Photo Library Backup not restoring using Time Machine

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Level 1

4 points

Photo Library Backup not restoring using Time Machine

Hello!

So I keep my Photos Library on an external hard drive among other important files, and that entire drive is backed up via Time Machine to a separate external hard drive. Recently the drive with my Photos library on it failed. I purchased a new drive and went to restore all the data from the failed drive onto the new drive, using the Time Machine backup.

All of the other important files transferred successfully onto the new drive from the backup, but the Photos Library would not transfer. I received this error: "The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “Photos Library” can’t be read or written. (Error code -36)".

I've to transfer several times, with several versions of the backup going back 2-3 months, but I get the same message each time. I've tried transferring to a different external, in case there was a formatting issue, and received the same error. Any advice on getting this folder transferred? For reference the Photos Library is ~250gb.

This library is basically my entire life of personal photos, and I'd be pretty devastated if it was gone. I thought I had several fail safes set up, but am pretty concerned that I might lose my wedding photos, parents, etc. Any help or advice would be incredibly appreciated! My specs are below! Let me know if you need any other information.

2021 MacBook Pro 16"

Apple M1 Pro

MacOS: 13.3.1 (a)

Failed External HD: Lacie 8tb (Mac OS Extended (Journaled))

Backup External HD: Seagate 8tb (Mac OS Extended (Journaled))

New External HD: SanDisk G-Drive 6tb (APFS)

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Jun 30, 2023 10:04 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

léonie

Level 10

197,649 points

Jul 1, 2023 2:54 AM in response to baldwints

How did you use the Time Machine backup to restore the library? Have you been running Time Machine or did you just try to copy the library from the Time Machine volume using the Finder?

If you have not been using Time Machine to restore the Library, I would try that first - the internal links in the Photos Library need to be properly restored. See this page in the Photos User Guide: Restore a library from Time Machine in Photos on Mac - Apple Support

If running Time Machine should fail, the procedure described by OT will be the best.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

210,831 points

Jun 30, 2023 10:32 AM in response to baldwints

Here's a method you can try to recover the library:

1 - go to the TM drive in the Finder and located the library in the last b backup made.

2 - Control (right) - click on the library snd select "Show Package Contents".

3 - copy each of the items one by one into a folder on a volume that can hold that much data.

I'd start with the originals folder. If you get an error in copying that folder you might have to open it and copy each sub folder individually till you find the bad file.

Once all of the files have been copied to the folder rename the folder Photos Library.photoslibrary. That should turn it into a Photos library complete with the icon.

Next Control (right) - click on the library and select open from the contextual menu. (Double clicking on it don't work). It will start repairing the libfaaray and hopefully you'll bet your photos back.

Another method would be to use the free demo version of Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the library on the TM drive to an empty folder on the other volume.

When done rename the folder to some name with the extension ".photoslibrary".

Then open as mentioned above.

I've tried both methods and was successful. However, I didn't try using TM to restore it.

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Answer 3

baldwints Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 7, 2023 9:59 AM in response to léonie

I run daily time machine backups scheduled through the app and had the external drive added as one of the volumes to backup in addition to my laptop. I don't do anything to the backups folder. I have initially tried using TM to restore the folder along with several others on the drive. TM successfully transferred all the other folders, but was repeatedly unable to transfer the Photos library, despite me trying every version of it going back 4 months. I am trying the process laid out in the OT now, and it seems to be working great - we will see how Photos handles the library once restored this way, and if I need to repair the library through Photos after this. Thanks!

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Answer 4

léonie

Level 10

197,649 points

Jul 7, 2023 10:05 AM in response to baldwints

Consider to keep two backups of your Photos Library in future, better save than sorry. I am occasionally copying the Photos Library to a separate drive, in addition to backing it up with Time Machine. This way I can open the backup directly, without having to restore it from Time Machine, when I need to recover just a few photos.

And it saved my photos once, when a bolt of lightning close to our house caused a power surge that damaged my Mac plus the connected backup drive. I have been ver glad to have the second backup.

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Answer 5

baldwints Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 30, 2023 7:37 PM in response to Old Toad

This is super super helpful! Thank you so much! I will try this tomorrow and report back, but it definitely seems like a better approach. I'm not married to using Time Machine at all.

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