macOS Photos reverts changed filename upon import

Question

macOS Photos reverts changed filename upon import

If I have a video with a filename "video_1.mp4" stored somewhere on the filesystem (say, "Downloads") and I rename the video to "video_2.mp4" PRIOR to importing into Photos, sometimes Photos will show the old filename (not the title, the filename) rather than the current one. That is, Photos will show the filename as "video_1.mp4" instead of "video_2.mp4". It's driving me a little crazy because it seems infrequent, yet random, and no matter how many times I delete the file, re-import it, or rename it, Photos continues to use the old filename.

Has anyone else experienced this?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.5

Posted on May 22, 2024 8:34 AM

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Answer 1

May 22, 2024 8:50 AM in response to chief-duck-counselor

Really weird. It hasn't happened to me-- I just tried it with several pictures. How do you import the pictures-- do you use File>Import, or do you use another method to bring the pictures into Photos?

When you look back at the pictures in Downloads, do they still have the new names? Do you use new names that are more different than "video_1.mp4" and "video_2.mp4?" Have you tried waiting a bit between renaming and importing? (Grasping at straws...)

Try these things to see if anything gets fixed:

Restart the computer (of course)
Re-start in Safe Mode. This bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes. Safe Mode is different for different computers, so see this:

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

Use another library if you have one, or make a small test Library with a few pictures in it and see if the same thing happens. You can create a new Library by closing Photos and then option-clicking on the Photos icon.
Make a new user and see if the same problem recurs with it

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 also helps figure out what's happening.

Let us know the answers to the questions, and what happens ...

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Answer 2

May 22, 2024 3:02 PM in response to chief-duck-counselor

chief-duck-counselor wrote: ... the video must be completely deleted from Photos (it can’t just be in Recently Deleted).

My experience is that this is not quite the story. Remember that I had asked if you had waited-- the file name seems to be on a list of imported images, and it takes a while after you remove the picture to Recently Deleted for that name to get removed from that list. For me, it seems to take a few minutes.

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Answer 3

May 22, 2024 10:31 PM in response to chief-duck-counselor

I guess is that the video must be completely deleted from Photos (it can’t just be in Recently Deleted)

When troubleshooting and testing I always create a new dummy Photos library and do everything with a known-good workflow. Then import files to the empty dummy Photos library, see the result, delete images, make sure to empty Photos trash, and import again. If in doubt that there are still remnants of the old import lurking, I create a brand new dummy Photos library, just in case.

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Answer 4

May 22, 2024 11:33 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Interestingly, when I create a new test Photos library (which I didn't know you could do, thanks!) and then import the video in question, the filename is correct and matches the filename on the system. Then I went back and imported the same file from the same location in my original Photos library and, again, it imports with the old filename.

However, this got me digging because it tells me it’s Photos, specifically. So I tried deleting the video in question again and noticed a second copy while scrolling through my Recently Deleted! I deleted both copies, quit Photos, restarted the machine, and when I imported the video again, it worked! The filenames now match.

So, the takeaway here I guess is that the video must be completely deleted from Photos (it can’t just be in Recently Deleted). I still don’t know how it got the original filename. Perhaps I imported it previously with the old filename and deleted it but forgot? The second copy in Recently Deleted certainly seems to indicate that.

Regardless, thank you for the help! Now I know you can have multiple libraries for Photos.

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Answer 5

May 23, 2024 7:08 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Matti Haveri wrote:

I guess is that the video must be completely deleted from Photos (it can’t just be in Recently Deleted)

When troubleshooting and testing I always create a new dummy Photos library and do everything with a known-good workflow. Then import files to the empty dummy Photos library, see the result, delete images, make sure to empty Photos trash, and import again. If in doubt that there are still remnants of the old import lurking, I create a brand new dummy Photos library, just in case.

Yes, now knowing I can do multiple libraries will be very helpful for testing in the future. Photos definitely has its quirks coming from Digikam but I like its synchronization with iPhone enough to figure them out.

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Answer 6

May 23, 2024 7:30 AM in response to chief-duck-counselor

For people with Macs (rather than just iPhones) Photos is espcially rich in it's assortment of tools and versatility. It's mostly straight forward, but as you see, there are features that aren't obvious at first.

Don't forget that there are experienced users here who can help navigate the system when you have questions!

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