How can I repair my Photos database?

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Level 2

186 points

How can I repair my Photos database?

1) I connected a new iPhone by cable to my iMac. Photos opened and when I navigated to Devices > iPhone, The screen display told me that I had already imported 600 or so photographs (I had not) and that I had 300 or so 'new' photos. Thing is, I'd not taken any photographs. These photographs were already in my Library. To make matters worse, some of the images were in my Hidden album in Photos but now visible for all to see.

The only way to stop this that I could find was to create a new album, import the 'new' photos into it and then delete them.

2) Then I bought a new iPad. Again connected it by cable to my iMac and navigated to Devices > (sic) iPhone. This time the display told me 6000+ photographs already imported and 3000+ 'new' photographs. Again, these 'new' photographs are already in Photos. They were taken 10 years or so ago. I haven't taken any photos with my new iPad yet.

How can I fix this ?

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 16, 2023 1:56 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

léonie

Level 10

200,457 points

Mar 16, 2023 2:18 AM in response to Roger Sinden

There are two possible reasons for photos showing as new, when you ar importing from iOS devices. If you are mixing methods of importing, the duplicate detection on import can no longer work.

For example, if your iPhone or iPad is syncing with iCloud Photos or My Photo Stream, the devices will download photos from iCloud, that may be already on your Mac. These downloads from iCloud will be new files and appear as "new" photos on your Mac, over and over again. If you have iCloud Photos or My Photo Stream enabled on the iPhone, use only iCloud to download from these devices, or only download photos from them, that you know are new.
Format conversion is also disabling the duplicate detection. If your devices are taking the photos in the High Efficiency format "HEIC", but you have enabled the conversion to JPEG in theSettings > Photos > Transfer to Mac and PC > Automatic", the Mac will download converted files, and the originals remaining on the mobile device will always be "New", because they have not been downloaded.
Saved edited versions on the iPhone may always appear as new photos. If you sync photos manually to your iPhone or iPad, then edit them, Photos will save them as new images to photos. The same happens with edited photos from Shared albums.

You should be on the safe side, if you avoid any format conversion on import and do not mix any iCloud syncing with other methods of import. Or manually select the really new photos when importing.

I don't use WhatsApp or any social networks, but shared photos from social networks shown in Photos may also appear as duplicates on Import. Keep always the sharing apps updated to the newest version and delete the photos from the apps, once you have saved them to Photos.

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