Do you keep running into error 4302 while attempting to open the Photos app on your Mac? Any number of reasons—such as library corruption, disk errors, and conflicting permissions—can cause it to show up.
Work your way through the fixes below to resolve error 4302 on your Mac and regain access to your photo library again.
1. Repair Corruption Issues Within the Photo Library
It's best to kick things off by checking for and fixing any corruption issues with your photo library. You can use the Photos app's Repair Library tool for that:
- Exit the Photos app.
- Press Option + Command and open the Photos app from the Dock or Launchpad.
- Select Repair.
- Authenticate the action by entering your Mac's administrator password or using Touch ID.
- Wait until the Repair Library tool finishes repairing the photo library. If successful, the Photos app will automatically open the repaired library afterward.
By default, the Repair Library tool only repairs the last opened photo library on the Photos app. If you want to repair a different library, start by bringing up the library selection screen (press Option while launching the Photos app). Then, pick a library, hold down Option + Command, and select Choose Library.
2. Update the System Software on Your Mac
If the issue recurs, try updating the system software on your Mac. Photos error 4302 has a history of showing up with specific macOS iterations (for example, macOS 11.5.1 Big Sur), with subsequent point updates fixing the issue. To update macOS:
- Open the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
- Select Software Update and wait until your Mac scans for the latest updates.
- Select Update Now. If you've yet to update to the next version of macOS, you'll see an Upgrade Now button instead.
3. Restore Photo Library Using Time Machine
If you use Time Machine, you can restore a problematic photo library to a time when it opened in the Photos app without issues. However, if the library is on an external storage device, that is not possible unless the drive is a part of your regular Time Machine backups.
To restore a Photos backup:
- Exit the Photos app.
- Open Finder and visit the directory that contains your photo library. If you have trouble with the default system photo library, you can find it under the Pictures folder of your Mac user account.
- Select the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and select Enter Time Machine. Or, type Time Machine into Spotlight Search (which you can open with Command + Space) and press Enter.
- Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move through available Time Machine backups for the photo library. Once you've located the version you want to restore, select Restore.
- Open the Photos app. If you use iCloud Photos, any recent changes to the photo library will start syncing soon after.
4. Ignore Volume Ownership on an External Drive
If the photo library is on an external drive, issues with file permissions can result in error 4302. Ignore ownership of the drive and check if that makes a difference. To do that:
- Control-click the external drive on your Mac's desktop or the Finder sidebar and select Get Info.
- Click the Lock icon and enter your Mac's administrator password or use Touch ID.
- Enable the option next to Ignore ownership on this volume.
Note: This option is only available on drives that use the HFS+ and APFS file systems.
5. Use First Aid to Repair Disk Errors
If error 4302 continues to show up while opening a photo library from an external drive, try checking the storage device for disk errors. Your Mac's Disk Utility app can help you with that:
- Open the Launchpad and select Other > Disk Utility.
- Select the external drive on the sidebar.
- Choose the button labeled First Aid.
- Select Run.
- Wait until your Mac finishes checking for and fixing any errors. Then, select Done.
6. Copy Your Photo Library to Internal Storage
If storage space permits, try copying an externally located photo library to your Mac's internal disk drive and see if that helps. Here's how to do that:
- Exit the Photos app.
- Copy and paste the photo library to your Mac's internal storage.
- Hold down the Option key and select the Photos icon on the Dock or Launchpad.
- Select Other Library.
- Select the library from the new location and select Open.
If the Photos app has no trouble opening the library, the next fix might help you identify the root of the issue.
7. Format External Drive to HSF+ or APFS
Sometimes, photo libraries on external drives formatted in the exFAT format can cause the Photos app to display error 4302. You can fix that by formatting it using the HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) or the APFS (Apple File System) formats.
Important: Converting an exFAT drive to HFS+ or APFS will cause you to lose all data on the external drive. Copy your photo library (including any other files and folders) to a different external drive or internal storage before going ahead. Additionally, the drive will lose compatibility with Windows operating systems.
Once you're ready to format your drive, follow these steps:
- Open the Disk Utility app.
- Select the external drive on the sidebar.
- Select the Erase button.
- Set the Format to Mac OS Extended or APFS and set the Scheme to GUID Partition Scheme.
- Select Erase again to confirm. Once Disk Utility finishes formatting the drive, select Done.
Note: APFS is superior in terms of stability and performance. But it's best suited for SSDs (solid-state drives) and lacks compatibility with older versions of macOS (El Capitan and earlier).
You can now copy your photo library back to the external drive you just formatted. The Photos app likely won't run into error 4302 anymore.
Enjoy an Error-Free Photo Library on Your Mac
The fixes above should have helped you resolve error 4302 with Photos on your Mac. However, if it recurs, repeating actions such as repairing your photo library and installing the latest macOS updates will likely sort it out again. If you still come across problems with Photos, it's worth checking other sources of the error as well, like iCloud Photos.
