Photo Library Empty

Photos

grey2362 wrote:

How can I take the 36 photos and put them into the whole collection of photos?

You can export them from the other library and importing into your main library:

• Open the other library (quit Photos, then hold down the options key ⌥ while launching Photos again and select the other library)
• Now select all photos in the library with the keyboard shortcut ⌘A.
• Go to the menu "File" ans use the command "File > Export > Export unmodified original" and save the photos in a folder.
• Quit Photos and switch back to the main library.
• Drag the folder with exported photos into the sidebar of Photos (Below "My Albums"). This will import the photos into a new album. Alternately use the command "File > Import" and select the folder with the exported image files.

How can I make sure the library with all 500+ photos pops up every time?

Photos will automatically use the library you have used the last time. As long as you are keeping the library in a supported location, for example in the Pictures folder, it should open automatically each time you launch Photos.

And when airdropping photos, is there a way to put them directly into the library? I swear on my old 2011 Mac whenever I airdropped photos I could drag and drop them from Finder into Photos, but now that does not seem to work for me.

When you Airdrop a photo, it should appear in the Downloads folder. If you sort the Downloads folder by the "Date Added", you can find the new photos easily and drag them from Downloads onto the Photos icon in the Dock.

If you are regularly importing from your iPhone, it would be less trouble to use iCloud Photos. Then the photos on your Mac (in your System Photos Library syncing with. iCloud) and on the iPhone will always be identical and you will not have to worry about importing into the correct library or transferring new photos separately.

Use iCloud Photos to store photos in iCloud - Apple Support

Hi

How did you import the photos from your phone? Did you connect with a cable, and go direct to photos? Do you use iCloud photos? Any other way?

Are you sure they are not there? Are you looking at the all photos view? (Click photos top left in the sidebar under library, then "all photos" in the top middle where you can select years/months/days)

Also look in the imports folder. That should show a history of all the times you imported photos to your library.

Have you at any time opened a different library - either by double clicking it, or holding down the option key when starting photos. If you still don't see your photos in the all photos view, or in the imports folder, try holding down the option key when starting photos, and see if more than one library is listed.

Have you checked the filter in Photos? There is a menu "Showing: " in the upper right corner of the Photos window. It should be set to "All Photos".

Are you using external drives with your Mac? The Photos library where you imported the photos, may be on a different volume. Check all external volumes you ever used for the missing photos.

You mentioned you imported the photos last year. What happened in between?

Are the photos still on the iPhone or did you delete them from the iPhone?