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MikeD123456
January 15, 2026
Answered

Lightroom remembers original Parent keywording in .psd and .jpg files

  • January 15, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 153 views

I've been using Photoshop and Lightroom for years and just noticed a keyword issue that I don't know how to fix. I use heirarchical keywords and see that if a child keyword is used, Lightroom was set up to include the parent keyword. I don't want that. This is easily fixed in Lightroom by editing the parent  keyword and unchecking Include On Export.

 

My issue is that I have thousands of original .psd and .jpg files that also include the parent keywords. The only way I've found to fix this is to edit the Photoshop File Info and remove the parent keywords, saving the changes  and then in Lightroom do a Read Metadata from File. So far, so good. Now, say I need to make another change to the Lightroom metadata such as adding another keyword.  I do that, write the metadata to the file and save that change. Everything still looks good in Lightroom. If I now open that file in Photoshop, the Parent keywords come back. Somehow Lightroom remembers the original keywording structure and rewrites it into the .psd/.jpg file.

 

How do I prevent that from happening?

Correct answer MikeD123456

By me unchecking all 3 boxes for the parent keyword, I never knew if there was a specific one that would help my issue. After playing around with it, it looks like the parent also needs to have the Export Containing Keywords unchecked. Include on Import doesn't seem to matter checked or unchecked for the parent.

2 replies

Noel Orridge
Community Manager
Noel OrridgeCommunity Manager
Community Manager
January 15, 2026

Hi @MikeD123456! Thank you for reaching out! I'll try to explain and help you out with this. When you removed keywords in Photoshop, Lightroom still retained them in the catalog hierarchy. When Lightroom rewrote metadata, it automatically reconstructed it. So Lightroom was not "remembering the file" — it was obeying its own keyword hierarchy rules. 

 

You'll need to fix the keywords inside Lightroom's Keyword List, not in Photoshop.

 

1) Do what you did by editing the parent keyword and unchecking Include On Export.

2) Right-click the Child keyword and select Edit Keyword Tag > uncheck Export Containing Keywords.

3) Filter Library by parent keyword

4) Select all matching photos

5) In the Keywording panel, remove the parent keyword and confirm only child keywords remain.

6) With photos still selected, press Ctrl+S (Write Metadata to File)

7) Don't remove keywords in Photoshop

 

Hope this works for you! 

Noel
M
MikeD123456Author
January 15, 2026

Noel,

I tried it on a few files and that seems to work. Thank You!

 

I'm not sure I understand why it works. If I do step 1, it makes sense that the parent goes away. Right or wrong, I actually had uncheckd all 3 boxes on the parent. If I do step 2, it seems like the child should go away. What does Export Containing keywords do?

M
MikeD123456AuthorCorrect answer
January 15, 2026

By me unchecking all 3 boxes for the parent keyword, I never knew if there was a specific one that would help my issue. After playing around with it, it looks like the parent also needs to have the Export Containing Keywords unchecked. Include on Import doesn't seem to matter checked or unchecked for the parent.

M
MikeD123456Author
January 15, 2026

I'll add a little more info:

 

LR Classic version 15.1 build 202512101606-1bb801a8

Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.6809

LR catalog is on it's own 1TB SSD

Actual photo files are on a HDD, almost 4TB worth.

 

I've never exported files. Outside of the initial keywording and edits in LR, everything else is done through PS. I import my raw files to a  master Raw folder. Make my edits and save  those changes in a master Archive folder(still raw files). I then open files using Edit in Photoshop, make my edits, save the file in a Master folder(saved as a .psd file). Then flatten the image and save in a Derivitive folder(.psd). From there make various versions for different print sizes or other uses(.psd and . jpg). Again, never once using export. As each of these new files are created, they get imported into the LR catalog.

 

MikeD123456_0-1768503013134.png

 

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