Unsupported Photo Library

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Level 1

12 points

Unsupported Photo Library

I'm running a MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch, Mid 2015. I was running Big Sur when I tried to upgrade to Monterey, but that was an absolute disaster. Had to take my Mac to an Apple store, where they wiped it clean and reinstalled Big Sur 11.6.1 (I decided I didn't have time to wait for Apple to get the bugs out of Monterey). Big Sur had been working just fine. Now, when I open Photos, I get the following error message: "Unsupported Library: The library 'Photos Library' is from a newer version of Photos. Please upgrade Photos to open this library." However, I cannot find a newer version of Photos, and when my system checks for updates, it doesn't say I need to update Photos. I'm at a loss.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Nov 10, 2021 3:56 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

TonyCollinet

Level 7

23,867 points

Nov 10, 2021 11:58 PM in response to GracePeace

Hi

The Photos app only comes bundled with the OS. Your problem is while you had Monterey, your library was upgraded to work with that version, and now Big Sur can no longer use it.

If you use iCloud, AND all your images are already in iCloud the best way of recovery will be via download from iCloud to a new empty library.

If you don't already have iCloud, then your only solution to downgrade the library will be to sync the current library to iCloud first, USING A MACHINE RUNNING MONTEREY, then sync that to a new empty library on your Big Sur machine.

You will also need to pay for at least one month of iCloud with enough space to hold your whole library.

If you don't have access to a mac running Monterey then you will need to temporarily upgrade again to do that. Sorry - I know this is not what you want to hear.

See:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000297

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Answer 2

Nov 12, 2021 12:40 AM in response to GracePeace

OK - I can help with that....

1 - Create a new EMPTY library in your pictures folder. (Hold down the option key while starting photos, and click "create new". Name it something that is easy to recognise).

2 - Open the new empty library in photos. (it should open after you click "create new" but if not, use the option key start again, and select the new library from the list.)

3 - In photos preferences set it to the system library (click the circled button)

4 - In photos preferences iCloud - turn icloud on with download originals.

5 - Wait - for photos to download all your images from iCloud into your freshly minted library. It may take some time - possibly days. Leave the mac on with photos open while it is doing it.

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

195,285 points

Nov 12, 2021 12:58 AM in response to GracePeace

Did you make a complete backup before upgrading to Monterey? if yes, you could also have restored the Big Sur version of your Photos Library from your backup. It is essential to make a full backup before upgrading to a new system version. Having backup is the easiest way to revert back to the previous state that worked well.

Other than downloading from iCloud Photos, there is no way to downgrade the the Photos Library for an older system version. We cannot even extract the original image files with the original filenames from the Photos Library package, if Photos cannot open the library. We need the Photos.app to find the images in the library package and to restore them as we originally imported them. Earlier versions of Photos saved the original image files in the Photos Library with the original filenames, in folders named like the import session. In an emergency we could recover the originals from the package. But since Catalina the originals are renamed by unique names and we can no longer find them easily in the package.

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Answer 4

Nov 12, 2021 6:24 AM in response to léonie

léonie wrote:

We cannot even extract the original image files with the original filenames from the Photos Library package, if Photos cannot open the library. We need the Photos.app to find the images in the library package and to restore them as we originally imported them.

Sure you can, Export as Original (or unmodified).

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Answer 5

léonie

Level 10

195,285 points

Nov 12, 2021 8:09 AM in response to Keith Barkley

Keith Barkley wrote:

léonie wrote:

We cannot even extract the original image files with the original filenames from the Photos Library package, if Photos cannot open the library. We need the Photos.app to find the images in the library package and to restore them as we originally imported them.

Sure you can, Export as Original (or unmodified).

But that is the problem - we need to be able to run Photos to use "File > Export"; if we cannot run Photos any longer on the library in question after a system downgrade, or a library is badly damaged beyond repair, we are stuck. Or if we ever decide to replace a damaged Mac by a non-Apple computer, the originals will be locked in the library, and the new non-Apple computer will not be able to recover the originals from the library with the original filenames.

I am saving copies of all originals before I import them to Photos for Mac, to prepare for such an emergency.

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Answer 6

GracePeace Author

Level 1

12 points

Nov 12, 2021 8:31 AM in response to léonie

I REALLY appreciation you all for helping me struggle through this. I find that a few things are happening when I try some of your suggestions.

First, my photos are safely stored in iCloud Photos, in albums, exactly like I want them. However, in iCloud, I can find no way to select everything to Export it. I also find no menu allowing me to Export to new Library. AND the Download icon is either non-existent or grayed out.

Second, when I open Photos on my damaged MacBook Pro, I get the error message about the unsupported library. When I select the option to create a new one, it allows that, but then asks me to import files. It does not give me the option of selecting iCloud as my import source. (If I had been able to export my photos onto the damaged Mac from iCloud, I assume they would've shown up in the Pictures folder, but, as I described above, I couldn't do that.)

Third, I tried to work around this by just selecting all my photos in the "Moments" screen on iCloud to download them, but it would only allow me to select 1000 at a time (I think) AND those photos would've downloaded as just individual photos rather than organized into categories/albums like I have them.

Sigh...

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Answer 7

GracePeace Author

Level 1

12 points

Nov 14, 2021 2:54 PM in response to TonyCollinet

Tony, I have followed your instructions carefully and my computer has been downloading the Photos library ever since (very slowly!). However, today, the downloading has appeared to have stopped, as it has said "downloading 13,740 originals" for several hours now. Before, it was just gradually counting down from 23,534.

Is this typical? Or should I be checking something else? I'm worried that it has hit a snag.

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Answer 8

léonie

Level 10

195,285 points

Nov 15, 2021 9:30 AM in response to GracePeace

Photos is very, very lazy when updating the download count. Just wait a bit longer and see. Anything you might try to restart the download may make the downloading start over from scratch. Just check, that your Mac is not running out of storage.

If a cloud process should have has crashed, it might help to quit Photos, the restart the computer. But do not change any iCloud Preferences.

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Answer 9

GracePeace Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 1, 2021 5:35 PM in response to TonyCollinet

Tony,

Thought you might be interested. I followed your instructions and they worked! I now have all my photos back on my Mac. However, would you believe it took 18 DAYS to completely download them? Wow!!

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