Downloading Originals iCloud Photo Library Stuck

[VineRider]

I had this issue on my MacBook Pro M1 as I had to erase and setup as new due to an issue with my iCloud account (another issue unrelated to photos).

I have my photos app set to download originals to my Mac and it was stuck at downloading 3k files (total number of all my photos in iCloud).

I let it sit overnight and it never moved or downloaded any originals (photo library was only about 300mb in size when it should be over 15gb).

I found this thread this morning and thought I'd try exporting. But, before exporting my entire library, I thought I'd try just dragging a single photo into my downloads folder from the photos app to see if that might be an option as opposed to using the export function. This just copies the photo and does not move it out of the photos library.

Well, once I dragged that single photo into my downloads folder (it was the most recent one in my library), it kicked off the download in the photos app and my entire library has now downloaded as it should.

Sharing this in case it might help someone else. Definitely an issue with either the photos app or iCloud, but happy that I got my library to download.

 

[GDMcG]

The other day I noticed my Mac Studio had stopped downloading my iCloud Photo Library (about 270GB) originals to the external SSD I have been using since I had my 27 inch iMac. I figured the issue was that it was because I recently started using Plex to share a few video files from it. I decided was due for a completely fresh library and I decided to download it to a new SSD thinking that with my gigabit connection it would be no sweat. Unfortunately I am now stuck at over 47 000 originals downloading and it has not budged. I found a fix where deleting a syndication.photolibray file helped some people but it turns out that was for a syncing issue. Mine library syncs fine, but originals just don't want to download.

Any one else come across this? Is it just a matter of time? I know you can start a slide show or download the expo the modified originals, but that won't fix the underlying issue that new iCloud Photos don't download.

Thanks for any help!

Same here. Just got a new MBP M1 Max (B&H photo was having a heck of a deal) and setup as new on 12-18-2023 and logged in to my iCloud and downloading 44k + originals not budging. Trying to update to 14.2.1 tonight. Let’s see what happens. Argh. 😠 I submitted feedback regarding this issue at https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos/ Maybe if we can get enough reports into feedback we can get the addressed. 🤞

 

[angelofioren]

Same here. Just got a new MBP M1 Max (B&H photo was having a heck of a deal) and setup as new on 12-18-2023 and logged in to my iCloud and downloading 44k + originals not budging. Trying to update to 14.2.1 tonight. Let’s see what happens. Argh. 😠 I submitted feedback regarding this issue at https://www.apple.com/feedback/photos/ Maybe if we can get enough reports into feedback we can get the addressed. 🤞

I updated this afternoon and the 33 originals I have left to upload somewhere in my 47k have not moved.
I submitted feedback but I am not hopeful about that. The reality is that most people use the iCloud Photo Library in their iPhones and don’t download originals.

 

[borez]

I had this issue on my MacBook Pro M1 as I had to erase and setup as new due to an issue with my iCloud account (another issue unrelated to photos).

I have my photos app set to download originals to my Mac and it was stuck at downloading 3k files (total number of all my photos in iCloud).

I let it sit overnight and it never moved or downloaded any originals (photo library was only about 300mb in size when it should be over 15gb).

I found this thread this morning and thought I'd try exporting. But, before exporting my entire library, I thought I'd try just dragging a single photo into my downloads folder from the photos app to see if that might be an option as opposed to using the export function. This just copies the photo and does not move it out of the photos library.

Well, once I dragged that single photo into my downloads folder (it was the most recent one in my library), it kicked off the download in the photos app and my entire library has now downloaded as it should.

Sharing this in case it might help someone else. Definitely an issue with either the photos app or iCloud, but happy that I got my library to download.

Thanks for sharing - unfortunately it didn't work for me. Updating to 14.2.1 didn't work either.

Just spoke to another Apple advisor and have authorized them to review my account. Fingers crossed that this gets fixed.

 

[BrettApple]

First time seeing this in weeks! I thought it fixed itself as I had not yet installed 14.2.1 (which I just did) and was rather surprised. Then I remembered I did drag one photo I took on my Canon that was imported via Lightning to SD card reader over the weekend to another folder on my machine.

Apparently just exporting that sole photo caused the whole thing to sync up? Unbelievable. This does seem par for the course with Apple software post about 2015. Joking.. Or am I?

Jury is out on how long it works before it stops working though, or if it will continue to download properly. What a silly thing but taking a step back the way iCloud works is surely pretty complex, err "magical" in Apple speak.

 

[p_a_vs]

I did as stated here and everything worked. I took some photos and videos on my iPhone. They appeared on the Mac and the originals loaded. But you still need time to make sure that there will be no mistakes the next day.

To get to the Photos Repair Library tool on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. If Photos is open, close the app. Then, while you click to open Photos, hold down the Command and Option keys at the same time.
2. In the window that opens, click Repair to start the repair process. You might be asked to enter your user account password.

The Repair Library tool analyzes the library's database and repairs any inconsistencies it detects. Depending on the size of your library, the repairs might take some time. When the process is done, Photos opens the library.

 

[GDMcG]

I updated this afternoon and the 33 originals I have left to upload somewhere in my 47k have not moved.
I submitted feedback but I am not hopeful about that. The reality is that most people use the iCloud Photo Library in their iPhones and don’t download originals.

I finally gave up on waiting for the downloads to get going. I tried the drag a photo to the desktop method and that didn’t do anything so I tried a workaround I saw here and on an Apple Discussions thread about the issue and started selecting thousands of photos at a go and then selecting File > Play Slideshow which then forces the download of all of the selected photos while it builds the slide show. This, in turn, causes the “Downloading Originals” to pause and causes the number of items to be downloaded to reduce by the number of items you selected for the Slideshow. Rinse and repeat.

 

[angelofioren]

I went to check my Mac since I was working at the office today, and I noticed that after showing 33 originals downloading yesterday, that tonight it's showing as synced with iCloud, including a picture I took this afternoon. Is it working for anyone else?

The only thing I did differently is that yesterday I "paused" it until the evening by clicking the pause (duh). Let me know if it is good for everyone else.

 

[BrettApple]

Took 268 photos between my Canon and iPhone yesterday, all synced from the iPhone and yep, showing "Synced with iCloud Just Now" still and has happily been downloading them in the background. Which is great. Now I don't want to touch it!

 

[animagus]

iCloud Sync has been working perfectly for me over the past two days (no need for any workarounds), so I'm feeling optimistic Apple may have fixed it!

 

[GDMcG]

So after manually downloading all photos via the Play Slideshow method, Photos was still showing over 12,000 photos and videos still “downloading originals” but not making progress. Then, yesterday, the number finally started dropping and as of today Photos is fully in sync. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[mikethebigo]

I am seeing this behavior as well, not as severe as described earlier in this thread, but if I take new photos on my phone then Mac Photos frequently is stuck "downloading x originals" and sometimes won't complete the task for a long time. Sometimes a reboot helps, sometimes I just leave the Mac plugged in and at some point it seems to complete under Power Nap, but it's definitely bugged still.

 

[auxbuss]

I am seeing this behavior as well, not as severe as described earlier in this thread, but if I take new photos on my phone then Mac Photos frequently is stuck "downloading x originals" and sometimes won't complete the task for a long time. Sometimes a reboot helps, sometimes I just leave the Mac plugged in and at some point it seems to complete under Power Nap, but it's definitely bugged still.

This mirrors my experience. I hillwalk at least once a week, and when I get back, I always sync the photos from my phone to my mac – where it's easier to select, delete, and edit. This has worked pretty much flawlessly for years now.

Around the beginning of December, I started to get the problem under discussion. The new photos would (and do) appear as thumbnails (on the mac), but the "downloading originals" message remains. My solution is to select the new thumbnails and export them.

 

[JamesMay82]

I wish I saw this post yesterday on Christmas Mac day! its been driving me mad! like everyone here it syncs but doesn't download!

if I click on each photo it will download them. must admit its a bad experience for anyone new to Mac.

I'll wait but I'm also tempted to switch off iCloud photos and import from my external hard drive and save the £8.99 a month out of principle!

 

[JamesMay82]

I did as stated here and everything worked. I took some photos and videos on my iPhone. They appeared on the Mac and the originals loaded. But you still need time to make sure that there will be no mistakes the next day.

is this still working for you? I've tried it and its just saying restoring from iCloud and has been for the last 15 mins and its only showing that's its downloaded 2 gigs which is awful and hasn't downloaded anymore since 10 mins. I feel like its failed again.

I can't believe this thread doesn't have more people complaining! Its really annoyed me

 

[borez]

Some positive progress:

Got fed up of waiting and triggered a manual download of all 8000+ photos via "Play Slideshow" command. Did this repeatedly over a couple of days as wanted to see if the Photos app could be jolted into auto downloading.

The app started to auto download the remaining 600+ photos yesterday. Either there were some stuck photos in between the process (requiring a manual trigger) or that iCloud is getting fixed on the backend.

Unfortunately I don't have an iPad to test things out.

 

[JamesMay82]

Some positive progress:

Got fed up of waiting and triggered a manual download of all 8000+ photos via "Play Slideshow" command. Did this repeatedly over a couple of days as wanted to see if the Photos app could be jolted into auto downloading.

The app started to auto download the remaining 600+ photos yesterday. Either there were some stuck photos in between the process (requiring a manual trigger) or that iCloud is getting fixed on the backend.

Unfortunately I don't have an iPad to test things out.

That's good. it still wasn't working for me and I had a bit of a tantrum last night and just deleted all my photos out of the app and I've made Lightroom my main photo editor/library.

I must admit I have "Cut off one's nose to spite one's face" as I did really like photos and the integration with videos etc but it was driving me mad and made me realise how risky the cloud storage could be.

I think my main dilemma is what I do with all my videos. I think I may try storing them in the Apple TV app as when I do that it creates a home movie tag which seems quite good and I can then stream to my TV via the computers app which seems good.

 

[mikethebigo]

That's good. it still wasn't working for me and I had a bit of a tantrum last night and just deleted all my photos out of the app and I've made Lightroom my main photo editor/library.

I must admit I have "Cut off one's nose to spite one's face" as I did really like photos and the integration with videos etc but it was driving me mad and made me realise how risky the cloud storage could be.

I think my main dilemma is what I do with all my videos. I think I may try storing them in the Apple TV app as when I do that it creates a home movie tag which seems quite good and I can then stream to my TV via the computers app which seems good.

Yea seems kinda nuclear haha. I imagine either with a back end iCloud update or a software update this will get fixed relatively soon. Probably just a little slow on the fix because of the holidays.

 

[Zyrokai]

Made an account just for this thread, haha.

Here's my specific issue:

Got the new M3 MBP. Already had an iCloud Photos library. Set up a new library in the Photos app and set it as my system library and to "download originals to this Mac". I finally have a Mac that has enough storage to hold all my photos and I really wanted them locally.

Well, it wouldn't download them. Let it sit overnight and the file size of the library wasn't getting any bigger. I found out about the "play slideshow" hack where it forces them to download, so I did that year-by-year (as many others here seem to have) and that seemed to work! I'm fairly certain all my pictures have been accounted for.

.....maybe?

It still says "Downloading 1,184 Originals" (I have 33k photos/videos). So like someone here suggested, I literally selected my entire library and did the slideshow thing, where it just...played a slideshow. I didn't download anything. Seems to me like I have all the pictures and videos downloaded! So why won't this "Downloading 1,184 Originals" go away?

That's what led me to this thread. I'm going to keep up to date here and monitor what's going on and see if more developments. I'm also going to try some of the tricks you guys mentioned. Hopefully have a good report soon!

 

[JamesMay82]

Made an account just for this thread, haha.

Here's my specific issue:

Got the new M3 MBP. Already had an iCloud Photos library. Set up a new library in the Photos app and set it as my system library and to "download originals to this Mac". I finally have a Mac that has enough storage to hold all my photos and I really wanted them locally.

Well, it wouldn't download them. Let it sit overnight and the file size of the library wasn't getting any bigger. I found out about the "play slideshow" hack where it forces them to download, so I did that year-by-year (as many others here seem to have) and that seemed to work! I'm fairly certain all my pictures have been accounted for.

.....maybe?

It still says "Downloading 1,184 Originals" (I have 33k photos/videos). So like someone here suggested, I literally selected my entire library and did the slideshow thing, where it just...played a slideshow. I didn't download anything. Seems to me like I have all the pictures and videos downloaded! So why won't this "Downloading 1,184 Originals" go away?

That's what led me to this thread. I'm going to keep up to date here and monitor what's going on and see if more developments. I'm also going to try some of the tricks you guys mentioned. Hopefully have a good report soon!

ha it becoming a therapy session for me this thread! I'm the same as you with a new Mac. I got annoyed and jumped ship to Lightroom and I'm no worse off financially as they storage is similar.

do you have a local copy of your photos as a back up elsewhere? I'm sure apple will fix it but if you or others don't have a local back your high res original photos are in Apples hands. I've just finished loading all my files on the new Mac and now doing the first Time Machine back up.

 

[Zyrokai]

ha it becoming a therapy session for me this thread! I'm the same as you with a new Mac. I got annoyed and jumped ship to Lightroom and I'm no worse off financially as they storage is similar.

do you have a local copy of your photos as a back up elsewhere? I'm sure apple will fix it but if you or others don't have a local back your high res original photos are in Apples hands. I've just finished loading all my files on the new Mac and now doing the first Time Machine back up.

I do have a local copy but it's not exactly 100% complete like my iCloud is. It's confusing, but at one point I made the gigantic switch from Google Photos to Apple (was trying to wipe my Google existence away) but there's a couple gaps in there where they only exist in iCloud (like I said, a confusing story where even I can't remember all the details), so I wanted to be 100% sure I got them from a fresh iCloud download.

BUT GOOD NEWS!

I tried a couple things in here yesterday which didn't really seem to work (like dragging a single picture to Downloads folder), however, I just decided to be patient, and I kept Photos open and closed my laptop and just let it sit overnight like that. Opened it this morning and I got the amazing "Synced with iCloud Just Now" message, so everything is working as expected right now!

Just goes to show that maybe we all keep an eye on this stuff a little too much, although it does seem like something may have been/still is misbehaving on Apple's end. Hopefully everyone's issues are resolved in the coming days/weeks!

Cheers!

 

[kagharaht]

Mine took 3 days after setting up the new iMac. It seems that my old one that was stuck on Catalina (buggiest OS I've ever used) was screwing up the photo library on the cloud. After the iMac M3 finished it showed 4K duplicates LOL! I hit the merge all and it cleaned it all up. Also my Shared Album created from Catalina was not showing anything just nothing after 3 days. I just removed it all and created new ones. I only had one or two people subscribed and they never really look at them anymore.

 

[AlmightyKang]

Mine just broke when I was re-building my M2 Mini. I've got a full library on my MBP and Time Machine backup so I'm not terribly worried yet but it's really annoying.

When it used to get stuck, firing up a terminal and killing cloudphotosd usually kicked it into action. Not with this problem!

Currently doing the create a slideshow thing. That's forcing a download nicely.

 

[mikethebigo]

Mine just broke when I was re-building my M2 Mini. I've got a full library on my MBP and Time Machine backup so I'm not terribly worried yet but it's really annoying.

When it used to get stuck, firing up a terminal and killing cloudphotosd usually kicked it into action. Not with this problem!

Currently doing the create a slideshow thing. That's forcing a download nicely.

Yeah I decided to wipe my system and reinstall fresh... it's currently not downloading anything - the low res photos or the originals. Except overnight, it pulled a tiny few photos in that weren't there yesterday. I also have a backup of the photos so not terribly fussed but it sure would be nice for the servers to wake up.

 

[AlmightyKang]

Yeah I decided to wipe my system and reinstall fresh... it's currently not downloading anything - the low res photos or the originals. Except overnight, it pulled a tiny few photos in that weren't there yesterday. I also have a backup of the photos so not terribly fussed but it sure would be nice for the servers to wake up.

It's definitely not the server side. That is doing stuff if you force it to.

I think the issue is something client side. I'm sure they have something client side which detects how idle the system is and then downloads things and that's broken. There should be a check box which is "aggressively sync this data all the time" for those of us with multiple machines.