Photos App Freezing Mac

The Mac has a reputation for reliability and ease of use, but crashes and freezes do in fact happen from time to time either due to performance-related issues or software bugs. It can be a nasty surprise when your Mac temporarily freezes, or worse still crashes completely (thankfully that’s a very rare occurrence), and you. Try the following steps, if the Amazon Photos app is freezing, crashing, or refusing to open. Update to the latest version of the app. Force close the app. Clear the app cache. Sign out and sign back in. Uninstall and reinstall the app. Related Help Topics. Sign out from an Amazon Photos Mobile App.

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by Jenefey AaronUpdated on 2019-10-22 / Update for Mac OS

“Library is not working in photos in macOS Catalina. Recently I updated to macOS Catalina but after the update, photos are not working. I am getting library could not be opened error. How can I recover from it?” – From Apple Discussion.

The library not working is one of the most famous macOS issues. So, the users have faced it numerous times and it mostly occurs after an update. Although it is a well-known error, when this error occurs, there are also several associated issues like;

  • the library could not be opened
  • Photos app crashes on launch in Catalina
  • photos are missing after Cataina
  • updating library is not working in photos

So, this needs to get fixed immediately in order to enjoy the much-awaited advanced features of macOS Catalina. Just read the article below and you will get your answers.

Freezing
  • Part 1: Fix Library is Not Working in Photos in macOS Catalina

Part 1: Fix Library is Not Working in Photos in macOS Catalina

There are multiple ways to fix photos library could not be opened. These procedures are effective. So, follow the details provided below, carefully.

Solution 1: Use Mac Built-in Photos Library Repair Tool

If Mac photos the library could not be opened or it is showing unexpected errors, then Photos Library Repair Tool is one of the best ways to fix it. This is a built-in repair tool, comes with macOS and it is pretty easy to use.

Step 1: Press and hold the “Option” and “Command” keys while photos are opened on your Mac.

Step 2: Then, a dialog box will appear, click on “Repair” to proceed.

You will be asked to provide a password for your user account. The tool will analyze the library database at the beginning. Depending on the size of the library, the repair could take a while.

Solution 2: Update Photos App If It is Not Up to Date

It is possible that Photos app on your Mac has not been updated in a while. As you have just updated to Catalina, the latest version of macOS. It is possible that macOS Catalina is interfering with the older version of Photos app.

So, if you just update the Photos app to its latest version, the issue may get fixed.

Solution 3: Force Quit Photos then Re-launch to Fix Library is Not Working in Photos in macOS Catalina

It is also possible that you are facing a temporary glitch with the app. So, force-quit the Photos app and launch it again.

Possibly the library issue may get fixed.

Solution 4: Disable Autoplay Videos Setting in Photos

This is a very simple fix. Here’s how to do it;

Step 1: Click Launchpad from your mac desktop and open Photos app.

Step 2: Go to Photos > Preferences and you will find the option Autoplay Videos and Live Photos.

Now, simply uncheck the feature.

Solution 5: Reinstall macOS Catalina to Fix Library is Not Working in Photos in macOS Catalina

You should also try re-installing macOS Catalina if the error still hasn’t disappeared. But the proper way to re-install macOS Catalina is to use Mac’s Recovery Mode. Here’s how to repair photo library Mac:

Step 1: So, restart your Mac. While the device is starting, you need to hold “Command and R” keys together in order to enter Recovery Mode.

Step 2: As the follow-up window appears, click on “Reinstall macOS”. Then, click on “Continue”.

Step 3: Then, you have to agree to “Terms & Conditions”.

Photos App Freezing Mac

Step 4: Finally, select the drive where you want to install macOS Catalina and click “Install”.

Part 2: What If Your Photos are Lost after Fixing Library is Not Working in Photos in macOS Catalina

There is a possibility that photos from your photo library may get erased even after fixing the library. If that happens, you need to make a photo recovery Mac.

Although, the discussed solutions for the library fix are very effective but so many changes were made on the Mac system that lost photos are a possibility. Now, in order to recover lost photo on Mac, an effective data recovery program is required and it needs to be used immediately. As the longer you wait, the chances of photo recovery gets slimmer.

So, stop using the Mac and use Tenorshare UltData-Mac Data Recovery. UltData is a great software developed by Tenorshare, provides effective data recovery with precision and software is quite secure as well. Here are a few important features of the software:

  • UltData is capable of recovery of any sort of lost files on Mac.
  • May it be a deleted file of lost due to format, UltData will make the recovery anyway.
  • Files can be restored from internal hard drive, as well as external drives.
  • The data recovery rate is 100%.
  • The program is also safe to use and very secure.

Now, the recovery of those lost photos will be very easy with UltData. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Download and install Tenorshare UltData for Mac on your computer and launch it.

Step 2: Choose the location of the lost photos and click “Scan” to proceed.

Step 3: It will take a while to complete the scan but upon its completion, the scan results will get displayed on the screen. You can click on them to preview the details.

Step 4: The lost files will be among the results. Just choose them and click “Recover” to restore them successfully.

You also have to choose a path where the restored photos will be located. Don’t choose the same location from they were originally, erased. Doing it will cause permanent data loss.

Part 3: Some New Features of Photos in macOS Catalina You Need to Know

The macOS Catalina is the newest addition to the macOS line up. It is brand new, better, faster and equipped with some amazing new features. Let’s have a look.

Photos View

All your photos and videos will be displayed on a grid. This is the new Photos View. You will be able to zoom in and get a larger view and additional details. The photos on the grid will be visible in a square format.

Live Photos and Videos

Live videos and photos are also included in the photo library. You just have to click “Auto-Play” when they are visible on the screen. It uses a dynamic display system.

Memory Movies

You will be able to view memory movies that you created on your iOS device. So, finally, memory movies came to Mac.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is included. It helps to realize the photos app, who is in the photo and what is going on. This helps users in many ways.

Conclusion

Hence, you will be able to repair photo library Mac and it will be easier if you just follow the detailed solution mentioned in the article, above. But as mentioned before, it is possible that you may lose some of your stored images from the library while fixing it. If it happens, you need to stop using the Mac immediately and use Tenorshare UltData for the fast and successful recovery of those photos.

Imagine this: you’re working happily on your Mac when the dreaded beach ball of death appears. A program stops responding or worse, the macOS (or OS X) itself refuses to do anything but stare at you, blankly. You have a frozen Mac app or an OS X freeze. Mac OS not responding can lead to lost productivity or even lost work. Let's go over why it happens, what to do when your Mac freezes or when an Mac OS app stops responding, as well as some tips for preventative maintenance.

We’ll go over frozen apps first, so if your whole Mac freezes, you can jump to the part about fixing a frozen Mac.

Fixing a frozen app: Why Mac OS apps freeze

There can be a few reasons why apps freeze on Mac. First, sometimes an app freezes on its own, and sometimes it takes down the whole Mac with it. Here's what could be happening:

  1. Apps freeze in the background.
    This could mean there are some apps running that you didn't open, they opened themselves. Probably, they're featured in your startup items, so they automatically launch when you start your Mac. If this happens repeatedly, you need to check what apps are running in the background and launch with the startup.
  2. Processes freeze in the background.
    This one is different from apps. One app may be running multiple processes, also system processes can be running on their own.
  3. Too many apps and processes running.
    Same logic as with the previous issue. But the question here is how many is too many? There is no definite answer to this, it very much depends on the hardware capacity of your Mac. You can read how to check it and fix it below.
  4. Mac system is too cluttered with junk to run even simple tasks.
    This is fixable, you can get a Mac optimizing app like CleanMyMac X for the job. Run a scan to find and remove the stuff you don't need, and there's a high change your apps will stop freezing after that.

What to do if an app freezes on your Mac

A frozen app becomes unresponsive and brings your work to a halt. In the worst case scenario, it can lead to lost work or a corrupted file. Fortunately, there are several options to try, and most are quite simple. Here’s what you can do when a program freezes on your Mac. First, you need to quit it. Then, if the app keeps freezing when you launch it, try the next options.

How to quit a frozen or unresponsive program

Quitting and then re-starting an app is a good way for Mac OS to handle a crash. You can do this from the OS X Dock or from the Force Quit window. To force-quit an app from the OS Dock, follow these simple steps:

  1. Click anywhere outside of the program
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) on the frozen app’s icon in the Dock. A menu appears.
  3. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard so that Quit in that menu changes to Force Quit.
  4. Select Force Quit.

That’s it. The app is instantly closed. Re-launch it and try again. If you prefer to work with the Dock hidden — or if the Dock itself is unresponsive — you can simply bring up the Force Quit dialog box to perform the same task.
Here’s how:

Photos App Keeps Freezing Mac

  1. On your Mac’s keyboard, hit the Option, Command and Escape keys simultaneously (alt + ? + esc).
  2. The Force Quit dialog box appears with a list of running programs.
  3. Select the frozen app and then click Force Quit.
  4. The software will stop running and you’re free to re-launch it at this point.

If you’re using a maintenance utility like CleanMyMac X, it has freezes covered. When CleanMyMac spots an unresponsive app, a notification window with a Quit button pops up, so you could force-quit the app without rummaging around in its menu.

CleanMyMac keeps an eye on other performance issues, too, so if you'd like to get alerts like this one when anything goes wrong, download CleanMyMac X for free and give it a try.

How to fix Mac apps that keep freezing

Update Photos App On Mac

First, check what apps are running in the background and launch with the startup.
To do it go to Settings > Users and Groups > Login items.
Uncheck anything you think might be causing trouble. In fact, just to be sure, uncheck every app and restart your Mac.

Now, find out which process or program is causing the problem. How to see what programs are running on Mac in general? You need launch Activity monitor.
How to find Activity Monitor on Mac: You can do it via the Spotlight Search or just open Launchpad and type it in.
How to open Activity Monitor in Finder: launch it from Applications > Utilities folder > Activity Monitor.

Photos App Mac Download

When it opens, you'll probably see hundreds of processes in each tab, but the ones you need now are CPU and Memory tabs. Click on the % CPU sign to sort processes by their influence on your Mac's work. The heaviest ones will show up on the top. They could be your main issue, but don’t rush to deal with them. Some, like kernel, are important system processes and you shouldn’t mess with them.

How to kill a process on Mac OS

Upgrade Photos App On Mac

However, sometimes your problem does lie within a specific process, you can force quit it (Apple doesn't call it 'to kill a process on Mac', they make it sound fancy). But we're not at Apple HQ, so here's how to kill a Mac OS process:

Photos App Freezing Pc

  1. Open Activity Monitor.
  2. You see a list of processes. You can sort them by clicking on %CPU or % Memory in relevant tabs.
  3. Find the process you want to kill and choose it.
  4. Click on the octagon with an X sign.
  5. Done.

Occasionally the problem isn’t with the Mac app, but with the Mac OS itself. If you’re experiencing troubles regularly, it’s time to ask why your Mac keeps freezing. There are several possible reasons, so let’s start with the simplest potential solution.

First, the file you were working with at the time of the freeze may be the issue. To help determine if this is true, try opening a different file with that app and work with it for a while. If it behaves normally, quit and then go back to the file you were working with at the time of the crash. If the errant behavior persists, you may have found your problem. Salvage what you can into a new file.

Make sure that your software and OS X are up-to-date. This is easy to do with software purchased from the Mac App Store. The same goes for OS X. Launch the Mac App Store on your Mac, and you’ll see the list of pending updates, including any for the OS X itself. For third-party software purchased outside of the App Store, visit the manufacturer’s website.

What to do if Mac OS X freezes

If you cannot force-quit a program, or if the Mac OS is completely unresponsive, it’s time for the most obvious action — a reboot.
You can bring up the Restart/Sleep/Shutdown dialog box instantly by hitting Control plus the Power button. Option four, Shut Down, is selected by default.
Alternatively, you can press and hold the Power button for 1.5-2 seconds to bring up the same dialog box. If things aren’t hopelessly messed up, you’ll get a chance to save your work before your Mac shuts down. If that still doesn’t work, a more drastic option is available.

Photos App Freezing Macbook

How to force reboot a frozen Mac

Press Command ?, Control and Power (on earlier MacBook models, use the Media Eject key instead of the Power button) to restart your Mac immediately. Note that you won’t have the option of saving anything in this scenario, but it will definitely reboot your icy Mac.

Once your Mac has restarted, you might find that the hard restart has corrupted the file you were working on. Salvage what you can from it and create a new file.

How to fix a frozen Mac

After the reboot, ensure that your Mac has enough free hard drive space for the OS X, and enough free RAM to do what you want. CleanMyMac X can help you here, too. It removes all the useless files that take up space on your hard drive: app leftovers, mail attachments, cache files, and so on. That way, you can free up additional disk space for the OS X without deleting any of your own files. Plus, CleanMyMac X keeps tabs on how much RAM you’re using and lets you free some up with a tap.

Finally, if system cleanup also fails to fix the problem, you can try to run a clean install of your Mac OS. Just follow the instructions: How to clean install macOS Sierra 10.12

Note: If you don’t know which system your Mac runs, click the apple icon in the top left corner and choose About this Mac. You’ll see the name on the popup window.

Photo Apps For Mac Computer

That’s it, we hope this guide has helped you fix a frozen Mac. Remember, with day-to-day maintenance, your Mac can offer years of reliable work. On the rare occasion of a frozen program or even frozen OS X, these tips will help get you working and productive again. And software like CleanMyMac X can do some of the monitoring and maintenance for you, so you can focus on what needs to be done.

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