May 17, 2021 I have a MacPro 5.1 running macOS Mojave 10.14.6. My Photos library is on a secondary internal drive. It was working a few days ago, but not it will not open. When I try and open it while holding command-option it prompts for a repair of the library, which I do. However, it gets stuck at 5%. What can I do to resolve this? The Photos app will now attempt to repair your library, and display a bar to indicate its progress. This process can take a really long time depending on the number and size of the photos in your library, so be patient and let it finish. Once the repair process is complete, you’ll be dropped back into your Photos library.
Photos Repairing Library Stuck At 100
The hang has been going on for over 24 hours. Photos won't let you quit the application without force quitting. Which I did a couple of times before seeing a post that I shouldn't do it.
I have another program called Power Photos from which I can access all my libraries. It shows which library is active in Photos and you can select another one for Photos to open. It shows the hanging one as the one open in Photos.
I can view individual photos in Power Photos and open them in Preview. Should I try to get Power Photos to open the problem library?
iCloud and the System Photo Library
You can use iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream only with the System Photo Library. If you choose a different library in Photos without designating it as the System Photo Library, the iCloud tab in Photos preferences is disabled.
If you want to use a different library with iCloud, follow the instructions in the next section to change the System Photo Library.
How to designate a System Photo Library
Photos Repairing Library Is Stuck Around
If you designate a new library as the System Photo Library and then turn on iCloud Photos, the photos and videos in the new library will merge with those already in your iCloud Photos. Additionally, all photos and videos from iCloud will redownload to the device.
- Quit the Photos app.
- Hold down the Option key and open Photos. One of the photo libraries is already designated as YourLibraryName (System Photo Library).
- Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library.
- After Photos opens the library, choose Photos > Preferences from the menu bar.
- Click the General tab.
- Click the Use as System Photo Library button.
If Use as System Photo Library is grayed out, the current library is already set as your System Photo Library.
If you open a different library in the Photos app, and you haven't designated it as the System Photo Library, other applications will use photos from the original System Photo Library. Hold down the Option key when you open Photos to see which library is set as the System Photo Library.
Need help?
If you still have issues with Photos, contact Apple Support.