by drag and drop is fine, but for exporting it is usually not sufficient, because we don't have any control about the quantity of the dragged photos. If the quality of exported photos matters, use File > Export.

You're welcome. 😊

When I drag a photo into the Photos window or onto the Photos icon in the Dock, the photo will appear at the bottom of "Imports", just like when I am using the File > Import dialog.

Using the Photo app works best in my opinion:

Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or PC - Apple Support