Photo library empty

Hello Michael,

Your description sounds like a Photos Library; if you've deleted it then emptied the bin you have probably lost it, unless you have any backups of your system.

To start with the basics, the Pictures folder in Catalina will look something like this:

The grey sidebar on the left is configurable so yours might not look precisely the same, but it should have a 'Pictures' item as highlighted above. The middle, lined section usually contains only what's shown here, but could have any other content. The blue highlighted bar is the Photos Library, with its default name. (It is possible to change the default name and to have several Libraries with different names.) The filename extension "photoslibrary" shows that it is a Library package, not an ordinary folder. The white sidebar on the right shows a preview of the file. This might not be shown on your system as it can be switched on and off with the View menu, Show or Hide Preview. If it's possible, the preview pane shows the content of the file, such as the photo or the first page of a document. Where that's not possible, it shows the file's or the folder's icon, as it is here. This icon is similar to your description of the folder you deleted.

As said, this is a special folder package. If you double-click it, it should open the Photos app and show the contents of the Library. If you right-click it, you get an option to show the Package contents, which allows you to look inside the package. The contents do not immediately display as pictures, so it's not obvious that it contains any pictures. It's also a very bad idea to go exploring this Package using Finder, as any changes could irreparably damage the Library.

SO, if the actions you describe were done on this file in your system, you have probably lost those pictures. However, if you use Spotlight to search for "pictures", it will find all images on your system as well as filenames that include the word. This gathers together all the images on your disk(s) with previews so you can see what's what. (It will not display pictures inside a Library, though.)

Other ways of recovering pictures if you have no backups: have you ever uploaded them elsewhere? have you emailed them to anyone else or shared them in another way? did they originally come from someone else who might have copies?

Hope this helps; good luck,

Stephen

What do you mean by "i am now in a file with about 4000 so i am going threough these to find if i can the ones that are missing"?

Is this a Photos Library file and, if so, have you opened it with Photos app? If it is a Library file, you should not explore it using Finder or similar, or you will damage it.

Later on you write that you've been told (one of) your Library is in the bin, so can't be opened. Is it? If so, drag it out or use the comand 'put it back' then try to open it again.

You might also read Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question, which will get you a quicker, more accurate and useful response. In particular, you could elaborate on "i have tried all sorts of methods to recover without success".

Stephen

Please tap the magnifying glass at the top of your screen to open Spotlight, type Photo Library and see if you have more than one. If you do click on 'Show all in finder' at the bottom and make a note of where they are.

Then close the Photos app and then re-open it while holding the alt key. This will enable you to choose each Photo library in turn until you find the one with your pictures.

Hello Michael,

Humble apologies - I am niether critical of nor impatient with you.

The point is that the more information you can give about the details of your issue, the more people can identify what might be the problem, even to the extent of 'ah, I recognise that, this is what to do to fix it'. It's not about you (or anyone else) making mistakes, it's about identifying clearly what happened, on which system, and what might be the cause, so that it can be fixed.

michaelfromphuket wrote:

I opened my photo library and it was empty, i then tried to find the missing photos and a box appeared stating that the photos library could not be opened as it was in the bin.

What happened to your system between the last time you used the Library successfully and the time when you found it empty? Were there any system updates, for example? Did you do any other work with files in between times?

What actions did you take to try to find the missing photos? What actions led you from opening an empty Library to the point where the system identified a Library in the bin? Was your bin empty at the time?

These questions are not to criticise, they are to elicit information. They're no different to those that I ask someone when I'm in direct contact and giving help.

Don't give up - I came to this forum initially seeking help and it's taught me a lot since.

All the best,

Stephen

Clearly your pictures have not found their way to the library you just set up today. Where is the one you set up "a couple of days ago"?

You're welcome - and age gets to us all ;-)