Photos Repair finished repairing my library but then couldn't open it. What next?

Question

Photos Repair finished repairing my library but then couldn't open it. What next?

My photo library won't open. When I repair the library, it finishes the repair but can't open the library:

What do I do now?

Thanks.

Posted on Jun 8, 2023 11:36 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 6

18,361 points

Jun 9, 2023 11:32 AM in response to Carlisle Landel

Double check the drive's format!

We've seem some crazy behavior, even more so now with Ventura, when the external hard drive is not formatted for Mac. There are reports of trying to use a Photos Library on an ExFAT drive, for instance, causing irreparable damage to a library. To get full functionality (and to avoid damaging the Photos Library) an external drive must be formatted in either APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. Additionally, the drive can not have had Time Machine on it since it was formatted.

Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Jun 9, 2023 7:14 AM in response to Carlisle Landel

Where is the Library located? Is it in your Pictures folder, or is it on an external hard drive? If it's on an external drive, how is that drive formatted?

Have you tried closing Photos and double clicking on the Library? Re-starting the computer is a good step.

Try restarting in Safe Mode--this bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes.

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

Let us know how it goes...

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Answer 3

Jun 9, 2023 10:28 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Hi Richard,

It is on an external drive.

OK, here is the weird thing. Last night, I disconnected the drive, which required a forced ejection. I didn't shut down the computer.

This morning, after reading your reply, I reconnected the drive, and just for fun started Photos up. I was expecting it to not open, and at that point I was planning on trying your Safe Mode startup suggestion.

BUT instead the application started up, announced that it needed to update the library, and then opened it right up.

So the problem spontaneously fixed itself. Perhaps simply force-ejecting the drive and re-connecting it fixed whatever was hanging up the opening of the library. Maybe folks with this problem should simply try to eject the drive and then re-connect it.

Anyway, thanks for your offer of help.

Best,

Carlisle

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Answer 4

Jun 9, 2023 2:09 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

The formatting was correct.

But it once was my time machine drive, and the files were still on the drive.

I just deleted them.

Anyway, maybe that was the problem.

Thanks again for the info!

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Photos Repair finished repairing my library but then couldn't open it. What next?

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