Apple Photos on Mac Not Working? Try Repairing Your Photo Library
If Apple Photos won’t open on your Mac, displays error messages, or behaves unpredictably, your photo library may need to be repaired.
macOS includes a built-in Photos Repair Library tool that can fix issues caused by corrupted library data, damaged thumbnails, or incomplete syncing. This repair process is often the last step before more drastic troubleshooting — and in many cases, it resolves the problem completely.
This guide explains when you should use the Photos repair tool, how it works, and what to expect during the process, especially if your library is large or synced with iCloud Photos.
🎓 What You’ll Learn
When repairing a Photos library is appropriate
How to launch the Photos Repair Library tool
What happens during the repair process
How long repairs typically take
How iCloud Photos behaves after a repair
When you should avoid running a repair
🛠️ When You Should Repair a Photos Library
The Photos Repair Library tool is intended as a troubleshooting step when Photos is not functioning properly. It should be used when the app fails to open or behaves inconsistently.
Common scenarios include:
Photos does not launch or crashes immediately
Error messages appear when opening the library
Thumbnails appear corrupted or incomplete
Photos or videos fail to sync correctly
If Photos is working normally, there is usually no reason to run a repair.
⌨️ How to Use the Photos Repair Library Tool
Apple hides the repair tool behind a keyboard shortcut that must be used when launching Photos.
The repair process works as follows:
Quit Apple Photos completely
Hold Option + Command on the keyboard
Click Photos in the Dock or open it from the Applications folder
Confirm that you want to repair the selected Photos library
Enter the Mac’s administrator password
Once confirmed, Photos begins repairing the library automatically.
🔄 What Happens During the Repair Process
During a repair, Photos scans the library database and attempts to fix inconsistencies or corruption. This process runs locally on the Mac and does not affect other devices directly.
Important details to know:
The repair does not delete photos intentionally
Other devices using iCloud Photos remain usable
Photos may appear unresponsive while repairing
Larger libraries can take significantly longer to complete.
☁️ iCloud Photos After a Repair
If the repaired library is connected to iCloud Photos, additional background activity may occur after the repair finishes.
You may notice:
Photos re-indexing images
iCloud Photos re-syncing data
Status messages indicating restoration or syncing
Leaving Photos open and the Mac powered on helps the process complete smoothly.
⚠️ When Not to Use This Tool
While the repair tool is safe, it should not be used casually.
Avoid repairing if:
Photos is functioning normally
You are not experiencing errors or corruption
The issue is unrelated to Photos itself
As with most troubleshooting tools, repairing should be a targeted fix—not routine maintenance.
