Videos found in MacBook photos folder that can't be found on iCloud or devices.

Question

Level 1

8 points

Videos found in MacBook photos folder that can't be found on iCloud or devices.

In my Macbook, I am going through the photo library folders, NOT the Photos App. The folders are structured 1, 2, 3 - 9, A, B, C etc. Each folder seems to have a limit of around 5007 items.

I have come across 2 large videos that are 1.91GB and 600MB. These videos can not be found in my iCloud, iPhone, iPad or even in the Macbooks Photo App by date or by name. (Files are named differently in the Macbook folders compared to how they show up in the photos app.)

The 1.91GB is from folder A and I remember that it came from someone else's phone via Airdrop. The 600MB is from folder 2 and was made on my previous 11Pro before I upgraded to a 14ProMax.

From my understanding, the folders that I am looking at are basically the same on the iPhone and are where your photos and videos are stored whilst being synced and compared via iCloud.

I am concerned that if I have found these 2GB+ of files sitting forgotten about in those folders, what other files are locked away in my 16 other folders taking up iCloud storage space (£££)?

Does anyone have any information or knowledge on this?

Searching brings up loosely related content that has nothing to do with this actual issue.

Thanks

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.4

Posted on Oct 1, 2024 9:57 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

aarrghPPLE Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 1, 2024 9:04 PM in response to aarrghPPLE

SOLVED:

Replying to my own post to close this off.

I figured if these files were not showing up in 'date' order in my photos library, maybe they had been thrown in there in a random location.

After scrolling back and forth for hours, I found the 600MB showing up 2 months earlier than the date in the Macbook folder and the 1.91GB appears 7 months earlier with a different thumbnail.

At least this clears up my concern about files not being accessible but taking up iCloud space.

Most of the files in the folder have the same date and time stamp for created and modified but the photos library is probably using EXIF data to get the real dates.

The only thing I can figure out from looking at my photo timeline in the library is that this was around the time I was selling my previous Macbook and switching to my current one, so something must have happened with this particular folder where its contents are timestamped for my upgrade date whilst the other folders kept the actual created dates for their contents.

Reply

Answer 2

muguy

Level 10

92,372 points

Oct 1, 2024 10:51 AM in response to aarrghPPLE

Items in your photos folder are not necessarily in your photo library. You would need to add those items. if you wish to have each in your library.

Reply

Answer 3

aarrghPPLE Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 1, 2024 12:09 PM in response to muguy

Thanks. That I get, but then that creates a question of 'how did a video that I took on my phone and another one that I received directly to my phone via Airdrop end up outside of my photo library?'

I would get it if the files were .doc or .pdf but they are both .mov.

Reply

Videos found in MacBook photos folder that can't be found on iCloud or devices.

Similar questions