photos not appearing in media browser

When you are using "Optimize Storage" you should always view the photos first in Photos enlarged to force a download from iCloud, before you try to use them in other applications. The Media Browser can only show you photos, where a preview file is available.

found this article in Apple Support If the Media Browser doesn't show your entire Photos library - Apple Support and it's definitely relevant because I do optimise mac storage. However when I tried the solution of setting up an album and right-clicking to ensure the photos were downloaded to my Mac, I wasn't given any option to 'Download Originals to this Mac.'

This support document needs updating for macOS 10.15 Catalina. The useful option "Download Originals to this Mac' for selected albums only has only been available in Photos 4.0 on Mojave and is no longer available in Photos 5.0 on Catalina, more's the pity. So we have to do this manually and force a download in Photos, so the photos will temporarily be available in the Media Browser.

Since Catalina we should be frugal with the size of the iCloud Photos Library. Do not let it grow so large, that Photos will be forced to remove even some of your Favourite photos, because we can no longer control which photos will stay put.

You have to set up iCloud photo library https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT204264

And its preferences https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/photos/pht5156cc968/4.0/mac/10.14

iCloud Photos

Select the tickbox to turn on iCloud Photos.

• Download Originals to this Mac: To store the original, full-resolution photos both on on your Mac and in iCloud, select this option.

You don't need to sign in with Apple ID and password at www.icloud.com and download original photos again and again , the photos will be synced with the photo application and stored in system photo library folder of the photo application , also its your choice to create albums , the same photos in iCloud.com / system photo library folder and album will be exactly the same if you manually transfer photos to albums .

Regarding attaching photos in mail , open mail application ( the imap account ) , compose a new mail ( use command and N keys and attach the photos https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mail/mlhlp1050/mac

Click on photos , the window will open , drag and drop the desired photo in mail window , fill up the. credentials and send a mail to the recipient .

For desktops and screen savers see this https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207703

As per this article https://support.apple.com/en-za/HT205966

If the Media Browser isn't showing your photos and videos

Use the Media Browser to make images from your photo library available in other apps, like Pages and iMovie. The Media Browser shows only the contents of the Photos library designated as the System Photo Library. If you have more than one Photos library—and the one you're using isn't set as the System Photo Library—the Media Browser won't show its contents.

Follow these steps to designate the current library as the System Photo Library:

1. Choose Photos > Preferences.
2. Click the General button at the top of the Preferences window.
3. Click Use as System Photo Library.

this is already suggested by old toad , as explained the download original photos can be set in photos preferences using iCloud syncing and if you expect you have to manually download the original photos it will not be set up as you had already set up iCloud photos and it preferences , the manually feature of downloading will never be activated as what the articles explain .

We are just members and apple has designed them so you can send a feed back the link https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html

https://www.apple.com/feedback/icloud.html

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

You could send a feature request to Apple and ask for the feature to be added back. perhaps it is a bug, that the feature is now missing, since it is still listed in the Support documents.

You can use this feedback form: http://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html

Hey there writergirl2,

Thanks for posting about this on the Apple Support Communities. I'd be glad to see what I can do to assist you with the issue you mentioned dealing with the Media Browser and your photos.

It sounds like you've taken some great strides in attempting to get this solved already. You mentioned taking the steps in the article to attempt to get this taken care of. When doing so, did you create the album, and then move the photos in question into the folder prior to attempting to select the option to Download Originals to this Mac? This is important as the function would only work if the photos were already in that folder.

Let me know!

Have a great one.

The library has to be set as the System Photo Library in Photos' General preference pane.