Photos keeps importing old photos

If you are using iCloud Photos on all devices you simply must not import manually from your mobile devices. Select one method of downloading from your mobile devices and stick with it. The download from iCloud is changing the file creation date and thus disabling the duplicate detection on import. Let iCloud sync the photos between your devices and keep the libraries on all your devices automatically identical.

If you occasionally cannot wait for the iCloud syncing to transfer a photo to your Mac and you have to use the manual download from your iPhone, select the photo you want to import manually and ignore the many photos shown as "New". As long as iCloud Photos is enabled on the iPhone the "New" will just mean "Recently downloaded from iCloud". It does not mean that it is a new photo.

Where are you importing from? From a camera or from an iPhone or iPad?

When you are importing from a device that is syncing with some iCloud service, the syncing may be replacing the files continually by downloads from iCloud and turning them into "new" files, as syncing with iCloud is changing the file creation date.

Another possible reason for showing photos as "new" is the automatic format conversion. If you are having the Camera.app on the iPhone or iPad set to take the photos in the space saving High Efficiency format HEIF, but have set the Photos.app to convert the photos to a more compatible format in the Settings > Photos > Download to Mac or PC section, your Mac will not import directly the items from the iPhone, but the HEIF images will remain on the iPhone and the Mac is importing new JPEG copies, rendered from HEIVC files, when you import. As long as you do not delete the images from the iPhone after importing, the same HEICs will be imported over and over again as new JPEGs. The format conversion will disable the duplicate detection.

Or are both the Mac and the iPhone or iPad syncing in any way with iCloud? With iCloud Photos or My Photo Stream? Then you should avoid the manual import from the mobile devices, as this will create duplicates as well.

In short - use only one method of import, either manual import from the mobile devices, or iCloud, but not both together. And avoid the format conversion when importing from a device.

johnsiphone4610 wrote:

"Download and Keep Originals" Where is that function located? I don't see it anywhere and why dies it matter?

This is a part of the Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos. When it is enabled, the original photos will be downloaded from iCloud to your device. Then you can work with your photos, even if you do not have any internet access. I never turn it off, as I always want access to my photos and do not want to waste my cellular data plan on downloading the same photos over and over again from iCloud, as my iPhone and iPad have more than enough storage for my photos.

This setting matters, if you are mixing iCloud Photos with manual downloading from your iPhone. The originals of your photos in iCloud will we downloaded to the iPhone and appear as new photos, when you try to import new photos from the iPhone. But there should be no need to try to import new photos from the iPhone at all, if your photos are in iCloud. They should sync automatically from iCloud to your computer.

Hello johnsiphone4610,

Do you use iCloud Photos? This may be causing the issue if you have "Download and Keep Originals" selected. You can see if you have iCloud Photos enabled here: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

Additionally, you may want to check to see if you have Preview set to convert photos: Convert image file types using Preview on Mac

We hope that helps.

Take care.

The exact wording depends on the system version. On a Mac with macOS 13 Ventura it is called "Download Originals to this Mac" (Photos > Settings > iCloud).

For the iPhone and other devices see: Download iCloud photos and videos – Apple Support (UK)

1. Go to Settings > [your name].
2. Tap iCloud, then tap Photos.
3. Select Download and Keep Originals.