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desolation_angel
Participant
June 9, 2025
Question

Lightroom sync does not generate subfolder structure on relocation

  • June 9, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 171 views

Ok, I've had three attempts at trying Adobe support to find an answer; first time resulted in an email that didn't fix the problem, second two times the chat "ended" unexpectedly without any resolution. Rather than explain, from scratch, a fourth time, I'll put it here:

 

Lightroom Classic v14.3.1

macOS Sequoia v15.5

 

  1. I have a separate catalog to sync images that I take on my iPhone, with Lr mobile (v10.3.1), to Lightroom Classic on my laptop. 
  2. That catalog had/has an external HDD set for the location of "Lightroom's Synced images"
  3. The checkbox for "Use subfolders formatted by capture date" is checked
  4. The external HDD did, indeed, have all of the mobile images in subfolders.
  5. I wanted to move that collection of images to my internal SSD
  6. I changed the location, in the preferences.
  7. Lr asked if I wanted it to move them, which I did.
  8. Lr ran for a while, moved a bunch, and then failed a bunch.
  9. Upon closer inspection the destination folder did NOT contain any subfolders (which lead me to believe that the failure to complete was based on dupe filenames not being allowed in the same folder).
  10. I tried different locations, different subfolder patterns, other external HDDs and NOTHING created subfolders.

 

So, now my images are spread across various devices and chaotically stored without structure. I DO know that I could just create a new catalog, perhaps, and re-sync from scratch, but I haven't attempted to do that, yet, in case it loses any adjustment or metadata. 

 

Anyone else see this? Have workarounds?

1 reply

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Community Manager
AlekeCommunity Manager
Community Manager
June 9, 2025

Hi @desolation_angel! So sorry you’re running into this issue in Lightroom Classic — I know how frustrating that kind of thing can be.

Just to make sure I’m following you correctly, did all your photos move but end up in a single main folder instead of staying in their original subfolders? Or did nothing move at all — meaning the photos and their subfolders stayed right where they were?

Also, have you already tried any troubleshooting steps with our support team? If so, let us know what you’ve done so far so we don’t accidentally repeat anything.

Thanks — I’m here to help however I can!
Alek

*(If you mention me with an @, like @Aleke, I’ll get a notification and can respond faster.)*
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desolation_angelAuthor
Participant
June 9, 2025

@Aleke thanks for reaching out. Just to clarify, the process completed but with errors. So a bunch were moved, a bunch were not. The destination folder was flat (no subs) so I am assuming that dupe file names caused errors. 

Troubleshooting steps I've done:

  1. Uninstalled app
  2. Deleted prefs
  3. Tried different destinations (internal SSD and spinning HDDs)
  4. Different configurations in the Subfolder structure drop down
  5. Currently trying a 'start from scratch' sync in a whole new catalog, which seems to be working, but the subfolder structuring is... not optimal (the "Root Folder Display" options aren't, um, useful–happy to explain that further if needed).

 

thanks

 

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 9, 2025

IIRC then this is indeed what happens if you change the folder for synced images and you let Lightroom Classic move the current images to that folder. I am not sure if this has been acknowledged as a bug, or if this was 'as (badly) designed', but I am pretty sure it's waste of time trying to troubleshoot this, because this is how Lightroom Classic works in this particular situation, so there is nothing to troubleshoot. You'll have to manually move those images if you want to keep their dated folder structure.

 

-- Johan W. Elzenga
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