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rosalba-49
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

All my photos are gone!

I have been using an external hard drive for time machine for years for my Mac. Earlier this year, I connected to the iCloud for the first time and didn't think anything of it. I also have been diligent with upgrading my operating system. Then I recently opened up my photos app on my Mac and all my photos are gone. I tried going into my external hard drive and it only shows three options, iPhotos (which is obsolete on my Mac due to the upgrades), photo booth library, and the photos app. When I click on the photos app there's nothing there and when I click on the iPhotos it gives me an error message saying it cannot be opened. I would like to believe that my years worth the photos are somewhere and not gone but I don't know why they disappeared. I'm not sure if it had to with connecting to the iCloud while my computer was simultaneously connected to the external hard drive, or if it had to deal with an operating system upgrade. Help!

Posted on Oct 10, 2026 5:59 PM

3 replies

Matti Haveri
User level: Level 7 (22,314 points)

Oct 10, 2026 11:33 PM in response to rosalba-49

Maybe you are looking at a wrong library?


So connected any external drive that might have been used for Photos. Then Option-click Photos and it should display all available libraries, and open and check them one-by-one:

You might also check what is available at iCloud Photos web:

https://www.icloud.com/


You might also check your backups.

Richard.Taylor
User level: Level 7 (25,466 points)

Oct 11, 2026 7:41 AM in response to rosalba-49

Matti's suggestion is the best bet. On a Mac we can have multiple Photos Libraries, and that can get confusing, sometimes.


The statement "I recently opened up my Photos app" is unclear. The Photos app does not contain pictures, only instructions. Pictures are kept in a Photos Library, initially named "Photos Library.photoslibrary" This is a "package" that shouldn't be opened up unless there is a dependable backup-- stuff in there can be corrupted when messed with. See this:

Basic Concepts and Terms About Photos - Apple Community

Photos Libraries are normally kept on the internal drive in the Pictures folders. If you see things in there with a "photoslibrary" extension, you can just double click on them to open them in Photos.


iPhotos Libraries, by the way, has an extension ".photolibrary" without the "s."


Time Machine backups are incremental, and just clicking on something in there, rather than going through a proper "restore" processes, may not get you what you think. See this:

Time Machine Restores a Photos Library - Apple Community.


Keith Barkley
User level: Level 7 (21,929 points)

Oct 11, 2026 1:47 PM in response to rosalba-49

Did you delete any images on another device connected to your iCloud? iCloud is for syncing, not archiving. If you delete images from any of your devices connected to iCloud it will delete them from all devices.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256373948