All of sudden my Photo's app has stop showing the 'import' button when I plug in my iPhone or insert an SD card in my computer. Any ideas?
Image capture can see my photos however.
iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), null
Do the card and the iPhone appear in the sidebar of Photos, when you reveal the sidebar with ⌥⌘S?
⌥⌘ doesn't do anything.
Going to the view menu and selecting 'show sidebar' brings up the sidebar but only shows my photo albums
Sorry, the "S" was missing after ⌥⌘S for "Show sidebar".
Photos will only show a card or the iPhone, if the device contains new photos that have not yet been imported. The import could have happened by iCloud. Image Capture will always show the devices, because it does not check for already imported photos.
Have you tired to take a new photo and to use a different card, to see if the card then will be recognized?
My iPhone has videos on it not in my Photo's app (I have not yet enabled iCloud Photo's) and the SD card has new photos on it. If I plug my wife iPhone into my computer I also cannot import, and her phone is synced to another computer.
For the iPhone it may be necessary to launch iTunes, connect the iPhone, unlock it, then confirm to trust the computer on the iPhone, if prompted.
But the card should show in Photos, if it is visible in Image Capture.
Just to be sure, you already tried to quit Photos and to restart the Mac?
Which version of OS X are you running? There have been several reports, the the Import panel did not open on OS X 10.11.5.
If elements of the user interface do not show, that should be visible, I'd try to remove Photo's preferences files.
They are stored in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Photos/
Quit Photos, then drag the complete folder ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Photos/ to the Desktop and restart the Mac, then try again.
Your user library may still be hidden.To reveal the hidden User Library:
Now restart the Mac and try again. If all is well, delete the folder from the Desktop.
You may also want to remove the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Photos.plist
If removing the preferences does not help, repair the library as described here: Repair your library - Photos Help
OK thanks for the comprehensive instructions.
I deleted (moved) the ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Photos/ directory, restarted and opened photo's. It was reset to defaults but I still can't import. So this hasn't fixed my issue.
I don't have a ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Photos.plist file
I have tried doing a repair on the library but this hasn't resolved the issue either.
I'm running the latest El Capitan.
Hoping you have some other ideas...
You write, that Image Capture sees your iPhone and the card.
Try to set in Image Capture the Photos.app to open, when you plug in your iPhone or your card.
In the "Connecting this ... opens" menu select "Photos".
Do the same for your card.
Eject both devices, quit Image Capture, then connect both devices again.
What happens?
The photo's app launches, but still no import option.
Can you import any photos at all into Photos, for example from your Desktop? Drop a few photos on the Desktop, launch Photos, and use the command "File > Import". Select the Desktop in the file chooser panel.
Do you see Import buttons for files from the Desktop?
If not, test with a new Photos Library, created for testing.
What happens?
If even a new library is not working, reinstall the system. That is the only way to reinstall Photos.
reinstall by booting into Recovery as described here: OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support
I can import through file import and selecting a folder/file from the finder, save a photo from Messages etc. There's just no way for me to import directly from the device.
You may have installed some incompatible software, that is blocking the import window in Photos.
is the problem system wide? Have you tested to import from a different user account? For example the Guest account? https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204443
I'll try this soon. Thanks for your help so far..
I just tried it from another account and have the same problem, no import option.
So it is system wide.
Reinstall Photos by reinstalling OS X.
I'd try first, if the Combo updater will suffice to reinstall Photos, download and install on top of your current system, see this link: Download OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 Combo UpdateThe OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. May 16, 2016
If that does not help, boot into Recovery to reinstall also the basic system parts: OS X: About OS X Recovery
No import option for SD card or iPhone
