Photos for Mac does not import photos anymore.

Hi,

the Photo app on my MacBook Pro does not import new photos anymore. I can select them from anywhere on my Mac but it gets stuck at 0/... and no importing takes place:

I am using photo Version 8.0 (511.0.180) and an external drive, where the library is stored, but there is more than than 100GB free memory. It also worked before and I think occurred after upgrading OS to 13.0.1.

I already tried to repair the library, no success.

Any Ideas? Thanks a lot in advance.


MacBook Pro

Posted on Jan 3, 2023 04:15 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 4, 2023 08:22 AM

It's good that you have tried repairing the library-- that's always a first step. (Well, after restarting the computer, of course.)


I'm worried that you might have your library stored on an external drive that is not formatted for Mac. If a Photos Library is stored on an external drive it must be formatted in either APFS format or in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. If you're using exFAT or some other format, you can't get full functionality, and it can even damage the connections needed for the Photos database. The format of the external drive must be verified before trying anything else.


Another question I have is, how are you importing these pictures? Do you use a cable or iCloud or AirDrop? Are you using Photos>Import? Have you tried the app Image Capture from your Applications folder?


If nothing else works, then try starting in Safe Mode (this is different for different computers)

           Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support 


Safe Mode bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes, including automatic login items.


Also, how are your preferences set, especially:


In Photos>Preferences>General,

Is "Use as System Photo Library" grayed out (indicating it is) or solid (indicating this isn't your system library)?

Is "Copy Item to the Photos Library" checked? (This is the default, indicating a "Managed Library")


In Photos>Preferences>iCloud

Is "iCloud Photos" checked?

If it is, is "Optimize Mac Storage" check?


Let us know what happens.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 4, 2023 08:22 AM in response to ebreustedt

It's good that you have tried repairing the library-- that's always a first step. (Well, after restarting the computer, of course.)


I'm worried that you might have your library stored on an external drive that is not formatted for Mac. If a Photos Library is stored on an external drive it must be formatted in either APFS format or in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. If you're using exFAT or some other format, you can't get full functionality, and it can even damage the connections needed for the Photos database. The format of the external drive must be verified before trying anything else.


Another question I have is, how are you importing these pictures? Do you use a cable or iCloud or AirDrop? Are you using Photos>Import? Have you tried the app Image Capture from your Applications folder?


If nothing else works, then try starting in Safe Mode (this is different for different computers)

           Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support 


Safe Mode bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes, including automatic login items.


Also, how are your preferences set, especially:


In Photos>Preferences>General,

Is "Use as System Photo Library" grayed out (indicating it is) or solid (indicating this isn't your system library)?

Is "Copy Item to the Photos Library" checked? (This is the default, indicating a "Managed Library")


In Photos>Preferences>iCloud

Is "iCloud Photos" checked?

If it is, is "Optimize Mac Storage" check?


Let us know what happens.

Jan 8, 2023 05:27 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thanks again for your answer!

It is indeed exFAT format. Is there any chance to get it working without formatting the external SSD? It's a bit strange because it worked well before.

I used Photos>Import and tried to click and pull them in the album. I am not importing from IPhone but from another folder on my mac. Therefore Image Capture does not show anything.

I will try the Safe Mode next.

"Use as System Photo Library" is grayed out.

"Copy Item to the Photos Library" is checked.

I cloud fotos is deactivated.

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Photos for Mac does not import photos anymore.

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