P: Ghost keywords remain in Lightroom Desktop/Web after removing them from all photos

Title

Ghost keywords remain in Lightroom Desktop/Web after removing them from all photos

Product

Adobe Lightroom (Cloud Desktop)

Version

9.4.1

Platform

macOS

Description

After removing a keyword from all photos, the keyword remains visible in the keyword list even though it is no longer assigned to any photo.

The keyword returns 0 photos when selected, but it is still present in the keyword list. The same ghost keywords are visible in Lightroom Web, so the issue appears to be synchronized through the cloud rather than being caused by a local database.

Steps to reproduce

1. Select an existing keyword.
2. Filter the library by that keyword.
3. Select all matching photos.
4. Remove the keyword from all selected photos in a single operation.
5. Wait until cloud synchronization is complete.
6. Select another keyword or reopen Lightroom.

Expected result

If no photos contain the keyword anymore, the keyword should disappear from the keyword list (or be removable permanently).

Actual result

The keyword remains visible in the keyword list but returns zero photos when selected.

The issue is also visible in Lightroom Web.

Additional information

• Lightroom Mobile does not appear to expose the problem in the same way.
• Synchronization completed successfully.
• Rebuilding the local Lightroom Library (.lrlibrary) did not solve the issue.
• The problem affects keywords that were cleaned up during a large keyword cleanup session.
• Approximately 60,000 photos are stored in the cloud library.