Photos on my iMac not syncing with my other devices

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Level 1

26 points

Photos on my iMac not syncing with my other devices

Hi all,

I am having an issue with my Photos library on my iMac not syncing thru iCloud to my iPhone. This is a new problem and I think it may be related to another problem I was trying to fix.

I had recently discovered I was missing thousands of old photos and fortunately found an older Photos library saved on an external hard drive that contained most of my missing photos.

So I moved a copy of that older Photos library to my iMac. But in doing that I believe I had to declare that older version as my default Photos library in order to open it.

So once I moved those missing files to another folder on my iMac I then moved them to my current Photos library. Sometime after that I realized that the new albums I had created in my current Photos library on my iMac were not showing up on/syncing to my iPhone.

I am wondering if I messed something up by opening another "library" in Photos? Maybe in changing the default library? Any idea how to check that or to see if the default switched back to the one permanently on my iMac?

Also when I check Photos on my iMac, it is showing that it is uploading photos to iCloud, but the number of files is changing very slowly... Could it be a capacity problem?

Thanks in advance!

iMac, macOS 10.12

Posted on May 8, 2020 11:24 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

brenden dv

Community Specialist

May 9, 2020 1:00 PM in response to G4RAY

Hello G4RAY,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities! It looks like you have some Photos library questions relating to iCloud and an external drive, and I'd like to do what I can to help out.

Looking at your screenshot, it's possible you may need to purchase more iCloud space. You will get a message if this happens. In the meantime, keep your Mac on, connected to power and the network, until iCloud is finished.

You can use Photos with multiple libraries, just open Photos while holding the Option key and then select the library you'd like to view. You'll find this info here: Create additional photo libraries macOS High Sierra is the earliest version in the Photos Help guide. However, the information may be similar to macOS Sierra.

If you do need to buy more iCloud storage: Buy more iCloud storage

Keep in mind that iCloud is a syncing service, so you can see your data on all of your devices which use iCloud. It is advisable to back up any info, and here's how: Archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud

Take care!

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Answer 2

i_rina

Community Specialist

May 10, 2020 6:09 AM in response to G4RAY

Hey G4RAY,

Thanks for the reply and update. We're glad that info was what you needed!

This article shows that you're looking in the right place for the iCloud upload status. It also has some additional info:

Get help with iCloud Photos Scroll down to the section titled "How do I see the progress of my upload to iCloud Photos?"

Enjoy your day!

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Answer 3

G4RAY Author

Level 1

26 points

May 9, 2020 1:20 PM in response to brenden dv

Thank you! All good information.

I had discovered this morning how to set the default library, and also decided to go ahead and buy the 2TB iCloud package just in case. I aslo went in to manage storage on my computer and eliminated some large video files I hadn't realized were stored on my hard drive.

But the piece you said about keeping the computer on and connected was really helpful. I wasn't sure if iCloud can upload while I am signed out, so it sounds like you are saying it won't. So that was helpful. Thank you.

Lastly, is there a window somehwere where I can see the satus of files uploading to the cloud? The only thing I have seen is the numbers at the bottom of the main page in Photos, but that number isn't moving much, so I am wondering what is actually happening.

Thanks again!

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Answer 4

G4RAY Author

Level 1

26 points

May 10, 2020 5:25 AM in response to G4RAY

That worked! I left the computer on and running over night and all the files uploaded to the cloud and synced. Thank you!

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Photos on my iMac not syncing with my other devices

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