Clean Install - Photos iCloud Library won't Sync

[workerbee]

If you drill into "Show Package Contents" and compare to previous library file structures Photos is updating the Masters folder into the "originals" folder with a HEX filing method that is far less human-readable than before (see diagram).

This feels like a subtle platform lock-in by technical grief.

Just stumbled on this when I tried to run a ChronoSync backup of the Masters library to my NAS.
This and Photos insisting on reconfirming 20k+ Photos of the little one (I know, I know, far too many, my bad!) makes me seriously consider switching out Photos with something like Google Photos or Plex or even Synologys new Photos.
Edit: also, Photos for some reason wanting me do manually edit and set each Portrait mode photo to Portrait mode. I mean, how stupid can this get?

 

[lakerchick4life]

same issue..updated to the latest catalina just now the update from last week, I have my USB stick I tried importing 52 new photos, it shows them, but then when I click on import nothing happens

 

[Woodstockie]

I had the same problem when I updated my MacBook and iMac to Catalina. Here are 2 solutions that worked for me that you can use:
- hold option and command down when you start up the photos app. It will ask you to repair the library. When done, in the prefs check that you want to sync with iCloud. When all is done, restart your computer and see if syncing starts.

- other option is to create a new library and check the iCloud sync option in the prefs. Should start downloading the pictures.

Hope some of the options work for you.

 

[lakerchick4life]

I chatted with apple, basically he figured out that the photos that I was trying to sync from my usb stick was "Not compatible" with the photos app even though it shows up for review to import..so he said to just import them from my email and then it will show up which it did..never had the problem before but with catalina everything is pretty weird

 

[OsvaL]

I had the same problem when I updated my MacBook and iMac to Catalina. Here are 2 solutions that worked for me that you can use:
- hold option and command down when you start up the photos app. It will ask you to repair the library. When done, in the prefs check that you want to sync with iCloud. When all is done, restart your computer and see if syncing starts.

- other option is to create a new library and check the iCloud sync option in the prefs. Should start downloading the pictures.

Hope some of the options work for you.

The first option worked for me, thanks! Just one thing, if someone want to try this solution, please allow your Photos app to sync with iCloud for at least 24 hours. Mine took around 20 hours to resync (you are going to notice a message saying "Restoring from iCloud". Again, please allow your computer plenty of time to do this, even if it looks stuck or no other message or activity is shown. For a moment I thought the app was not doing anything, I even checked the network activity and noticed it was not trafficking to much data.

The next day I checked the computer again and all my photos were synced. Remember to set your mac with the option "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off" ticked on the Energy Saver settings.