How can I relink a missing Lightroom folder after moving photos off an SD card?
Asked 8/10/2017
4 views
2 answers
0
I originally imported photos into Lightroom while they were still on an SD card. After culling some images, I quit Lightroom, moved the remaining files from the SD card to my hard drive, and removed the card. Now Lightroom shows the original folder as missing, but when I try to import the files from their new location, they are marked as duplicates and disabled. I’d prefer to keep any edits or metadata already associated with the original imports. What’s the best way to reconnect Lightroom to the moved files, and if that’s not possible, is there a way to force a re-import?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
I have a solution.
There is a don't import duplicates checkbox on the Import screen.
Unchecking it let me import the thing again. Although I realize that any changes I made on the previous folder will not be present on this import.
as Gerhardh pointed out, best solution is to do whatever is necessary to find original folder in the library and then move it's source file location.
Originally by user6692. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6692
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—best practice is to relink the missing folder rather than re-import. Lightroom still has those photos in the catalog; it just can’t find the original location because the SD card is gone. In the Library module, locate the missing folder or files (they usually show a missing-folder or missing-file indicator) and point Lightroom to the folder’s new location on your hard drive. That preserves existing edits, flags, ratings, and metadata.
If you can’t relink it or can’t find the missing folder entry, you can re-import by unchecking the Import dialog option to not import suspected duplicates. However, that creates a new catalog entry for those files, so any edits or organization tied to the original imported versions will not carry over.
So the preferred fix is: find the missing folder in the catalog and update its source location. Re-import only as a fallback.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How do I change Lightroom 5’s default import destination folder?
Why did Lightroom still find my photos after I moved the catalog and image folders to another partition?
How can I relink missing files in Lightroom after folders were moved?
Can Lightroom delete photos from an SD card after import to free space?
How can I move RAW files without losing Lightroom edits?