User profile for user: Mårten Lundin
Mårten Lundin Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

External Photos library won't open after Sonoma

After the update to Sonoma my Photos app refuse to open the old library (on a wifi external apple formatted disk). Getting a -1 error message.

Got no problem accessing any of the files on the disk though.


Updated to latest Sonoma 14.1.1, done several restarts and tried rebuilding the library or reassigning the library again - nothing works...just getting the same error.


Not using cloud services or window format disks (like most of the suggestions online). Using external storage for pix and vids shouldn't be exotic behaviour in 2020s no?!

Using intel iMac.


Thankful for suggestions (would love not having to sort through Tb of pix and start over with a fresh library).


Error mess in Swedish but you'll get the gist of it.


iMac 27″, macOS 14.1

Posted on Dec 1, 2023 7:49 AM

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User profile for user: léonie
léonie
User level: Level 10
201,647 points

Posted on Dec 1, 2023 9:44 AM

MacOS 14 Sonoma is more cautious than the previous system versions. While the earlier system versions let you keep a library on a network share, even if it is not supported and might cause a library corruption, Photos 8 on Sonoma is checking the location of the library and does not even open it, if the library is on an unsupported drive. "Formatted for Mac" alone does not suffice. The library must not be accessed over the local network.


Plug your external drive directly into your Mac - connect it to a USB port and try again to open the Photos Library. Can Photos now open it?


See the warning here: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

"Make sure that your external storage device, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive, is formatted for Mac: either APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

You can't store your library on a storage device used for Time Machine backups. And to avoid possible data loss, don't store your library on a removable storage device like an SD card or USB flash drive, or on a device shared over your network or the internet, including over a cloud-based storage service."



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User profile for user: léonie
léonie
User level: Level 10
201,647 points

Dec 1, 2023 9:44 AM in response to Mårten Lundin

MacOS 14 Sonoma is more cautious than the previous system versions. While the earlier system versions let you keep a library on a network share, even if it is not supported and might cause a library corruption, Photos 8 on Sonoma is checking the location of the library and does not even open it, if the library is on an unsupported drive. "Formatted for Mac" alone does not suffice. The library must not be accessed over the local network.


Plug your external drive directly into your Mac - connect it to a USB port and try again to open the Photos Library. Can Photos now open it?


See the warning here: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

"Make sure that your external storage device, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive, is formatted for Mac: either APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

You can't store your library on a storage device used for Time Machine backups. And to avoid possible data loss, don't store your library on a removable storage device like an SD card or USB flash drive, or on a device shared over your network or the internet, including over a cloud-based storage service."



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External Photos library won't open after Sonoma

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