Photo error 4301 after auto update on iPhone

After auto updating, I can't access photos.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: photo error4301

iMac 21.5″, macOS 13.7

Posted on Aug 9, 2025 01:57 PM

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1 reply

Aug 9, 2025 04:44 PM in response to osprey nancy

You didn't give us much information. For instance, where is your Library located? If it's on an external drive, then to avoid damaging the Photos Library the drive must be formatted in either APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. The drive must be connected directly to the Mac by cable, not networked, clouded, NASed, etc. Additionally, the drive can not have had Time Machine on it since it was formatted. There have been so many problems with using incompatible drives that the newest macOSs, starting with Ventura, won't even allow a Library on a non-Mac formatted drive to open, since there is a chance of damaging the Photos database. See this:

Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support


If this drive is in a an incompatible format, stop running Photos with it immediately!  A Photos Library can sit on an incompatible drive, but running it may corrupt the database.


Photos that have been kept on incompatibly formatted drives but which appeared to work in an older OS may already be damaged, so they may behave awkwardly even when they are copied to a compatible drive. If that's the case, then you may need to re-build the Library.


Is this the situation for you?


Photo error 4301 after auto update on iPhone

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