Safe and private
Built so you can trust it with your only copy
Your photos are the one thing you cannot get back, so everything here is built around not hurting them.
Download for MacSafe
- Preview first, always. Every run starts as a preview showing exactly what would change.
- Copy by default. Your originals stay where they are unless you choose otherwise.
- Stop and undo. Stop any job, and put everything back from a copy or move run with one click.
- Reports and logs of every run, and a one-tap diagnostic summary if you need help.
- Faulty drives handled. Copying waits, retries and carries on where it stopped.
Private
- It runs on your Mac. No account, nothing uploaded, nothing phones home.
- The app can only be reached from your own computer.
- Checks read a copy of Photos' database, never the original. Sending photos to Photos goes through Photos' own import.
Permissions it asks for
- Full Disk Access to read the Photos database for the checks and the monitor.
- Photos control if you use the send-to-Photos step.
- macOS asks the first time, and the app explains what to do if it is missing.
Why is it not in the Mac App Store?
Because the App Store would make it do less. Apps there must run inside Apple's sandbox, which walls an app off from the rest of your Mac. Photo Clinic's whole job is to reach across that wall:
- It reads the Photos library and its database, which belong to another app, to count uploads and check sync.
- It reads any folder you choose, including whole drives and Takeout zips.
- It reads the system log to explain Photos and iCloud problems.
- It controls Photos to import in batches.
- It runs helper programs (ExifTool and ffmpeg) to read and write photo details and convert video.
That is why Photo Clinic is downloaded from here instead. It is still signed with a registered Apple developer ID and checked (notarised) by Apple, so macOS opens it without scary warnings. Being outside the App Store also keeps it free and simple to update.
Questions
Why is it not in the Mac App Store?
The App Store requires apps to run in a sandbox, and Photo Clinic needs to read your Photos library, any folder you pick and the system log. Read the full answer.
Is it really free?
Yes. It is free to use, under the MIT licence. There is no account and no subscription.
Which Macs does it run on?
Apple silicon Macs today. It needs no extra software. An Intel version is not available yet.
Does it work on Windows or iPhone?
Not yet. Photo Clinic is a Mac app, and the Apple Photos checks only make sense on a Mac.
Will it change my Google Takeout files?
No. By default it copies your photos to a new folder and fixes the copies.
Can it break my Apple Photos library?
The checks only read a copy of the database. The one way it adds to Photos is the send step, which uses Photos' own import and starts with a preview and a 20-photo test.
Does it work with iCloud Photos switched on?
Yes, that is what the Monitor and Find problems tools are for.
What if Google changes Takeout?
It may need an update. Photo Clinic checks for updates and tells you when one is ready.
Look at your library for free
Download it, point it at your photos, and read the preview. That costs nothing and changes nothing.
Download for MacFree · Apple silicon Macs · signed and checked by Apple