How to Fix Photo Booth Video Lag on Mac [2024 Guide]

For macOS or iPadOS users who enjoy documenting their life, Photo Booth is an essential tool. Constant updates have transformed it from a simple video/photo shooting tool into a multipurpose editor that lets you add filters. You can also download sound effects from the internet to spruce up your videos or photos even more.

Over time, issues are bound to arise. In your day-to-day encounters, you might come across problems like a corrupted Photobooth video, a frozen Photobooth video, or a laggy Photobooth video. This article will delve into several effective methods to resolve the latter issue. Hopefully, you'll find your solution here. Keep reading!

Solution 1: Fix lagging Photo Booth video issues due to damaged video files

If the lagging issue is caused by video corruption, then the problem will be much simpler, as you can seek help from a powerful video repair tool as your assistant. Fixo Video Repair Tool is your strong choice for its efficiency and reliability.

Fixo Video Repair was previously a Windows-only video repair tool, but now it can run on MacOS Ventura to fix corrupted videos on Mac. This software effectively addresses issues that users might encounter on MacOS, such as Photo Booth videos getting corrupted, black screen issues in iMovie, or videos not playing on Mac.

No need to worry about restricted formats, as it can fix MP4, MOV, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV, M4V, and more from cameras, drones, CCTV DVRs, dashcams, smartphones, NAS servers, and Photo Booth – you name it.

It's also famous for its ease of use, and you'll understand what I mean by reading the Mac video repair tool instructions:

Step 1: Download and launch Fixo on your Mac. Click on “Video Repair” from the left panel, and then click on “Add Video” to upload your corrupted MP4/MOV/MKV/3GP video files.

Select Video Repair and add the video(s)

Step 2. Select the video you want to fix and click on the "Repair" button to start the individual video repair process. To repair all videos, select them all and click on "Repair All."

Step 3: Wait for a few minutes while the software repairs the corrupted video. The time it takes will depend on how badly the video is damaged. When it's done, click “View repaired video” to preview it. To save the repaired video, click “Save.” You can save multiple videos at once by selecting “Save All.”

Step 4: If the quick fix doesn't work, try the advanced repair mode. Select "Advanced Repair" to start the process. Upload a sample video and click "Confirm."

A detailed window with information about the error and sample video will pop up. Click on “Repair Now” to start the repair process. Once done, you can preview the repaired video and click on the “Save” button to save the repaired video file to the desired location.

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Solution 2: Force quit Photo Booth

You can also try force-quitting Studio to fix video lag, but this method usually comes with the risk of losing your data. It's best to back up your corrupted video first before attempting this.

Here are the detailed steps to resolve video lag in Photo Booth:

Step 1: Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen, and select “Force Quit” from the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Select the Photobooth app from the list, then tap “Force Quit.”

Step 3: Click “Force Quit” again in the new window to confirm.

If the forced quit fails, you can refer to this page:

Force Quit Not Working on MacBook Pro/Air: How to Fix

There are several ways to resolve the issue of Force Quit not working on your Mac.

Solution 3: Clear Saved Images

When you open the app, Photo Booth loads the stored photos into your PC's memory. Deleting stored photos helps free up limited RAM. Having too many photos and videos stored can cause lag directly with the video. The less memory it has to work with, the faster Photo Booth will run. It's recommended that you:

Step 1: Go to the user's home directory and find the “Pictures” folder (/user/Pictures/).

In the “Pictures” folder, create a new folder and name it “Photo Booth Photos/Backup” (or whatever you'd like).

Step 3: Find the folder that contains your “Photo Booth” pictures and videos.

Step 4. You now need to move all of your Photo Booth pictures and videos into the new folder you created. You can do this manually, or via the Finder GUI or command line:

Move all files in the directory "/user/Pictures/Photo Booth/" to the directory "/user/Pictures/Photo Booth backups/".

Step 5: Verify that all of the files have successfully been moved to the new folder. If they have, restart Photo Booth and then open the problematic video again to see if the issue persists.

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Solution 4: Uninstall and reinstall Photo Booth

The ultimate solution is to uninstall and reinstall Photo Booth. It's a simple yet effective method that often goes overlooked. You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling iMovie when you encounter the black screen issue in iMovie, which we discussed in this article about how to fix black screen in iMovie. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on and open Finder from the Dock.

Step 2: Select "Apps" from the left-hand sidebar.

Step 3: Right-click on the "Photo Booth" icon and select "Uninstall" from the drop-down menu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Video Delay in Photo Booth

Here are some questions that might interest you:

1. Why is my Photo Booth video lagging?

Photo Booth can use a lot of memory and processor power when recording a video. It's best to close other apps while recording to avoid decreased video quality or lag.

2. How to fix Video in Photo Booth?

Here are some ways to do that:

• Repair damaged Photo Booth videos with a video repair tool
• Access your Photo Booth videos through Finder
• Boot your Mac in Safe Mode again
• Try updating your Mac

Why isn't the video working in Photo Booth on my Mac?

There are several things that could be causing this problem with Photo Booth.

• Outdated software
• Conflicts with other apps
• Lack of storage space
• Running too many resource-intensive apps simultaneously

Last Words

This article details four useful methods to fix lag in Photo Booth. Try force quitting the app, clearing stored images, or reinstalling it. If your video is damaged, repair it with tools Fixvideo. Download it by clicking the button or banner below. Give it a try now!