Chantellenc
Level 1 (5 points)
Photos for Mac

Q: Photos library showing grey boxes after restoring from backup

I had moved my photos library to a new macbook and when I opened photos it is showing my entire library but as grey boxes. Please help me fix this!

I have already tried repairing the library. I never had the library on icloud, only local copies. I've attached an image of what they look like. It remembers the date and time and location of the photos, I just can't see them.

 

Screen Shot 2016-10-10 at 3.08.52 PM.png

MacBook Pro, macOS Sierra (10.12), null

Posted on Oct 10, 2016 2:15 PM

by LarryHN,Solvedanswer
LarryHN LarryHN
Level 10 (85,697 points)
Photos for Mac
A:

Chantellenc wrote:

 

AH thank you! ive checked and the portable drive I've used was formatted to exFAT. could this be the issue? Is there anyway to fix the issue with the files currently on it? Thanks!

Yes that is the problem 

 

as I posted

the EHD can only be formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)

Photos will not work if the drive has any other format - you need to move it to a properly formatted dive to use it or erase adn reformat the existing drive (this of course removes everything from the drive so you must have copies of any important information someplace else)

 

 

LN

Posted on Oct 11, 2016 7:23 AM

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Chantellenc

Q: Photos library showing grey boxes after restoring from backup

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  • Helpful answers

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 10, 2016 3:45 PM in response to Chantellenc
    Level 10 (85,697 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 10, 2016 3:45 PM in response to Chantellenc

    If you rotate one and rotate it back does that resolve this? If so you can do that for large goups of photos (up to about 1000) at a time

     

    LN

  • by Chantellenc,

    Chantellenc Chantellenc Oct 10, 2016 3:52 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 10, 2016 3:52 PM in response to LarryHN

    Thank you for your suggestion, so far that hasn't resolved the issue.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 10, 2016 7:01 PM in response to Chantellenc
    Level 10 (85,697 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 10, 2016 7:01 PM in response to Chantellenc

    How exactly did you move the library? Have you run any clean up software on either the new or old system recently?

     

    LB

  • by Chantellenc,

    Chantellenc Chantellenc Oct 10, 2016 9:39 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 10, 2016 9:39 PM in response to LarryHN

    I backed up my pictures folder containing the photos library file onto an external portable drive. I then placed those files back into the new mac's pictures folder. I have not tried any other clean up softwares did you have a suggestion? I moved the files from a MacOS Sierra to a computer with the came OS.

    Thanks for your help!

  • by LarryHN,Helpful

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 11, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Chantellenc
    Level 10 (85,697 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 11, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Chantellenc

    But we need to know

    How exactly did you move the library?

    There are many ways to "backup" - some work and some do not - we need to know How exactly did you move the library?  The best way is to drag the Photos library to an EHD  - and teh EHD can only be formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)

     

    And do NOT use any clean up software - it is not needed and often caused big problems

     

    LN

  • by Chantellenc,

    Chantellenc Chantellenc Oct 11, 2016 6:42 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 11, 2016 6:42 AM in response to LarryHN

    AH thank you! ive checked and the portable drive I've used was formatted to exFAT. could this be the issue? Is there anyway to fix the issue with the files currently on it? Thanks!

  • by LarryHN,Solvedanswer

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 11, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Chantellenc
    Level 10 (85,697 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 11, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Chantellenc

    Chantellenc wrote:

     

    AH thank you! ive checked and the portable drive I've used was formatted to exFAT. could this be the issue? Is there anyway to fix the issue with the files currently on it? Thanks!

    Yes that is the problem 

     

    as I posted

    the EHD can only be formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)

    Photos will not work if the drive has any other format - you need to move it to a properly formatted dive to use it or erase adn reformat the existing drive (this of course removes everything from the drive so you must have copies of any important information someplace else)

     

     

    LN