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Known Participant
August 19, 2024
Question

lightroom classic collection disappeared after importing files to external disk

  • August 19, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 822 views

lightroom classic .   My collections disappeared after importing files to new  external disk.  The photos are there ok but there seems to be no option to make new collections in the panels.  Does lightroom not transfer the collections you have made?

 

[Mod: Moved to the Lightroom classic forum]

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

GoldingD
Legend
August 19, 2024

What is your exact LrC version?

V13.5?

 

If I remember correctly, many versions back a bug existed involving collections going missing. Solution was to create one new collection, close LrC, then Open LrC, and the missing collections would show up. Fairly sure that was fixed. Fairly sure it affected a small number of users. Very sure this is not occurring in v13.5.

 

 

 

dj_paige
Legend
August 19, 2024

The photos are there ok but there seems to be no option to make new collections in the panels.  

 

Show us a screen capture of what you see regarind "no option to make new collections". Use the "Insert Photos" icon to include your screen capture in your reply. Do NOT attach files.

 

 

Does lightroom not transfer the collections you have made?

 

Not sure why you are talking about "transfer" in this sentence, no "transfer" has been previously mentioned. Please explain in a lot more detail, and give us background of what this transfer is.

EainAuthor
Known Participant
August 19, 2024
Thank you for your reply By transfer I meant copied the collections I had
made in drive E to Drive H[image: Drive H.png]
dj_paige
Legend
August 19, 2024
quote
By transfer I meant copied the collections I hadmade in drive E to Drive H[image: Drive H.png]
By @Eain

 

This still requires more explanation. Collections in LrC don't exist on a specific disk, you can't copy them from one disk to another. And what does this have to do with importing files?

AxelMatt
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 19, 2024
quote

.. My collections disappeared after importing files to new  external disk.  The photos are there ok but there seems to be no option to make new collections in the panels.  Does lightroom not transfer the collections you have made?


By @Eain

 

What does "after importing files to new  external disk." mean?

Please describe more detailed what you want to achieve and what you've done.

Do you like to move existing pictures that already in the catalog to a new external hard drive?  

 

 

My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 6 - Topaz Photo AI
EainAuthor
Known Participant
August 19, 2024
Thank you for your reply Axel. Sorry I was not clearer.
I had all my existing photos on drive E (internal disk) which was nearly
full. I bought a 4tb external disk H and connected it up. I used
lightroom to import the photos. They all went on to H ok organized by
folders as they were on E. However the collections which I had assembled
within drive E do not appear on H. I was wondering if Lightroom does not
transfer collections.
Also normally beside the create new folder option there is another for new
collection. That option seems missing in H

Eain
AxelMatt
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 19, 2024

As I understamd you right you have all photos copied and the new hard drive and then imported again to Lightroom? Is this right?

If yes you have done that in a new catalog. Because LR doesn't import duplicate photos.

Collection are stored in the catalog and in a new catalog this collection aren't included.

 

The best way would have been to copy the whole structure from the old hard driv to the new one and connected the new drive with the drive letter of the old drive. In this case you can use the LR catalog without any changes and any problems.

 

If its possible and the old drive still exists, it is worth considering transferring the whole pictures again to the new disk.

More infos you'll find here:

How do I move only my photos to another hard drive, leaving the catalog where it is? | The Lightroom Queen 

 

My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 6 - Topaz Photo AI
Ged_Traynor
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 19, 2024

@Eain this is the Photoshop forum, try the Lightroom Classic forum instead

EainAuthor
Known Participant
August 19, 2024
Thank you. I will Eain