Image Capture VERY Slow to import photos and some files are failing to import.

Stumbled on a solution on the stackexchange: on your Phone > Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Set to Keep Originals.

This is a dumb setting, took me so long to figure out the issue. If this is set to Automatic it was up to about 7 hours to convert and transfer ~60 GB of pics and vid. When it was set to Keep Originals it took ~35 minutes. I prefer no conversion too - would rather do that on the Mac. Hope it works for you.

Hello AppleBrianJones,

Thanks for that info and choosing the Apple Support Communities. Based on what you stated, it seems you are experiencing issues with importing pictures from your iPhone to your MacBook Pro with Image Capture. You can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to a user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Next, use safe mode to start up your Mac as it does the following things:

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed
• Loads only required kernel extensions
• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically
• Disables user-installed fonts
• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Log into your user account and test the issue while in safe mode and then restart normally and test the issue again.

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac

Graphics performance limited in macOS Recovery, safe mode, or Guest User mode

Cheers!

I owe you my sanity.

So this one still didn't quite do it for me. Perhaps because I have a late 09 MBP(my 2018 was stolen in Romania this summer) An easy workaround I found was to import the footage to imovie, then open the package contents and move it to the desired folder. I use an external for all of my apple libraries anyway, so its a super fast transfer once it's on the disk.

wow so glad I stumbled on your post else I would have been unknowingly forced by Apple to convert down the quality of all the movies and pix Ive lovingly shot on my X , plus lost my sanity due to incredible waste of time due to said conversions without so much as a message telling you whats going on. In fact I see now my first import on my new phone has downed the quality of all the rather lovely movies I shot in India. I wondered why they took like 36 hours to transfer.

Apple are so great in many ways but sometimes im just like 'HALLO can you just give us users the obvious way to manage our stuff, rather than a handholding that is more like a handcuff.

Now importing at like 1000x speed I was getting before, the actual original quality of my recent photos and vids, Hallelujah

*edit. well, just found they cant be read by photos as they are in a raw format. hum. switch to 'most compatible' in Camera settings methinks. Lifes too short.

This. Changes. Everything.

It worked for me. Thank you for the solution.

Super Super Useful Thanks a lot Sir!

Very Very Very Helpful! Thank you!