Why Are Photos Not Shown In Mac Photo App

The iPhoto or the upgraded version of Photos on Yosemite is considered as the default application on Mac for transferring photos from iPhone to a Mac. There are some users though that experience an issue – iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. Generally, this issue can also affect users who recently updated to iOS 10, 11 or even the latest iOS 12. If you are facing the iPhoto not working on Mac Catalina issue, it is because that is the way things are designed. IPhoto has actually been retired and Apple no longer supports it. As a replacement to the app, you now have the Photos app that does pretty much all the tasks as the iPhoto app.

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Why Are All My Photos Not Showing On Mac

If your iPhone photos not showing up in iPhoto/Photos on Mac? Read this post to learn some quick solutions to fix the problem.

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iPhone Photos Tips

Export Photos from iPhone

Import Photos to iPhone

Fix iPhone Photos Problems

Other iPhone Photos Tips

AnyTrans – Get iPhone Photos on Mac

Free download AnyTrans on Mac to get iPhone photos show up, then import the photos you want to your computer. Try this alternative for iPhoto/Photos app!

Camera roll is about 4.4GB, and I want to save my pictures to the MacBook Pro. I connect my iPhone to MacBook Pro and iPhoto shows iPhone 8 plus yet displays the loading message. iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. I have just updated my iPhone to iOS 14, is that the problem?

iPhoto or the upgraded Photos app on Yosemite and later is the default app on Mac to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac. However, some users have met the same problem as the above user asked – photos on iPhone will not show up on Mac in iPhoto/Photos when connected with the iPhone. So you can’t import photos from iPhone to Mac. This may happen to users who have just updated to the latest iOS 14.

Why Are Photos Not Shown In Mac Photo App Store Photos

But don’t worry, in this guide, we will show you some easy tips to fix iPhone photos not showing up on Mac issue. Also, there is an efficient way to import photos from iPhone to Mac without iPhone or Photos.

Fixes to iPhone Photos Not Showing up in iPhoto or Photos on Mac

Here we collect some common quick solutions that once worked for some users to fix the iPhone photos not showing up on Mac in iPhoto or Photos.

Update your Mac and your iPhone system to the latest version. If possible update iPhoto to Photos (for Mac OS X Yosemite and later).
Unplug your iPhone, and quit iPhoto/Photos as well as iTunes. Then plug the iPhone back and restart iPhoto/Photos.
Try to move iPhone photos to your Mac more easily and quickly without iPhoto. AnyTrans is one of the best tools to import photos from iPhone to Mac.
Turn off your Mac and restart again, also restart your iPhone.
Unlock your iPhone, and when you plug in with it a pop-up will show on your iPhone and ask whether to Trust or Don’t Trust this computer. Tap on Trust.
If you use any other photo storage device on your Mac like DropBox, which can be conflicting with iPhoto. You should close DropBox or just remove it.
Enabled iCloud Photo Library. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Setting on devices > Tap on[Your Name] > Click iCloud > Click Photos under Manage Storage > Toggle on iCloud Photos. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Click iCloud > Click Options by the side of Photos > Check iCloud Photos.
Reset iPhone Location & Privacy. Disconnect your iPhone from your Mac. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy > Reconnect to your Mac and select Trust when your iPhone asks > Import iPhone photos to Mac.
Use the Photos repair tool: Make sure that you backed up your main Photos library > Quit Photos > Press and hold the Option and Command keys as you open Photos again.
You will see the Repair Library dialog appears > Click Repair, and then enter an administrator password to begin running the Photos repair tool.

A Better Solution: How to Upload iPhone Photos without iPhoto/Photos

When you’re facing iPhone photos not showing up on Mac, iPhoto won’t open, or iPhoto not working at all, how can you sync or edit iPhone photos on Mac? Another way is trying a Photos/iPhoto alternative tool – AnyTrans. With AnyTrans, transferring iPhone photos to Mac/PC computer will become much easier and quicker with the related features as below:

AnyTrans – iPhone Photo Transfer

Transfer all types of photos and albums to Mac as well as Windows.
Convert incompatible iPhone photos automatically.
Guarantee you no harm to picture quality.
Also, help you transfer photos from iPhone to new iPhone directly.

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To fix iPhone photos not importing to Mac or not all photos importing from iPhone to Mac:

Step 1: Free Download AnyTrans on your Mac > Open AnyTrans > Connect your iPhone to the computer using a digital cable > Choose “Device Manager” mode > Click on “Photos” option.

Open AnyTrans and Choose Photos

Step 2: Select the photos you want to see on your computer > Click “To Mac” button at the top-right corner to start the process. After it completes, the selected photos will be successfully exported from iPhone now.

Other iPhone Photos Related FAQs

You may have some other iPhone photos related questions and we’ve prepared some guides to give you answers.

Question 1. Where are photos stored on mac and how to view my photos on Mac?

After you import your iPhone photos to Mac with the Photos app, you can view them in Photos app directly or view photos on Mac in the Photos library folder.

On your Mac, Go to Finder > Choose Pictures > Right Click Photo Library > Choose Show Package Contents > In a folder named Masters, you will find photos in different folders.

Whare arr Photos Stored on Mac

Why Are Photos Not Shown In Mac Photo App Crashing

Question 2. How can I import photos from iPhone to Mac in more ways?

To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac, besides using Photos or iPhoto, you can also try AirDrop, Image Capture, iCloud, etc. Read this guide to learn 6 ways to import photos from iPhone to Mac >

Question 3. What to do when the iPhone not showing up on PC?

If you are using a Windows PC and your iPhone won’t show up, here some fixes you can try. To get more info you can refer to How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up on PC , or you can try the following quick fixes:

Restart your iPhone and your Windows PC.
Make sure the iPhone is NOT locked and it is showing the home screen when you plug it in.
Try a different USB port if you have one.
Try enabling Windows AutoPlay.

Bonus Tip: How to Convert HEIC Photos

After the release of iOS 11, all Apple devices would use HEIC photos by default. This new file format is intended to save your iOS device storage space, but it is not yet widely compatible.

As a result, sometimes users would have trouble opening HEIC files. Here we recommend a free tool – iMobie HEIC Converter, to help you convert HEIC files to any formats you want, such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc.

Don’t miss: How to Change a HEIC File to JPEG on Mac/PC >

The Bottom Line

If photos from iPhone not showing up on mac in iPhoto or Photos app, or iPhoto not working, then you can try AnyTrans to import iPhone photos to Mac. It enables you to view and upload all iPhone photos when you connect the computer. And Windows PC/Mac, newly iPhone 12 and iOS 14 are supported. If you have any problems with this guide, feel free to leave your comment below or contact our support team via email.

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Problem 1. iPhoto Not Working/Opening, How to Access Photos in iPhoto?

'Can I retrieve all the photos I still had in iPhotos? Once I downloaded Catalina, iPhotos could no longer be opened. I didn't realize Catalina had that feature. My thousands of iPhotos seem lost. Is there anything I can do?'

If you are like the above user and the iPhoto not opening on Mac Catalina at all, it is because the update is preventing that from happening. Any Macs that runs macOS Catalina or later will not let you launch iPhoto because the app has been retired long ago and Apple does not support it any longer.

The following are some of the things you can do to access your photos that were stored in the iPhoto app on your Mac.

Solution 1: Migrate to the Photos app that comes with Catalina

iPhoto does not work starting with Catalina and there is no chance it will work in any future macOS updates. Therefore, your best solution is to get your photos migrated to the new replacement app you have on your Mac.

The new Photos app lets you easily import your photos from iPhoto. The following shows how to do the task.

Step 1. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard.

Step 2. Launch the Photos app from the Launchpad on your Mac.

Step 3. A prompt will appear asking you to select the library you want to access. From this list, choose your iPhoto library and click on Choose Library.

Your iPhoto library along with all of your photos will launch in the Photos app. You can now manage your photos in this app from now on. That is how you get the images from iPhotos library to Photos library.

Solution 2. Recover Missing Photos in iPhoto If You Failed to Migrate

In an unfortunate case if the migration procedure did not go well and you ended-up losing your photos, you will need to use a recovery software to recover your photos.

Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery, a software that lets you easily and quickly recover lost files on your Mac. You can use it to recover your lost photos in a few clicks as shown below.

Step 1 Download and install the software on your Mac. Launch the software when it is installed. On the main interface, click on the drive you want to scan and then click on the Scan button.

Step 2 Select Photos in the left sidebar and you will see your photos in the right-hand side pane. Select the ones you want to recover and click on Recover.

Step 3 Choose the folder where you want to save your recovered photos.

Why Are Photos Not Shown In Mac Photo App Reviews

Problem 2. How to Upgrade iPhoto on Catalina?

'I upgraded to Catalina and I need to use iPhoto. How do I upgrade it?'

Soon as you notice that iPhoto no longer works in Catalina, you will likely start finding ways to get the app to somehow work on your Mac. Not only with iPhoto but you will do it with any other app when it refuses to run on your machine.

Solution: There is no solution

Unfortunately, there is no solution to your issue. iPhoto is retired and no matter how hard you try to run it on your Mac running macOS Catalina, the app will just not run. It is because the app uses an old framework that Apple no longer supports.

Problem 3. Is There an Application like iPhoto?

'I prefer using iPhoto over Photo. Is there an application like iPhoto that will run using the new OS Catalina?'

It is natural to look for alternatives when an app does not work on your machine. Since iPhoto has stopped working on your Mac, you might want to see if something similar is available in the market for you.

Solution: Use iPhoto Alternative Software like Google Photos

Fortunately, you have a great alternative to iPhoto available for your Mac. It is Google Photos and it allows you to upload, manage, and keep your photos on the cloud. It provides 15GB of free storage for original quality photos and unlimited storage for photos that are set to high-quality.

Why Are Photos Not Shown In Mac Photo App Missing

Problem 4. How to Backup iPhoto library Before Catalina Upgrade

'How do I find my iPhoto library on my hard drive? I want to put all my iPhoto library on an external disk before I even think about upgrading as I have read iPhoto will no longer work when Catalina is installed. I genuinely hate the photos app and much prefer the ease and control I have with iPhoto. When I click on the iPhoto in my applications folder, there isn't any library there.'

If you already know that iPhoto is not going to work in Catalina, you might want to backup your iPhoto photos to an external hard drive before you proceed with the Mac update. This is actually the best way to keep your photos safe as well as easy to import into the Photos app when the update is installed.

Solution: Backup iPhoto libraries to External Hard Drive

Your Mac lets you easily backup your iPhoto photos to an external hard drive and you do not even need an app to do the task. Everything that you need is already available on your machine

Step 1. Open a Finder window and head into /User//Pictures. Right-click on the file that says iPhoto Library and select Show Package Contents.

Step 2. Open the Masters folder on the following screen and you will see all your photos organized by their years.

Step 3. Copy these folders and paste them onto your external hard drive using Finder.

You have successfully created a backup of your iPhoto photos on your hard drive.

Sum Up

Why Are All My Photos Not Showing On Mac

If you are wondering 'how to access my photos in iPhoto after Catalina upgrade', there are a few easy ways to do the task as described above. You should be just fine with using any method available in the above guide.

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