Which ever option I choose in Photos > settings > iCloud since the Sonoma OS I cannot copy & paste only some of the images in the Photo app into a Mail message. Why might this be happening and only with some not all photos?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15
Do you have "Optimize Mac Storage" enabled? If you do and the photos you're trying to get into Mail are optimized that would prevent you from copying and pasting. The photos should have a small cloud with a down arrow next to them.
The first things to try are these:
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
The idea is to find out if the problem is with the Library, with your account, or with caches and login items, and stuff like that. One of these steps may fix the problem, but their failure to work also helps figure out what's happening.
I guess you have restarted your computer, right?
The next best thing to do is to re-start in Safe Mode. Nothing weird about it, but which buttons you push depends on whether you have an Apple Silicon (M1, M2, etc) computer or and intel one--you didn't say. Print or photograph the instructions for your Mac (I always forget them, so I want a copy to look at) and follow them. Try things out, and then re-boot in regular mode.
Old Toad's suggestion is a good one (of course.) Can you Export these particular pictures to a folder on your Desktop? Can you drag that to Mail? Can you, after exporting, copy that picture from Photos to Mail?
Jun deselecting Optimize Mac Storage won't do it. I don't use iCloud Library but if you clic on an image with the cloud icon it will start downloading the fill sized version to use.
If you want to get all of your optimized photos into your library here's one way to do that:
1 - create a new, empty library.
2 - make it your System Photos Library.
3 - enable iCloud library. (DO NOT enable Optimize Mac Storage)
4 - keep Photos open and in the background. You may want to leave your Mac on at might (but NOT sleeping) as the download can take a week or more depending on the size of the library.
NOTE: Make sure you have enough room on the volume you're downloading to to house the full sized library!
You don't need to use iCloud Photos. But it seems you already are with "Optimize Mac Storage" enabled so you need to get a full sized library from iCloud before you can stop using iCloud Photos.
Well one question then, is it possible that some photos/images that are saved from the internet are 'time limited' in how long one can 're-use them'. This inability to copy&paste is only happening with such images saved into Photos from the internet (and only some of them); and not with any personal photographs that are in my Photo app. And when such photos are in a message from when they were copy&pasting, they will copy&paste from that message in Mail, but the same image will not allow to be copy&pasted out of the Photos app.
Can you help me diagnose the possible situation when this is the case:
the same image (only those saved in Photos that are from the internet and not personal photos with which this is not an issue) -- the same image will go to Mail if I side click it and choose 'share > mail' but not when I choose
Edit> copy --- does that observation give you some information as to the possible cause of the issue?
And another piece of information for assessment, without the more drastic measures of SafeMode (for a beginner in computer knowledge): I sent the image with the issue to another computer, saved it to Photos on that computer and was able to copy&paste it into a Mail message without any issue.
The SafeMode idea, in my reading the link you provided would be to kind of 'clean up' my Photos app; correct?
Hi Old Toad, thank you for your consideration of my challenge.
I unchecked this option to optimize Mac storage, but it made no difference; yet:
do I need to wait for 'the Cloud' changes to 'kick in' perhaps and see if it makes
a difference, in what 24-48 hours? Or is that time to kick-in only related to
other functions at Photo's relationship with iCloud?
I am up to date in updates; and I did 'restart'. It is an M2 chip Sonoma OS on a Mac Air. I read the instructions at the helpful link that you provided but for my competent (confidence) level I'll ask for help from Apple Support to walk me through it -- I am 76 years, so from a pre-technical age. Having a hard-copy of the instructions is also very helpful, thank for the reminder.
Your final suggestion a bit complicated, and if I need to use these several but not too many images in this category of not Edit>copy&paste function from the Photos app to MacMail, then I think, for me, simpler to sidekick the photo in Photos > Share> and it does appear in a new message at Mail (to be used as I wish) -- why this might be the case and what is says about the issue was what I am hoping to learn from those who have more experience than myself on the message board.
Thank very much for your attention.
I would like, not to use iCloud Photos; as I have an external hard drive since I started using it on my first computer; but I'm confused and fearful that if I deselect that option that I'll lose those images everywhere that iCloud syncs with. There is something about that but when I read about it, I can't it, in a simple enough way to understand what the consequences would be.
What effect would it have on my Mail App on my (with current updates all in place) MacAir 2022 M2 Sonoma OS: if I deselect iCloud Library in the Photos> settings?
It would be such a relief to know from a reliable source.
I am happy with the resolution of the images and photos that I have in my Mac Photos app as they are now so as far as size they on copying and pasting successfully now seems to be what they were before upgrading from Monterey to Sonoma, when the issue began.
Wondering, did you read my reply to myself that issue is resolved.
In this response you said: "full sized library", meaning? - all the images/photos?; full resolution?; or the actual size of the photos? or something else?
I can actually drag them to the desktop and then use them in mail. I had deselected Optimize Mac Storage as Old Toad suggested but that did not work in allowing me to copy and paste from Photos to mail -- not by itself at any rate. What I have decided to do, is to follow the "help" panels instructions to "stop using iCloud Photos". But before doing that, as advised by Apple Support chat service, I when to Photos > settings > iCloud> deselect iCloud Photos as the first step. It is working: the images are all able to be copy & pasted into Mail now. I have been assured that this stopping to use iCloud Photos on Sonoma will not effect the pictures in my Photos app on my Mac being deleted when that happens at iCloud Photos (at the end of the 30 day period that is given for the stop action to be fully implemented for iCloud Photos). I hope my understanding has been correct.
Before I try these things can you tell me why some photos only would have this issue?
Before you try those things, no.
Photos, why don't they copy & paste from that app to Mail
