Items on This Mac Only

I thank you again for your help. Any ideas on how to reveal what these ghost files are?

Try a different constraint in your smart album - use the rule "Photo is Referenced".

If you import photos with the option "Copy into the Photos Library " disabled, the files will show as "On this Mac only", but not in the "Unable to upload" smart album. Referenced items cannot upload to iCloud Photo Library.

If you are seeing photos or other items in the smart albums with referenced files, you can move them into the library with "File > Consolidate".

Gregcheersykes wrote:

Upon trying to consolidate them the following happens. I am given a path to where the photos are located. I am asked if I would like to "allow Photos access to my Media." I choose: OK. But, it opens up a window that will not allow me to select the containing folder to consolidate. See screenshot.

Seems to me that this may just be a mere security setting, because I can easily navigate to the photos using Find. So, how can I temporarily bypass the security/grayed out business so I can view contents of folders.

See screenshot please for image of everything grayed out.

It's not a permissions thing, it's that the iPhoto directory has a "package" flag on it (much like most applications have). Go the same location in the finder (not using Photos) and right click on the iphoto library and then select "Show Contents". Then you should be able to surf to the subfolder that is referenced. Leave that finder window open and then go back to the Photos dialog asking you to select this folder, drag the folder from the Finder to this dialog window and it will instantly import the photos properly. I just used this method to recover 33 photos from a vacation that apparently weren't properly imported back when I made the switch.

make a smart album (file menu ==> new smart album) with the criteria photos is not able to be uploaded to iCloud Photo Library - look at the items and see what is different with them adn if they are not needed delete them

LN

Hello there! I have been experiencing the exact same problem in my MacBook Pro running OS X El Capitán (since the first Public Beta).

Photos says: "Updated Just Now · 2 Items on This Mac Only". I created a smart album showing items not uploaded and it returned zero results also.

Does anyone else have any clue about this issue?

Seems to me that this may just be a mere security setting, because I can easily navigate to the photos using Find. So, how can I temporarily bypass the security/grayed out business so I can view contents of folders.

Your referenced photos are referenced inside an iPhoto Library?

Consolidate will not allow to remove potos from a different library package.

I would try to select the photos in question and to export them to a different folder with "File > Export> Export original files".

Then try again to consolidate, but navigate to your exported files.

Yes indeed they're inside an iPhoto Library. Very strange.

Did you ever migrate an iPhoto Library to Aperture? It used to be possible to create Aperture libraries that referenced the photos in the iPhoto Library. Or cleaning software to remove duplicates may have created these links into another library.

Referenced. This was absolutely and completely perfect. Just the right answer at the right time.

Made a smart album with unable to upload and referenced as rules. Solved my problem - found!

You're welcome 🙂