Apple Photos “Error Downloading Photo” after editing since macOS 27 update
Since updating my iMac to macOS 27, I’m having a problem editing photos in Apple Photos, particularly when using the Clean Up tool.
Photos taken on my iPhone sync normally through iCloud Photos and appear on my iMac, just as they have for years. I can open a photo in Photos, select Edit, and use Clean Up to retouch the image normally. However, the edits then fail to save and I receive the following message:
“Error Downloading Photo. Please try again later.”
I have iCloud Photos enabled and Optimise Mac Storage turned on, which is the same setup I have always used. I have plenty of available storage both in iCloud and on my iMac.
My understanding is that when I edit a photo that is stored in iCloud, Photos should automatically download the full-resolution original as required, allow me to make the edit, and then sync the edited version back to iCloud. I have never needed to keep all of my full-resolution originals permanently downloaded to my iMac for editing to work.
Everything was working normally before upgrading to macOS 27, and this problem only started after the update. My iMac and Photos are fully up to date.
Has anyone else experienced this since upgrading to macOS 27, particularly when using Clean Up with Optimise Mac Storage enabled? Is there a known fix?
This is what I have worked through so far:
- Photos can retrieve the full-resolution original from iCloud. I have successfully exported the original 4032 × 3024 HEIC photos without any problem.
- Photos can save normal edits. I can adjust exposure, lighting, contrast and other standard settings, and those edits save correctly.
- The problem occurs specifically with Clean Up/Retouch. I can use Clean Up/Retouch and the changes appear correctly on screen, but when I try to save the edit, Photos gives me the error: “Error Downloading Photo. Please try again later.”
So it appears that iCloud downloading and normal Photos editing are working correctly. The problem seems to be specifically related to saving edits made using the new MacOS27 Clean Up/Retouch tools