Could not find the original file error

Open your Pictures folder and select your Photos Library 2.photoslibrary.

Ctrl-click it (or right click it). This will bring up a menu. Select "Show Package Contents". You may want to copy the complete package contents to an external drive for easy access.

Now follow the path shown by Find Any File to find the photo. The nested folders in Masters are named by the year, Month, Day, Time of import to Photos or iPhoto.

You can also let Find Any File show you the file in the Finder. If you ctrl-click the found file in the list, you will see a menu item "Reveal in Finder. Clicking this item will directly open te folder with the original file.

For example - I selected a hoto found in my Photos Library in Find Any File:

The error message states, that the original image files for your photos are stored outside your Photos Library. Is this intentional? Did you store the original image files in folders outside the Photos Library and added them to your Photos Library with the "Photos > Preference > General: Importing: Copy photos into the Photos Library" disabled?

In that case you need to point Photos to the location of the folder "CFG111" it is looking for. If you do longer know, where the folder is, use a search tool to search for the image file "IMG_0506.JPG". The trial version of Find Any File is very good to search for files even in the hidden system directories.

You can download a free trial version here:

http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/index.html

I find it odd that the preview and image show in photos, but the file is no where to be found

Photos is storing the previews and thumbnails of the edited versions and the original image files separately. You can see the thumbnails and even enlarge them, view the Info panel, even if the original image files cannot be accessed. Only, if you want to edit, export, or share the image, Photos will notice, that it cannot find the original file.

Also, the folder it's asking for, CFG111, when I give it access it still says it's not found.

When you are seeing the second panel "Could not find the original image file .... Would you like to try to locate it again ....", try the "OK" button. This should open a file chooser panel. Select the original you found with Find Any File in the Masters folder. If Photos does not let you select a file in the Masters folder, copy the file you found with Find Any File in the Masters folder to a folder on the Desktop, and when Photos ask "Would you like to try to locate it again" select the copy on the Desktop.

Does that work?

If not, use brute force and reimport the file you copied out of the Masters folder.

Do the same with the other photos that cannot be found.