How to Recover Lost Photos After Upgrading to macOS Monterey

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Recently, macOS Sonoma has been the talk of the town. But what if you encounter issues while installing it? Apple is renowned for its beautifully designed and feature-rich operating systems. However, not everyone is pleased with the upgrade to macOS Sonoma. Some users were taken aback to find that their Photos app had no pictures, with both the "Recently Deleted" folder and the "Imported" section appearing empty.

Don't panic if you encounter the same issue. There are several ways to recover photos lost after updating macOS to Sonoma. Of course, using the solutions from the linked page, you can restore not just photos but also other missing files.

How to Recover Deleted Files on macOS Sonoma

We'll show you 5 ways to recover deleted files on macOS Sonoma. You can restore them from the Trash, Time Machine backup, iCloud, or with a Mac data recovery wizard tool.

Solution #1 [QUICK] Recover Photos After macOS Sonoma Update

After upgrading to macOS 14 Sonoma, you might need data recovery. Difficulty during installation is a common issue that leads to data loss on many Mac devices.

The quickest and most direct way to recover lost photos after macOS Ventura update is by using a data recovery app. A safe and professional tool can save time and retrieve more valuable data to your MacBook Pro or Air.

The Mac Data Recovery Wizard is one of the most reliable tools on the market. It is a powerful data recovery tool that can scan and restore lost photos after an update to macOS Sonoma.

Why the Tool:

• ?It can recover deleted pictures after macOS updates, system crashes, or virus attacks.
• ?It can restore deleted files from a Mac and retrieve lost files due to accidental deletion, malware attacks, macOS errors, and more.
• ?Mac Data Recovery: It supports not only laptops but also devices like HDDs, SSDs, memory cards, and more.
• ?A team of remote IT experts is available for assistance when needed.

The software comes in a trial version that allows you to scan and preview all lost photos for free. After ascertaining its effectiveness, you can purchase the license to recover the missing photos.

Note: You could first click "Disk Backup" on the left to create a backup. When the disk is damaged or data on the disk is accidentally deleted or lost, you can restore the data from the backup image.

Step One: Choose the Location

Select the disk from which you lost data after upgrading to macOS Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur, and then click “Search Lost Files.”

Step 2: Look for the Lost Data after Scanning

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will scan the disk volume you select immediately and display the scan results in the left pane. You can search for your desired data on Mac by file type and file path.

Step 3: Recover Data after macOS Update

Select the target files that got lost accidentally during or after the update, and click the “Recover” button to get them all back.

Solution 2: Repair Your Mac's Photo Library to Find Missing Photos

The Photo Library is a database that stores all photo files and image data on your Mac. If you see an empty library folder after updating to macOS Sonoma, it could be due to corruption caused by incompatibility. However, when photos or albums vanish, become unreadable, or get lost for no reason, macOS allows users to repair the photo library on their Mac.

Here are the steps:

Step 2. Reopen Photos while holding down the Option and Command keys.

Step 3: After the upgrade, to recover any missing photos, click Repair in the Repair Library window that appears. (You might be asked for your account name and password to authorize the repair.)

Step 4. Wait for the repair process to finish, then open your Photos app and check your pictures.

Solution 3: Recover Disappeared Photos from iCloud in macOS 14

iCloud is a cloud-based service that lets Mac users store and retrieve photos from any device. It comes with 5GB of free storage and allows users to purchase more as needed. If you have iCloud enabled, you can use iCloud Photos to locate missing photos.

Step 1: On your Mac, go to the iCloud website and sign in with your Apple ID and password.

Step 2. Scroll down and select “Data Recovery,” or tap on the dot in the top-right corner.

Step 3. In macOS 14, you could recently restore deleted photos, bookmarks, and calendars. Select and save the files to your MacBook Pro/Air.

Solution 4: Use the Trash on your Mac to Fix Photos Disappeared After Update

If you lost your photos after updating to macOS Sonoma, don't worry. You might have accidentally moved the pictures to the Trash on your Mac's hard drive or desktop and deleted them. So, you can easily undo Empty Trash on Mac (Empty Trash on Mac) to retrieve the deleted photos.

Step 1: Open Finder, then click “Go” at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Click "Go to Folder," then type "/.Trash." This will open the Trash.

If you see any missing photos here, select them and click Put Back to restore them.

Let's explore more ways to recover missing photos after updating to macOS Sonoma. Also, don't forget to bookmark this article by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or any SNS.

Solution 5: Recover Photos Lost After an Update from Time Machine

Apple's backup solution is the Time Machine app. If you have enabled Time Machine backups, you can restore deleted data from the most recent backup whenever you empty the Trash. This method is worthless if you haven't made a backup before. If you need help recovering permanently removed files without a backup, use a Mac file recovery app.

Step 1 . Open Time Machine. You can find it in the "Applications" folder, or search for it with Spotlight.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the screen and to the far right corner of the timeline to find the date of your photo backup.

Step 3: To find the right backup, click the Up arrow icon next to the Time Machine window. You can double-click a photo or picture to see if it's the one you lost.

Step 4: Click the “Restore” button, and Time Machine will begin restoring your lost pictures to their original locations.

#6 Search for the original photo in the library after the update

Sometimes, our Photos app settings might not be correct, like not having the “Copy Items to the Photos Library” box checked, so when we view photos in the Photos app and then move them to an external hard drive after a macOS update, they show as “Missing” on our Mac when we want to look at them again because the original photo can't be found. In this case, you should use “Merge” to recover the missing pictures.

Step 1: Open the Photos app, go to Photos > Preferences > General, and check the box next to Copy Items to the Photos Library.

Step 2: Click on one of the “missing” photos, choose “Find Original,” and then navigate to the drive or folder where the original photo is located.

Step Three: Select all of your original photos, and then choose File > Merge. The originals will no longer be referenced, nor will they remain on the external drive; they'll be moved into your library.

Conclusion

Losing precious photos after upgrading to macOS Sonoma can be extremely frustrating. While it's impossible to entirely eliminate unexpected incidents, there are precautions you can take to minimize the likelihood of losing your pictures. For instance, regularly backing up your files to an external hard drive or cloud storage service is crucial. This way, even if your laptop is lost or stolen, your photos remain safe.

Moreover, if you've lost them for good, using iCloud or Mac data recovery software is a great way to retrieve missing, deleted, or lost photos, videos, and files.

Frequently Asked Questions about Losing Photos After Updating to macOS Sonoma

Here are 4 extra questions regarding how to recover lost photos after updating to macOS Monterey. Click here to see the answers.

< strong > 1. Why have all my photos disappeared from my Mac Pro?

By default, MacOS hides some files and directories, which could be why the pictures are disappearing from your MacBook Pro. For the uninitiated, Finder is the Mac's default file manager.

**How to upgrade to macOS 14 without losing your files?** Before upgrading macOS to any new version, it's crucial to back up your files. Here are two recommended methods to safely update to macOS 14 while preserving your data: 1. **Backup with Time Machine:** - Connect an external hard drive and ensure it's formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS. - Open Time Machine (found in Applications > Utilities). - Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the backup. This will create a full backup of your Mac. - After the backup is complete, download and install the macOS 14 update from System Preferences > Software Update. 2. **Manual Backup:** - Create a "Important Files" folder and copy all critical documents, photos, and other essential data into it. - Sync and back up these files using a cloud service like iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox. - Alternatively, copy them to an external storage device. - Once the backup is done, proceed with the macOS 14 upgrade through System Preferences > Software Update. Please note that despite taking a backup, issues can still occur during the upgrade process. Therefore, it's always wise to have the latest backup before upgrading. If any problems arise, you can restore from your previous backup.

When upgrading to macOS 14, it's essential to back up your Mac thoroughly to avoid losing any data. You can copy your files to an external hard drive or upload them to iCloud. Having a backup is crucial, as data recovery software may come in handy if something goes wrong.

Why are my photos missing from my iPhone?

Make sure the “Hidden Album” is turned on so you can see any missing photos or videos. If you use iCloud Photos, anything you hide on one device will be hidden on all your devices.

How to fix the issue of failed macOS 14 Sonoma upgrade?

When your macOS 14 Serengeti update fails or doesn't work as expected, try these steps:

• Force-restart your Mac device
• Perform a hard reset on the PRAM or NVRAM
• Free up disk space on your Mac
• Boot your Mac in Safe Mode
• Redownload and reinstall macOS 14