Have a Photos library on your Mac that is missing previews, won’t open images or videos, or displays a never-changing message that it’s loading favorites or uploading images to iCloud Photos? Try rebuilding the Photos library:
- Quit Photos.
- Hold down the Command and Option keys while launching Photos.
- When prompted, click Repair.
The process can take a substantial amount of time for a large library, particularly if it’s stored on a hard drive and not on an SSD. When complete, Photos will load the library, and you may be back to normal.
This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Kasey.
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Author: Glenn Fleishman, Senior Contributor
Glenn Fleishman’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security, Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac. In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history. He’s a senior contributor to Macworld, where he writes Mac 911.