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Error when trying to export JPEGs from Photos

When I try to export certain photos from my library, I get this error message:


"The operation could not be completed. (Cocoa error -1.)"


It seems to happen when trying to export JPEGs - but not all of them.


Any ideas?


(I'm using Photos for Mac on a MacBook running Big Sur)

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.1

Posted on Dec 30, 2020 5:31 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 2, 2021 4:31 AM

Resolved. It looks like something corrupted these during 2020. I have restored the 31 December 2019 library from a backup, and manually re-added all of my 2020 photos. Problem solved - but the mystery will live on!

6 replies

Dec 30, 2020 5:40 AM in response to Patrick Robinson

Could you please give us some background information?

Are you exporting the photos as the unmodified originals or as edited versions?

Where is your Photos Library stored? In your Pictures folder or somewhere else?


Where are you exporting the photos to? To an external volume? And how many files are you trying to export at once?


Can you export the JPEGs one at a time, and to a folder on your Desktop? Or are some photos giving the same error, even when exported separately and to a local folder on your system volume?


Photos for Mac is currently having problems to export several photos at once, if two selected photos are having the same filename.Usually it is working better, when exporting in small groups, so there are no duplicate filenames within the selection. Or to export with a subfolder scheme, for example "Moment name".


Dec 30, 2020 5:57 AM in response to Patrick Robinson

That is not good. Can Photos work with these photos at all? When you try to view one of the photos enlarged and the edit it?

Are you using iCloud Photos?


I have seen this error only, when the iPhoto Library got damaged., for example by cleaning software to remove duplicates. Have you been running any software to free storage automatically? Do you remember what you have been doing before the problem started?




Jan 1, 2021 6:53 AM in response to léonie

Photos can't work with these photos at all. It shows the image - but they can't be edited or exported at all. I'm not using iCloud.

It's like the underlying files have disappeared, and all I can see is the cached version.

I do have a programme running to free storage automatically (Dr Cleaner) but I don't recall ever having asked it to clean out my photos...

The thing is, I can't identify when this might have happened, as I've only just noticed the issue. I will try restoring a much earlier version of my Photo Library and see if they can be recovered that way.

Any other suggestions?

Jan 2, 2021 5:13 AM in response to Patrick Robinson

I suspect the cleaning software has done this. I would stop using this app and uninstall it. Apple has removed Dr. Cleaner together with Adware Doctor and Dr. Antivirus in 2018 from the AppStore because it turned out to be spyware. These applications installed malware to steal your data. If you are still using one of them, get rid of them by uninstalling them completely, for example with https://www.malwarebytes.com


Quite a few cleaning applications are recklessly deleting any apparent duplicate file, even from media libraries, and breaking links and causing a lot of trouble. I would not use any application that pretends to clean my Mac summarily, by cleaning caches or removing duplicate files auto magically.



Error when trying to export JPEGs from Photos

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