iMac Stopped Syncing Photos with iCloud

Question

Level 1

4 points

iMac Stopped Syncing Photos with iCloud

A few days ago the Photos app on my iMac stopped syncing with my iCloud account. My iPad and my iPhone are still syncing perfectly, so I know it's a problem on the iMac.

When I checked the status of my iCloud account in settings, for some reason it was switched to "off' for Photos. It therefore seemed like an easy fix - switch it on, put my password in and off we go. If only!

I moved the toggle switch to "on" and entered my password, but the toggle switch merely reverted back to "off".

I tried restarting my iMac, but the process failed the same way.

I tried signing out of and back into my iCloud account - it now won't accept any changes to the toggle switch and doesn't get as far as asking for my password.

I'm stuck. Any suggestions out there for how to get around this? 🙏🏻

iMac (M1, 2021)

Posted on Aug 2, 2023 12:14 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

reggie_boy Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 3, 2023 2:33 PM in response to JessS19

Thanks for the suggestions JessS19. I had tried all of these to no avail. Luckily, I managed to solve the problem this evening. The key was to create a new System Photo Library on my Mac:

1. Create a new System Photo Library (via the menu that is presented whilst holding down the Option Key when opening Photos on Mac)
2. Go to the Settings section of Photos, select iCloud and check the box labelled "iCloud Photos"
3. Mac was then able to pull in all my photos and videos from the iCloud

Still not sure why the Photos App on my Mac stopped syncing, but at least it seems to be fixed now.

Reply

Answer 2

JessS19

Community Specialist

Aug 3, 2023 10:56 AM in response to reggie_boy

Greetings reggie_boy,

If your photos aren't syncing as expected, these are the best steps to take:

"If your photos still aren't syncing to iCloud

Learn what to do if you don't see a status message at the bottom of the Photos app that explains why your photos aren't syncing, or syncing is taking a long time. If you see a Couldn’t Sync [number of items] to iCloud status message, learn how to move these photos to your library.

Connect your device to power

If your device seems to be stuck on a status message that says Syncing [number of items] to iCloud or Syncing with iCloud…, connect your iPhone or iPad to power and to Wi-Fi.

Check your Apple ID

Make sure that you signed in to iCloud with the correct Apple ID on your device.

Learn how to sign in to iCloud

Check which Library view you're in

If you set up iCloud Shared Photo Library in iOS 16.1 or later, iPadOS 16.1 or later, or macOS Ventura or later, check which Library view you're in. When you move photos to your Shared Library, you no longer see them in your Personal Library. You also won't see photos moved to your Shared Library if you're on a device with an earlier version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS or if the iCloud Shared Photo Library owner has run out of iCloud storage." If your iCloud Photos aren't syncing to your device

We hope this helps!

Sincerely.

Reply

Answer 3

jdo_apple

Community Specialist

Aug 3, 2023 2:37 PM in response to reggie_boy

Thanks for that update, reggie_boy, and we are happy you were able to figure out how to resolve this and share the steps here. Have a good day and thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

Reply

iMac Stopped Syncing Photos with iCloud

Similar questions