FAQ
User
How can I reset the admin password?
The admin password can be reset by running the reset-admin-password command on the immich-server.
How can I see a list of all users in Immich?
You can see the list of all users by running list-users Command on the Immich-server.
Mobile App
What is the difference between the cloud icons on the mobile app?
Icon | Description |
---|---|
Asset is only available on the server and was uploaded from some other device (like the web client) or was deleted from this device after upload | |
Asset is only available locally and has not yet been backed up | |
Asset was uploaded from this device and is now backed up to the server; the original file is still on the device |
I cannot log into the application after an update. What can I do?
Verify that the mobile app and server are both running the same version (major and minor).
App store updates sometimes take longer because the stores (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) need to approve the update first, and it can take some time.
If you still cannot log in to the app, try the following:
- Check the mobile logs
- Make sure login credentials are correct by logging in on the web app
Why does foreground backup stop when I navigate away from the app? Shouldn't it transfer the job to background backup?
Foreground backup and background backup are two separate mechanisms. They don't communicate or interact with each other.
Foreground backup is controlled by the user's action, while background backup is controlled by your device's operating system. When the app is put in the background, the invocation of background tasks is delegated to the device's operating system scheduler. It decides when the background task can run and how long it can run.
The behaviors differ based on your device manufacturer and operating system, but most are related to battery-saving policies.
Why is background backup on iOS not working?
On iOS (iPhone and iPad), the operating system determines if a particular app can invoke background tasks based on multiple factors, most of which the Immich app has no control over. To increase the likelihood that the background backup task is run, follow the steps below:
- Enable Background App Refresh for Immich in the iOS settings at
Settings > General > Background App Refresh
. - Disable Background App Refresh for apps that don't need background tasks to run. This will reduce the competition for background task invocation for Immich.
- Use the Immich app more often.
Assets
Does Immich change the file?
No, Immich does not touch the original file under any circumstances,
all edited metadata are saved in the companion sidecar file and the database.
Can I add my existing photo library?
Yes, with an External Library.
What happens to existing files after I choose a new Storage Template?
Template changes will only apply to new assets. To retroactively apply the template to previously uploaded assets, run the Storage Migration Job, available on the Jobs page.
Why are only photos and not videos being uploaded to Immich?
This often happens when using a reverse proxy (such as Nginx or Cloudflare tunnel) in front of Immich. Make sure to set your reverse proxy to allow large POST
requests. In nginx
, set client_max_body_size 50000M;
or similar. Also, check the disk space of your reverse proxy. In some cases, proxies cache requests to disk before passing them on, and if disk space runs out, the request fails.
Why are some photos stored in the file system with the wrong date?
There are a few different scenarios that can lead to this situation. The solution is to rerun the storage migration job. The job is only automatically run once per asset after upload. If metadata extraction originally failed, the jobs were cleared/canceled, etc., the job may not have run automatically the first time.
How can I hide photos from the timeline?
You can archive them.
How can I backup data from Immich?
See Backup and Restore.
Does Immich support reading existing face tag metadata?
No, it currently does not. There is an open feature request on GitHub.
Does Immich support the filtering of NSFW images?
No, it currently does not. There is an open feature request on Github.
Why are there so many thumbnail generation jobs?
There are three thumbnail jobs for each asset:
- Blurred (thumbhash)
- Preview (Webp)
- Thumbnail (Jpeg)
Also, there are additional jobs for person (face) thumbnails.
Why do files from WhatsApp not appear with the correct date?
Files sent on WhatsApp are saved without metadata on the file. Therefore, Immich has no way of knowing the original date of the file when files are uploaded from WhatsApp, not the order of arrival on the device. See #3527.
What happens if an asset exists in more than one account?
There are no requirements for assets to be unique across users. If multiple users upload the same image, it is processed as if it were a distinct asset, and jobs run and thumbnails are generated accordingly.
Why do HDR videos appear pale in Immich player but look normal after download?
Immich uses a player with known HDR color display issues. We are experimenting with a different player that provides better color profiles for HDR content for future improvements.
Why does Immich transcode my videos to a lower quality?
Immich always keeps your original files. Alongside that, it generates a transcoded version for compatibility and performance reasons.
How can I delete transcoded videos without deleting the original?
The transcoded version of an asset can be deleted by setting a transcode policy that makes it unnecessary and then running a transcoding job for that asset. This can be done on a per-asset basis by starting a transcoding job for a single asset with the Refresh encoded videos button in the asset viewer options or for all assets by running transcoding jobs for all assets from the administration page.
To update the transcode policy, navigate to Administration > Video Transcoding Settings > Transcoding Policy and select a policy from the drop-down. This policy will determine whether an existing transcode will be deleted or overwritten in the transcoding job. If a video should be transcoded according to this policy, an existing transcode is overwritten. If not, then it is deleted.
For example, say you have existing transcodes with the policy "Videos higher than normal resolution or not in the desired format" and switch to a narrower policy: "Videos not in the desired format." If an asset was only transcoded due to its resolution, running a transcoding job for it will delete the existing transcode. This is because resolution is no longer part of the transcode policy and the transcode is unnecessary. Likewise, if you set the policy to "Don't transcode any videos" and run transcoding jobs for all assets, this will delete all existing transcodes as they are unnecessary.