Device: 2018 Mac Mini, Software Version: Sequoia 15.7.2
I am trying to access a large Photos library from an external hard drive. There are random photos not loading across the library (showing as a grey rectangle). iCloud not used as backup. This is my husband's computer and he is now unable to use. I just want to access all of the photos so I can download and save in a different format. Thank you.
Just for your information, iCloud isn't a backup service. iCloud is used to share pictures among several connected devices.
As Yer_Man says, a Photos Library can't work on an improperly formated dirve. In fact, trying to use a Photos Librayr from the wrong format can damage the Library.
You can see the format of the drive by selecting the drive and using comand-i ( ⌘ i ) to bring up the info window for the drive. Here's what that looks like for one of mine:
The Format is APFS, and the "Ignore Ownership" flag at the bottom should be checked.
Let us know if you need more help with this…
What format is the external? It needs to be formatted Mac OS X Extended, Journaled or apfs.
Photos not loading from external Photos library on Mac Mini
