Photos app keeps failing or freezing when importing photos on Windows 11

Photos is a great app from Microsoft that lets users manage photos and videos on their Windows 11/10 computers. In addition to managing images and videos, Photos also lets users edit images and create videos. It also has an option to import images and videos from the connected device. Some users have reported that the Photos app freezes or crashes when importing photos from a connected device. If you are experiencing the same issue, this article may help you fix it.

Why does Microsoft Photos freeze when importing?

If the Photos app freezes or crashes while importing photos, you might have permission issues with the Pictures folder. You can check the permissions of any folder by opening its properties. Apart from that, corrupted cache files could be causing the app to crash or freeze. Such an issue can be fixed by re-registering or resetting the Photos app.

Photos app keeps failing or freezing when importing photos on Windows 11

If the Photos app keeps failing or freezing when importing photos on your Windows 11/10 PC, here’s how to fix the problem.

Run Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter
Check the permissions of the Pictures folder
Uninstall and reinstall your SD card driver
Re-register the Photos app
Repair or Reset the Photos app
Import photos via the File Explorer

Let’s see all these solutions in detail.

1] Run Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter

Microsoft has developed some automated troubleshooting tools that help users fix some common problems that occur on their systems. Because Photos is a Windows app, running the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter can fix the problem. You can launch this troubleshooter from Windows 11/10 Settings.

2] Check the permissions of the Pictures folder

By default, the import location of the photos is the Pictures folder. Therefore, if you are unable to import pictures from your external device connected to your computer, check the permissions of the Pictures folder.

The steps to check the permissions of the Pictures folder are listed below:

Open File Explorer.
Right-click on the Pictures folder and select Properties.
Click on the Security tab.
Select System in the Groups or usernames box.
Now, check whether the Full Control is allowed or denied in the Permissions for System box.

Similarly, you can check the Full Control permission for your username and Administrators in the Group or user names box.

If you do not have permission to the Pictures folder, you have to take ownership of that folder. After taking ownership, check if you can import photos.

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3] Uninstall and reinstall your SD card driver

This solution is for the users who are experiencing the issue while importing photos from their SD cards. If the Photos app is crashing or freezing while importing Photos from an SD card or if Windows can’t recognize your SD card, the SD card driver may be corrupted. In such a case, uninstalling and reinstalling the SD card driver may help.

The following steps will help you with that:

Right-click on the Start Menu and select Device Manager.
Locate your SD card driver in the Device Manager.
Once you find it, right-click on it and select Uninstall device.
Click Uninstall in the confirmation box.
After uninstalling the driver, restart your computer without disconnecting your SD card.

On the restart, Windows will automatically detect the hardware changes and install the latest version of your SD card driver. Now, check if the issue is fixed or not.

Read: Fix Photos app error code 0x887A0005.

4] Re-register the Photos app

If Windows Store apps crash or do not launch, re-registering them will fix the problem. If despite trying the above fixes, you are still experiencing the same issue with the Photos app, re-register it or reinstall it to get the issue solved.

5] Repir or Reset the Photos app

Resetting the Photos app has fixed the problem for many users. You should also try this. Maybe it will work for you too. You will find the option to reset the Photos app in Settings. After resetting the Photos app, check if it crashes or freezes while importing photos from an external device.

6] Import photos via File Explorer

If none of the above solutions solve your problem, import your photos and videos via File Explorer. The steps to do this are explained below:

Connect your device to your computer.
Open File Explorer.
Right-click on your device shown in the File Explorer.
Select Import pictures and videos. The time the wizard will take to find the photos on your external device depends on the number of photos and videos stored on that device.
After that, click Next.
On the next screen, you will see all your photos and videos in different groups. Windows will save each group in a different folder. You can also give names to the folders.
When you are done, click Import.

Wait till Windows imports all the selected photos and videos. Now, open the Pictures folder. There, you will find all your imported photos and videos in different folders. Now, you can add these folders to the Photos app easily.