Exclamation mark in triangle on videos from iCloud- why won't they play?

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Level 1

8 points

Exclamation mark in triangle on videos from iCloud- why won't they play?

I am trying to clear out my almost full iCloud, so I opened iCloud on my desktop and I'm trying to delete some videos. I'd like to watch some of these videos to decide if I should keep them, but... After letting it sit over night because it was taking to long to open the first video, I come back to find the yellow triangle with the exclamation mark in it over the video I was trying to open. After trying a few more, which were taken a while back by the way, they all seem to be out of commission. What is going on?

What's the use of having iCloud if you can't open the videos you've backed up?

Note: Coincidentally, my iMac needs an update to OS 11.4. It is running Big Sur v 11.2.3

Thanks! This is my first time using the Apple Community. I hope someone can help!

iMac 21.5″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Jun 3, 2021 5:13 PM

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Answer 1

AppleJen77

Community Specialist

Jun 4, 2021 1:13 PM in response to lilcrabapple

Hello, lilcrabapple!

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities! It sounds like you have an issue with your videos from iCloud not downloading properly to your Mac. Are these videos you're loading from the iCloud website or in the Photos app when you are signed into your iCloud account? Let;s start by checking out this articlke to Get help with iCloud Photos.

Let us know the results and have a terrific day!

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Answer 2

lilcrabapple Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 7, 2021 11:15 PM in response to lilcrabapple

Hi! Thank you for the encouragement. I think I was trying to get to my videos through the iCloud website. I still don't understand why they weren't playing from there, but I followed your nudge to try the Photos app on my home computer and it worked! I had read the article you suggested but I just wasn't sure which set of instructions to follow as I was trying to clear out some space in my iCloud, but I mainly used my iPhone as a camera and all of my pictures and videos were on there. I had never used iPhoto on my desktop and I didn't realize that I could manage my photos from there! The videos are working fine.

Question: Will I gain the space cleared by deleting pictures and videos even if the Photo app holds them for 30 days? If not, what can I do to truly delete them right away?

Thank you!

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Answer 3

AppleJen77

Community Specialist

Jun 9, 2021 7:09 AM in response to lilcrabapple

Thanks for getting back to us, lilcrabapple!

We;re glad you got the videos working properly.

As for your question about freeing up space on iCloud, when you delete, the space will clear once the photos and videos are removed from the Recently Delted folder. Check out this link to Manage your iCloud storage:

"You can recover photos and videos that you delete from your Recently Deleted album for 30 days. If you want to remove content from Recently Deleted album faster, tap Select, then select the items you want to remove. Tap Delete > Delete. If you exceed your iCloud storage limit, your device immediately removes any photos and videos you delete and they won't be available for recovery in your Recently Deleted album."

We hope this information is helpful and wish you the best!

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Exclamation mark in triangle on videos from iCloud- why won't they play?

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