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Greying of photos after opening thumbnails

When I open thumbnails in photos on iMac computer some of them appear grey background with a triangle & exclamation mark in triangle.


How to correct this please??

Posted on Jul 21, 2019 4:05 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jul 21, 2019 5:12 AM

Which version of Photos and MacOS X do you have installed? A warning triangle can mean two things:

  • Either the original image file is missing
  • or it cannot be opened because of an incompatible file format, for example, if the images are in a RAW format.

To check the format of the image files: What is the filename extension of the image files, that cannot be opened correctly? What is the source of the photos?

If the filename extension is .heic of .heif, you may need to upgrade the system of the mac to a newer system (Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support).


To check, if the photos are missing, try to export the unmodified originals. Select a photo and use the command "File > Export > Export unmodified original". Can Photos export the file? Can Preview open the exported file? Are you getting an error message?




1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Jul 21, 2019 5:12 AM in response to gardenimirie

Which version of Photos and MacOS X do you have installed? A warning triangle can mean two things:

  • Either the original image file is missing
  • or it cannot be opened because of an incompatible file format, for example, if the images are in a RAW format.

To check the format of the image files: What is the filename extension of the image files, that cannot be opened correctly? What is the source of the photos?

If the filename extension is .heic of .heif, you may need to upgrade the system of the mac to a newer system (Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support).


To check, if the photos are missing, try to export the unmodified originals. Select a photo and use the command "File > Export > Export unmodified original". Can Photos export the file? Can Preview open the exported file? Are you getting an error message?




Greying of photos after opening thumbnails

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