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User profile for user: myaka
myaka Author
User level: Level 4
2,777 points

Photos library could not be opened

Attempting to repair Photos library by holding down Option/Command when selecting Photos.

After choosing to repair, I input my login password to begin the process, which gets to 5%, when a window appears:


User uploaded file


If I quit and begin the repair process again, I obtain the same result.


This may be related to my synchronizing (Synchronize Pro! X) the .photoslibrary files in my user accounts on two separate Macs (both running 10.13.3).


Any ideas?

Mac mini, macOS High Sierra (10.13.3), Late 2012 Quad 2.6GHz i7

Posted on Mar 15, 2018 3:21 PM

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User profile for user: LarryHN
LarryHN
User level: Level 10
106,110 points

Posted on Mar 15, 2018 4:30 PM

This may be [almost definitely is] related to my synchronizing (Synchronize Pro! X) the .photoslibrary files in my user accounts on two separate Macs (both running 10.13.3).

You can not ever make any changes to the content of the photos library using any program except Photos - doing so will corrupt the library rendering it unusable - your only solution is to restore your backup from before you did this sync


This article explains why this does not work - https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/comments/dont_store_your_photo_library_on_dropbox


If you want to keep libraries on several machines in sync use iCLoud Photo Library, that is what it does and it works


LN

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User profile for user: LarryHN
LarryHN
User level: Level 10
106,110 points

Mar 15, 2018 4:30 PM in response to myaka

This may be [almost definitely is] related to my synchronizing (Synchronize Pro! X) the .photoslibrary files in my user accounts on two separate Macs (both running 10.13.3).

You can not ever make any changes to the content of the photos library using any program except Photos - doing so will corrupt the library rendering it unusable - your only solution is to restore your backup from before you did this sync


This article explains why this does not work - https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/comments/dont_store_your_photo_library_on_dropbox


If you want to keep libraries on several machines in sync use iCLoud Photo Library, that is what it does and it works


LN

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User profile for user: myaka
myaka Author
User level: Level 4
2,777 points

Mar 15, 2018 4:41 PM in response to LarryHN

I suspected as much. Oh, well.

Thanks for the informative link.


iCloud Photo Library would cost me $9.99 a month, too expensive (for me, anyway) to synchronize photos.


My photo library on the other Mac works just fine; is there a way I can simply import that library to this Mac -- or can I have both Macs use the same library?

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User profile for user: LarryHN
LarryHN
User level: Level 10
106,110 points

Mar 16, 2018 6:23 AM in response to myaka

$120 per yesr is about the cost of one nice but not amazing dinner for two - to me it is well worth it but that is my view


You can not share a single library, Photos is just not a multi user program


If your library is working on the other system copy it (via network using a drive formatted PFS or Mac OS extended (journaled) to your system with the problem


LN

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Photos library could not be opened

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