Since updating my OS on a MacBook Air to Ventura 13.2.1, when I open the Photos app i just get a screen saying loading and I can not find my photos on my mac HD?
MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
Currawong5 wrote: I can not find my photos on my mac HD?
Can you open the settings in Photos? At the top it shows the path it's trying to follow to your Photos Library.
By default, the Photos Library is named "Photos Library.photoslibrary" (clever,) but it could have another name. Photos Libraries are usually stored in the Pictures folder like the one above. If you look there and find that it is just a few megabytes, then it may be empty and not the one you're looking for.
If your Library was put somewhere else, you can search for it with the finder. No matter what it's named, the extension will be ".photoslibrary" so you can use that in a search:
It looks like one of mine wandered into the Documents folder. You can use it from where you find it, or you can drag it back to the Pictures folder where it normally lives.
If you double click on this Library, it should open in Photos. But because you've upgraded your operating system, it has to first adjust itself to the new database system, and this could take a few minutes. Apple recommends that you make a copy of the Library before letting it upgrade.
Do you use iCloud to sync your devices? If so, do you have "Optimize Storage" checked?
Currawong5 wrote: I can not find my photos on my mac HD?
Can you open the settings in Photos? At the top it shows the path it's trying to follow to your Photos Library.
By default, the Photos Library is named "Photos Library.photoslibrary" (clever,) but it could have another name. Photos Libraries are usually stored in the Pictures folder like the one above. If you look there and find that it is just a few megabytes, then it may be empty and not the one you're looking for.
If your Library was put somewhere else, you can search for it with the finder. No matter what it's named, the extension will be ".photoslibrary" so you can use that in a search:
It looks like one of mine wandered into the Documents folder. You can use it from where you find it, or you can drag it back to the Pictures folder where it normally lives.
If you double click on this Library, it should open in Photos. But because you've upgraded your operating system, it has to first adjust itself to the new database system, and this could take a few minutes. Apple recommends that you make a copy of the Library before letting it upgrade.
Do you use iCloud to sync your devices? If so, do you have "Optimize Storage" checked?
The Settings are under "Photos" in the menu bar (not shown in your window, above.)
How big is your Library? If it is just a few megabytes, then there aren't many pictures in it to find, and there may not be anything we can do. Do you have a backup copy of your Photos Library? If not, and you think the library you see is worth saving, make backup. You can just drag the Photos Library to an external drive or to a flash drive. Or you can option-drag it to another folder, like documents. Pushing "Option" while dragging the file makes a copy in the new place. So you'll have a copy, but it won't be exactly a backup.
OK--if the Library looks like it has pictures in it and it's worth saving, there are some standard things to try:
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
The idea is to find out if the problem is with the Library, with your account, or with caches and login items, and stuff like that. One of these steps may fix the problem, but their failure to work is also diagnostic.
Let us know what happens...
HI Richard
I could not open settings in Photos, but I am a very novice user of apples. When I searched photoslibrary in finder it finds the library under pictures but it only has a few random pictures from 2021 and the rest have disappeared?
It keeps indicating that it is loading but nothing happens.
I do not use iCloud to sync on my MacBook, as we use the same Apple ID across a number of devices and some we use for work so we keep them off iCloud. I am not an educated apple user so my understanding of them is very basic.
Photos no longer load up in Photo app on MMacBook Air since updating to Ventra 13.2.1
