I accidentaly deleted the file Photos Library.photoslibrary and I don't have a Time Machine back up because my drive crashed. I tried connecting my phone to my computer but it looks like it doesn't recognise the files. I updated my computer and the problem wasn't fixed. Any ideas?
MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.1
If you have been using iCloud Photos on your Mac you can simply create a new, empty Photos Library and then enable iCloud Photos for this new library. The photos will download from iCloud to the empty library and the library will be recreated exactly as it has been. To create a new Photos Library launch Photos while holding down the options key ⌥. Then select to create a new library.
But if you have not been using iCloud Photos and the photos now on your iPhone have been synced from your Mac, you cannot download them directly back to your Mac, because manually synced photos are not saved to your Photos Library. To be able to download them from your iPhone to your Mac you have to save them to Photos on the iPhone, for example by duplicating them or trying to edit them. This will create copy that can be downloaded back to your Mac.
If you have been using iCloud Photos on your Mac you can simply create a new, empty Photos Library and then enable iCloud Photos for this new library. The photos will download from iCloud to the empty library and the library will be recreated exactly as it has been. To create a new Photos Library launch Photos while holding down the options key ⌥. Then select to create a new library.
But if you have not been using iCloud Photos and the photos now on your iPhone have been synced from your Mac, you cannot download them directly back to your Mac, because manually synced photos are not saved to your Photos Library. To be able to download them from your iPhone to your Mac you have to save them to Photos on the iPhone, for example by duplicating them or trying to edit them. This will create copy that can be downloaded back to your Mac.
Try this:
1 - connect your iPhone to your Mac with it's charging cable.
2 - launch Image Capture (in the Applications folder or the Applications/Utilities folder).
3 - select all of the photos and videos on your iPhone and download to a folder on the Desktop.
4 - import the folder of photos into a new Photos library.
5 - get a new external drive that's about 2x the size of your MBA's drive and start Time Machine immediately.
This way you should get at least the photos/videos that are on your phone.
Luckily there is a safety! Look in the trash can! If you've emptied that, though, here is no 2nd safety beyond our backups.
eleni274 wrote: … isn't there a link between iCloud and library?
Yes. if you have iCloud Photos turned on, then Photos copies the Photos Library exactly to iCloud.com. If you delete things in the Library, then that is copied, as well. If you don't have iCloud Photos turned on, then there's no connection.
eleni274 wrote: …Trashcan is empty too, I’m afraid
Unfortunately, that's the last safety available without backups.
isn't there a link between iCloud and library?
Trashcan is empty too, I’m afraid
Recovering deleted Photos Library without backup
