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Photos stuck in a loop downloading and curating on MacBook.

Photos accesses all current photos in my library when using my iPhone, my iPad and another MacBook. But on my MacBook (13" MacBook Pro running macOS 12.6.3, Intel silicon) it is stuck in a loop Curating the photos. I have left it powered on overnight and the status does not change. I have quit and restarted Photos - same behavior. I have run "repair" on the library - same behavior. I have rebooted - same behavior.


Any suggestions about resolving this issue Ideas?



Posted on Mar 10, 2023 9:15 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 10, 2023 10:58 AM

How large is your library? It is normal to be seeing the message about "Curating" etc at all times for a large library. I your library is very small, Photos may finish the curating after a week or so, but for a larger library, where you keep importing new photos or are adding adjustments, or tagging favorites, Photos will have continually to update the results of the curating. Photos is doing the Curating to find the best photos for the layout of the Days, Months, Years. Any changes you apply to your photos will make it necessary to start over with the curating and update the results. It does not matter, as we can work with Photos while the curation is going on.

You will no longer be seeing the message, if you are using your Mac on battery power, as Photos will be pausing the Curating to save energy on Battery Power.


Or, if you upgrade to macOS 13 Ventura you will no longer see the message.

Photos has stopped showing off what it is doing on Ventura. We do not really need to know, whether it is still "curating" or not.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 10, 2023 10:58 AM in response to ajbaroody

How large is your library? It is normal to be seeing the message about "Curating" etc at all times for a large library. I your library is very small, Photos may finish the curating after a week or so, but for a larger library, where you keep importing new photos or are adding adjustments, or tagging favorites, Photos will have continually to update the results of the curating. Photos is doing the Curating to find the best photos for the layout of the Days, Months, Years. Any changes you apply to your photos will make it necessary to start over with the curating and update the results. It does not matter, as we can work with Photos while the curation is going on.

You will no longer be seeing the message, if you are using your Mac on battery power, as Photos will be pausing the Curating to save energy on Battery Power.


Or, if you upgrade to macOS 13 Ventura you will no longer see the message.

Photos has stopped showing off what it is doing on Ventura. We do not really need to know, whether it is still "curating" or not.

Photos stuck in a loop downloading and curating on MacBook.

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