Repair Photo Library on Mac in 5 Methods [macOS Photo Recovery]

Any pictures that you copy or transfer from an iPhone or memory card will be imported and stored in the Photo Library on your Mac. You can find the Photo Library in the Pictures folder on your Mac, and preview the photos using the Photos app.

However, many Mac users complain that they see the “Photos needs to quit because the library is unavailable or its data is corrupted” error when running Photos on their Mac. Why does this error occur? In this article, we'll explain 5 solutions on how to fix photo library on Mac.

Possible reasons for a photo library error:

• You haven't updated macOS or another Apple device.
• You have too many peripherals connected to your Mac.
• Your macOS might be affected by a virus or malware.
• The library failed to launch or is missing thumbnails.

How to Fix a Photo Library on a Mac

Repairing a damaged photo library on your Mac might not be as complicated as it initially seems. Here are five simple ways to fix a photo library on your Mac. Try these methods to quickly resolve your issue.

• Method 1: Use the Mac Photos Library Repair Tool
• Method 2: Rebuild the Photos Library on Mac
• Method 3: Fix Corrupted Photos on Mac
• Method 4: Update macOS to Fix the Photos Library
• Method 5: Repair the Photos Library with Disk Utility

Method 1: Use the Mac Photos Library Repair Tool

If your Photos library won't open or the Photos app is having issues, try using the Photos Library Repair tool on your Mac. You must use one of these methods to access Photos Library Repair on your Mac:

Step 1: If the Photos app is open, close it and then reopen it.

Step 2: While taking the photo, hold down the “Command” and “Option” keys on your keyboard to launch Photos.

Step 3: Click “Repair” in the popup window to start the repair process. If prompted, enter your account ID and password.

This process might take a while, depending on the size of your Photos library. When it's done, any missing photos from iPhoto should appear in Photos.

Next up, we have the "Repair Photos Library Tool" right here: [Image description: Repair Photos Library Tool with dimensions 533px wide by 215px high]

If your photo won't open or preview on your Mac because of a damaged file, see the steps to repair a damaged file on your Mac.

How to Fix Corrupted Files on Mac [Works on macOS Ventura]

Learn all about corrupted files, how to quickly repair them using the Fixo Document Repair tool, and get more data safety tips by reading on.

Method 2: Rebuilding the Library on a Mac

If none of the above helps, you can try rebuilding your library on your Mac. You might want to watch a video tutorial first; here are the quick steps:

• 00:12 - Why Rebuild the Library?
• 01:21 - Manually Back Up Your Library
• 01:41 - Copy the Library
• 02:45 - Repair the Library
• 03:18 - Remove the Temporary Copy
• 04:02 - Delete the Copied Library

To fix this issue, use the Repair Library feature in an earlier version of iPhoto on your Mac to repair your iPhoto library database. This lets you choose one of the following four options:

Here are the descriptions of each option, please choose the one that best applies to you.

• Repair permissions: This might be necessary if your computer didn't shut down properly, leaving certain files open at the wrong time. Selecting this option can fix that.
• Rebuild thumbnails: iPhoto might be missing or have corrupted temporary photos it needs. Choosing this option will recreate those photos.
• Repair database: If the photos in your library don't match what iPhoto thinks should be there, iPhoto will check the pictures in the library and adjust the database accordingly.
• Rebuild database: This is a last resort, and it could take some time. You also risk losing photo or album data. Try everything else before selecting this option.

Depending on your issue, you may want to choose one of the other options if you need to do more fixing. Any recovery or rebuilding will take some time, and reconstructing the database and thumbnails usually takes longer than fixing the problem. When it's done, your iPhoto library should be good to go.

Method 3: Repair Damaged Photos on a Mac

If an image is corrupted, you might see that its colors are off, or that it's got gray patches, or that it's not visible at all. And if you try to open it in an app like Photos, you'll get a message saying the app can't open the file.

Damaged photos are a common issue that prevents users from accessing their data. Hence, repairing corrupted photos can also resolve issues with your photo library. We recommend using the Fixo Photo Repair Tool, a professional tool that has helped many Mac users.

• Repair corrupted JPEG files, PNGs, SR2 files, and document types like PDF and DOCX.
• It helps repair corrupted data on Mac hard drive and other connected external storage devices.
• The software works on all Macs and external storage devices, including CF cards, external HDD/SSD, etc.

Download the Fixo Photo Repair tool and follow the steps to repair corrupted photos: Repair Damaged Photos.

Step 1: Add the Damaged Picture

Launch Fixo on your Mac, go to the “Photo Repair” tab, and click the “Add Photos” button to add corrupted images, including JPEG, PNG, JPG, CR3, CR2, NEF, NRW, RAF, and more.

Step 2: Repair the Damaged Images

Select an image, then click “Repair” to begin the repair process for that single image. If you want to fix all damaged images, click “Repair All.”

Step 3: Save the repaired image on your Mac

Click the Eye icon to preview the repaired image, then click “Save” to save it to your Mac. To save all repaired images, click “Save All.” Click “View Repaired” to locate the folder with the fixed files.

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Method 4: Fix Photos by Updating macOS

First, back up your photos on the Mac using Time Machine or another tool. Running the latest version of macOS will help resolve various issues related to a corrupted library.

Step 1: To find the macOS Ventura update, go to System Preferences > Software Update.

Step 2: Click “Update Now” to start the update and follow the on-screen instructions.

Method 5: Repair the Photos Library with Disk Utility

The Disk Utility, found in the Utilities folder, is essentially a first-aid kit to check if your disk is damaged and start repairing it. It can also help if your photo library is corrupted. Though it's not intended to find or fix all issues on your disk, it's your go-to for emergency disk repairs when things go wrong.

Step 1. Open the Disk Utility app on your Mac.

Step 2: Choose “Show All Devices,” then select a disk or volume.

Step 3: Click on “First Aid” to run a diagnostic.

Step 4: Click “Run” to start the process, and then click “Continue.”

How to Recover Photos from a Photo Library on a Mac

If there's a problem with your Mac Photos library, you risk losing data. If Time Machine hasn't been running continuously, and you emptied the Trash after deleting your iPhoto library, you won't be able to recover the lost photos from Time Machine.

If you can't recover permanently deleted files from Mac Trash, try the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. If the lost or damaged file is smaller than 2 GB, you can download it directly and recover it for free.

If the photos in your Mac Library are missing, you can try the following steps to preview and recover them.

Note: You can make it safer and more reliable by creating a backup first by clicking “Disk Backup” on the left and then restoring from the backup image, so that no further damage is caused to the photos in your Mac library.

Step 1: Find the Missing Photos

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, hover the mouse pointer over the system drive that contains the Photos library, and click “Search Lost Files.”

Step 2: Find an image from your library.

When the scan is finished, click “Photos” under the “Paths” tab. All of your lost photos will be listed here.

Step 3: Recover photos from the gallery

Double-click the photo to preview it, select the correct option, and then click “Recover” to save the picture to another secure location on your Mac.

Last Words

Issues with the Photos app, such as corruption or accidental deletion of photos, indicate that your Photos app needs repair. Use the methods above to improve the image app, and use the Fixo Photo Repair tool to restore any damaged files. Users can preview files found after scanning.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fixing Photo Libraries on a Mac

Here are three additional questions about fixing a photo library on a Mac. Check here for the answers.

How long does it take to repair a Photos library on a Mac?

This process can take a while, depending on the number of photos you have, their size, and your internet speed. For example, a 150 GB library might take up to 24 hours. So, some patience is required to complete this.

What should I do if my Photos library can't be repaired?

Make sure the location of your Pictures library is somewhere you own legally, since "Photos" will by default create a new library in your user folder, and you want to make sure the default folder structure is readable:

• Your Mac should restart into Recovery Mode.
• In the Utilities section, select “Terminal.”
• In the Terminal window, type the command “resetpassword.”
• In the tool that appears, select your disk.
• From the dropdown, choose your username.
• Hit the button to reset the permissions and ACL (Access Control List) for your home folder.
• Try again after restarting your Mac as normal.

How do I restore a photo library on a Mac?

According to the Apple Support Community, there's often little chance of recovering photos after you delete an iPhoto library from your Mac. Here are two methods to recover a deleted iPhoto library and its pictures from a Mac.

Recover deleted Photo Library photos using a Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool. Restore deleted Photo Library photos from a Time Machine backup on your Mac.