Can't export the whole photo library and many other problems

Hi Vincenzo,

Welcome to the forum. You are doing many of the right things by trying to export your library in batches of 2,000. I will try to answer some of your questions directly. A few general comments first.

• Do you use iCloud Photos, and if so, did all of the photo upload/sync successfully?
• What is the reason for wishing to export the entire library, is this to maintain a back up of your photos?
• The error you see on exporting, is it the same whether you export the unmodified original or the edited version?
• Have you tried repairing the library? This should be done with care as it can create more problems than it solves. This article explains more https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250002264

• You say the originals folder may be missing 384 files. Its possible that the library has become corrupted at some point and you may have the edited version in the library but not the original. I had some instances where I had an edited photo but I couldn't revert to the original. Have you tried exporting the entire library in unmodified form and edited form and comparing the results.

The new version of Photos uses a method of file naming that makes it hard to locate the files by examine the folder structure. A very useful utility is Power Photos by Fat Cat software. If you download this application and right click on your photos it will allow you to find where the original and edited photos are within the file structure of Finder.

You asked if the app is the problem? Its possible but unlikely. The only way to reinstall the application is by reinstalling the OS. However, if you are using a new Mac then the OS will be freshly installed.

Another possible cause, particularly if some of your photos are quite old, is that some of the photos are in a format that is not supported. This article explains more https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250002727

Hi Vincenzo,

How did you get on with Power Photos?

1. OK.
2. I would highly recommend keeping a back up copy of the library in the future as you will then have a backup copy of your original and edited photos as well as any other metadata you add to your photos. Time Machine is good for this as it keeps multiple copies over a period of time.it will containts worth keeping a back upThe reason for my question about iCloud Photos.
3. I'm not aware that Apple has released a list of error codes and their meaning. For a sample of the items which give an error. Can you try finding them in Power Photos and right clicking on them - you should be given the option to open both the original and edited version in Finder. If this greyed out then it means the file is missing and is probably the cause of the export error - you did mention that you think you have 384 photos missing and these could be linked. Within Preferences has the box 'Copy items to library' always been ticked? If you create a smart album with the rule 'Photo is referenced' this will show any photos where the Photos.app keeps a link to the file rather than maintaining a copy of the photo within the library.
4. It might be worth making a copy of the library. Hold down Alt and CMD, then click on the library and select repair library. Once it has finished repairing the library, which can take some time, try exporting all of your photos as above and see if you get any differences in the result.
5. Its interesting you get different results. It might be worth comparing the contents of the two export folders using a program like Deltawalker or Chronosync which will highlight any differences. It could be that the same 684 photos can't be exported in either original or edited form. OR it could be that some photo will only allow you to export the original and others only the edited version. If so, then you can explore the differences further. You say that 384 files are missing, don't forget that when you select Get Info in Finder it will count not only the files themselves, but also the folders. So the number of missing files could be higher (sorry don't want to worry you) and may be closer to the 684 photos you couldn't export.

Just following on from no. 3, for some of the items that can't be exported, try making a small edit to the photo, e.g. crop it slightly and then export again. It sounds odd, but I tried duplicating a number of photos within the library a while back and many of them failed. I made a small edit to them, tried to duplicate them again and it worked fine. It sounds odd I know, but its almost as if making the edit corrected a small corruption in the file and allowed it to be duplicated.

Good luck.

Hi Vincenzo,

You're welcome, hope the comments were of some help.

Its strange that Deltawalker and Chronosync didn't work. Deltawalker is not updated very often but I thought Chronosync was updated quite regularly.

Re the filenames, yes this a recent change in the way Photos handles the photos and it makes it much harder to try and navigate the folders and find a photo, hence suggestion to use Power Photos

If you are sure it is just the library system that is corrupt. You could always create a new, empty library and merge this with the old library using Power Photos, it is just a random thought, but in forcing the merger of the 2 libraries Power Photos may help in rebuilding the library structure and index - can't hurt to try I guess

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Photos, when it is working well, it is simple to use and powerful enough and I like using it. It can handle things like live photos and the various portrait lighting modes from the iPhone. However, it does take a lot more effort to actually maintain the program, handle the workarounds and it is not as resilient as other Apple software. Just yesterday, Photos kept crashing every time I opened a particular photo. The photo was 6 months old, had been taken with iPhone and had been previously edited with Photos. I deleted the photo, recovered it, and now I can edit it fine with Photos - very strange. Then again Photos is a free piece of software, so can't complain too much. As well as Photos I also use Lightroom for all my SLR photos. This is clearly in a different league and far more powerful and although all programs have their bugs, I have found it to be extremely stable, but you have to pay £100 or so per year. There are many other 'paid for' applications out there, so don't feel constrained to one application.