Why are photos missing or showing blank thumbnails in Synology Photos?

Applies to

Synology Photos on DSM 7.x. The media-processing change starts with Photos 1.7.0 on DSM 7.2.2; check the installed package and supported client versions.

Work through these checks

1. Find one affected original in File Station without moving or deleting it. Confirm it has the expected size and can be opened from a safe copy. A blank thumbnail does not by itself prove the original is missing or damaged.
2. Check the selected Photos space. Personal Space reads /home/Photos; Shared Space reads /photo. Confirm Shared Space is enabled and the user has appropriate permission before treating an empty view as an indexing fault.
3. Check the DSM taskbar for thumbnail or video processing. Allow a large import to finish and note whether progress changes. Repeatedly starting a full re-index can make it harder to tell whether the original queue is advancing.
4. If affected files are HEIC photos or HEVC videos on Photos 1.7.0 or later, review the current Synology Image Assistant instructions. For the desktop route, both the supported browser extension and desktop application are required. Mobile processing depends on the current Photos app and its Image Assistant feature.
5. After confirming the originals, permissions and codec path, use Photos > Account icon > Settings > Personal or Shared Space > Indexing > Re-index when appropriate. Use the affected space and observe the result before attempting another full pass.

Confirm the result

Check the same original in folder view, its preview and the intended mobile or web client after processing. Verify several affected items rather than accepting one newly uploaded picture as proof that the library is fixed.

When to contact us

Escalate persistent stalled processing or unreadable originals with DSM, Photos and client versions, file formats, upload method and a non-sensitive sample. Our Support Specialist can identify the next supported diagnostic step.