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Photos app repair glitch

When launching the Photos app (OS 10.14.6) I get a message that the default photo library needs to be repaired. I click "repair" but after it starts, a pop-up window with the same message keeps reappearing. Clicking "repair" here just relaunches the pop up and the repair itself will not continue. I have to force quit the app. I don't know if in fact my library needs to be repaired, as this seems to be a problem with the application itself. How do I proceed? Should I delete the Photos app and reinstall it? Is there a corrupt file somewhere that is causing the problem?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Aug 3, 2020 12:29 PM

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Posted on Aug 6, 2020 10:36 AM

Boot into Safe Mode (How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support) by booting with the Shift key held down and repeat the tests there. Did that help? Reboot normally afterward.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing some system cache cleaning, volume verifying and directory repairing. 



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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 6, 2020 10:36 AM in response to Eleanor Farrell

Boot into Safe Mode (How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support) by booting with the Shift key held down and repeat the tests there. Did that help? Reboot normally afterward.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing some system cache cleaning, volume verifying and directory repairing. 



Aug 5, 2020 4:44 PM in response to Eleanor Farrell

Hello Eleanor,


Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. We know it's important that your photo library is functioning as expected, and it sounds as though you're receiving a message to repair your photo library. Are you following the actions outlined in the article below?


How to use the Photos library repair tool


If so, and the issue continues to persist, it would be best to speak with Creative Media Support for additional assistance. You can connect with them directly at Get Support. They'll be happy to assist.


Best wishes.

Aug 6, 2020 11:28 AM in response to Eleanor Farrell

Where are you storing the Photos Library? Is it in the Pictures folder or somewhere else?

If the library is on an external volume, that is not compatible with Photos, it may not be possible to repair the library there at all or use it.

What have you been doing in Photos before the problem first occurred? Upgraded to anew system? Have you moved the library? Imported new photos or videos? Have you been running any cleaning applications to remove duplicates?


Aug 6, 2020 2:10 PM in response to Eleanor Farrell

Great, that you got it working again. 😊. If Safe Boot did the trick, you may want to check, if you have older software installed, that needs updating. Some older software is using kernel extensions, that can cause problems with the system, and Safe Mode helps to clear up the mess created by old, incompatible software. Are you using any applications, that have not been updated for years?

Photos app repair glitch

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