Participant

Question

Existing files deleted from folder after canceled import - LR Classic 15.2

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
May 3, 2026
9 replies
107 views

I have a folder in which I imported about 200 images from a shoot. Edited them last night as normal. Got a request for two additional images.

I import the 2 new images from the SD card as usual. Accidentally see I selected all 1496 images. Click CANCEL import and cancel render previews. Lightroom shows "Previous Import"-view as normal, about 20 images. The original folder with the 200 edited images NOW HAS NO RAWs left. Only .xmps.

Only the about 20 images from the canceled import are there. The original files are not in Trash. Not in the folder where I worked on them last ight. Just... gone.

SURELY this is not intended behavior? Files on SD card are thankfully still there, lucky me.

Windows 11 Home 25H2, OS Build 26200.8037

LR Classic 15.2, Build [202602111402-ec4112e8]

masonreed

Participating Frequently

That definitely sounds like a Lightroom Classic bug, not expected behavior. Good thing the RAWs are still on the SD card. I’d restore/reimport them using Copy rather than Move, and make a backup before doing anything else.

dj_paige

Legend

That definitely sounds like a Lightroom Classic bug, not expected behavior. Good thing the RAWs are still on the SD card. I’d restore/reimport them using Copy rather than Move, and make a backup before doing anything else.

If the user selected MOVE, then how is this not expected behavior?

Also, if the user selected MOVE, the photos have not been deleted and the photos are in the LrC catalog, all you have to do is search for them in the LrC catalog or in the operating system.

S

Solsticesun

Participating Frequently

Correct Shirley, the intended feature is to move the files. Not to delete the entire folder if canceled.

dj_paige

Legend

If the user selected MOVE, then the folder should still be there, and the OP never said the folder was deleted, the OP said that the files were not in there.

S

Solsticesun

Participating Frequently

Same thing happened to me. Good job making a program that deletes entire folders if you hit cancel. why do we have to pay a subscription for broken garbage?

dj_paige

Legend

Depending on your choice in the Import dialog box of MOVE, COPY or ADD, I could see several different possibilities. Depending on what type of camera card you use, I could see several different possibilities. What kind of camera card is this?

If you chose MOVE, then the originals will not be in the folder or disk they started in.

If you chose COPY, then the originals used by LrC are now in some folder where they were copied to.

Often, people wind up accidentally selecting COPY without realizing it. Same could be true for MOVE, but I think this is more rare.

SURELY this is not intended behavior?

Maybe it is the intended behavior because you accidentally chose the wrong selection. And don’t call me Shirley.

S

Solsticesun

Participating Frequently

Deleting entire folders of original files is not an intended behavior, Shirley.

dj_paige

Legend

Disagree. If you chose MOVE, it is exactly the intended behavior of the software to MOVE the photos.

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

First update Lightroom Classic to the latest version, which is 15.3, not 15.2 and try to repeat the problem. You cannot file a bug report for an older version.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

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