Issues with Photos app on Mac running macOS Sequoia 15.5

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LordThistle Author

Level 1

66 points

Issues with Photos app on Mac running macOS Sequoia 15.5

I am using Mac OS Sequoia 15.5 (24F74) with Photos Version 10.0 (760.6.150).

My library is full of duplicates, but when I select "Utilities" -> "Duplicates" I read:

Findings duplicates

Photos scans your library to find duplicates.

Scanning will continue when you're not using the app.

That sentence is ambiguous and, frankly, quite surprising to find in an Apple app.

What exactly does that mean?

Should Photos be running in the background (minimised) ?
Should I quit Photos?

In both cases I am not using the app.

I have kept it closed for days, and "Duplicates" stayed empty.

Now, I have kept it open and minimised for many hours, but "Duplicates" is still empty.

What am I supposed to do (besides waiting longer)?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iMac 27″

Posted on May 19, 2025 6:57 AM

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Answer 1

markwmsn

Level 6

16,793 points

May 20, 2025 10:42 AM in response to LordThistle

You may be able to speed up the process by preventing the computer and drive(s) from going to sleep when idle, just using the setting to turn off the screen when inactive. (That's the phrasing on a MacBook; it may be slightly different on an iMac.)

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Answer 2

May 19, 2025 7:11 AM in response to LordThistle

LordThistle wrote: …Should Photos be running in the background (minimised) ?

[or] Should I quit Photos?…

I've usually left my Mac running with Photos open in the background, but some folks keep Photos closed. My best guess is that it doesn't matter. The idea is that Photos doesn't want to slow down your work but running scans.

You say "(besides waiting longer)" which severely reduces my choices, here. You've said "for days." but not how many. You haven't said how large your Library is. For some libraries it may take longer than a week to find duplicates.

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Issues with Photos app on Mac running macOS Sequoia 15.5

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