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klaracinc
Participant
August 25, 2018
Answered

Deleting missing photos in Lightroom

  • August 25, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 15792 views

Hi there,

So recently I have lost all of my photos on my hard drive and as the folder was over written, my files were not able to be saved.

In Lightroom, all of my photos went missing and on each photo there is a small exclamation mark in the top right hand corner. I really want to clear some space on my hard drive and I am unable to completely delete them.

Would anybody know how to delete all of these missing photos? Has anyone have/had a similar issue?

Thanks, much appreciated 

      This topic has been closed for replies.
      Correct answer johnrellis

      To remove those missing photos entirely from LR:

      1. Do Library > Find All Missing Photos.

      2. Do Edit > Select All.

      3. Do Photo > Remove Photos.

      Before you do this, however, you may wish to retrieve lower-resolution versions of these photos from LR's preview cache using this plugin: Jeffrey Friedl's Blog » Jeffrey’s “Extract Cached Image Previews” Lightroom Plugin

      2 replies

      gary_sc
      Community Expert
      gary_scCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 25, 2018

      Hi klaracinc,

      Although it sounds like it is too late for you, here's some advice for the future (yeah, you know what's coming): backup backup, backup.

      There are two kinds of people who use computers: those who've had a hard drive crash and those who haven't had one YET.

      I'm retired now but when I was working I had all important files backed up on my other computer. That is, work files at home and home files at work (I didn't do anything that was sensitive so that was not an issue).

      Now, I have one hard drive that backs up my computer's hard drive with Apple's Time Machine. But Time Machine will only back up one's computer's hard drive. So, I have a large external computer that carries the majority of my files including all of my images (well over a terabyte just of images). I have another external computer that backs up everything that's one the other hard drive incase the first one dies on me. (I do this backup about once a week under normal use but more often if I'm very busy creating new files.

      I also have everything saved in the clouds (FWIW, I use BackBlaze and like the service a lot, it's also very reasonable in cost). This is so that if the house burns down I can restore everything as BackBlaze backs up everything you tell it to.

      To lose your images is heartbreaking, it shouldn't happen. Good luck in the future.

        C
        Colorful_goddess0D4E
        Inspiring
        July 14, 2022

        I still have them in Canon DPP, so im ok with this. Just thought I may get a tad of help from someone at Adobe with a grain of common sense but no. Also thought a simple task like renaming a few photos would not result in a vanishing trick. Yes i have looked at all the obvious places before I wrote on here and the only thing that really disappoints me is the lack of help from the lightroom team. I think its time to pay towards a better product than this shower of you know what !

        johnrellis
        johnrellisCorrect answer
        Legend
        August 25, 2018

        To remove those missing photos entirely from LR:

        1. Do Library > Find All Missing Photos.

        2. Do Edit > Select All.

        3. Do Photo > Remove Photos.

        Before you do this, however, you may wish to retrieve lower-resolution versions of these photos from LR's preview cache using this plugin: Jeffrey Friedl's Blog » Jeffrey’s “Extract Cached Image Previews” Lightroom Plugin

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