If you see an error message when you play a video in Photos

If you see an error message when you try to play a video in your Photos library, the steps in this article might help you fix the issue.

This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.

Try these steps to export the video from Photos, open it in QuickTime, and reimport a new copy into Photos:

  1. Hold down the Option key and drag the video from Photos to the Desktop, or choose File > Export > Export Unmodified Original.
  2. Find the video you just exported on the Desktop and double-click to open it in QuickTime Player.
  3. Choose File > Export, select a video quality setting, and export a new copy of the video to your Desktop.

After you've exported the video from QuickTime, you can bring it back into your Photos library by choosing File > Import and selecting the new copy of the video from your Desktop. You can also drag the video from your Desktop into the Photos window.

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