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Photos stuck on downloading [number] originals

Photos have been stuck on 'downloading [insert number] originals, for example, in my case, photos are 'downloading 21 originals' on my Mac, but everything is fine on my iPad, so can someone please help? I have tried quitting and re-opening Photos, still stuck. The screenshot below may help. Also, the number in downloading [number] originals doesn't change.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jan 18, 2023 11:49 AM

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 6

10,284 points

Posted on Jan 18, 2023 11:56 AM

These are the things we usual do first:

Restart the computer (of course)
Rebuild your Photos Library--close Photos and re-launch by option-command-clicking the app icon.
Make a new user and see if the same problem recurs with it
Use another library if you have one, or make a small test Library with a few pictures in it and see if the same thing happens.
Start in Safe Mode (different for different computers) This bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes.

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

My guess is Rebuilding the Library will work for you, but if not, try the others. For no obvious reason, I just had to rebuild mine, and it worked for me.

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Photos stuck on downloading [number] originals

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