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Rupert Barker
Rupert Barker
Participant
March 20, 2026
Question

Locating files after a hard-drive failure using "original names"

  • March 20, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 46 views

Hi, I’ve had a Hard Drive failure and thankfully my backups were good, all except the most recent shoot. However this was still on my 2nd card in the camera so I have the original raw files. Is there a way other than manually locating each file and then renaming it to the filename it has in Lightroom that I can reinstate the files? Lightroom has the original filename in the metadata for each image, but I’d quite like to use the new names as those are the ones my clients are referencing when requesting edits.

    2 replies

    johnrellis
    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 22, 2026

    [View this post in your web browser. It contains formatting and images that don't appear in email.]

     

    If you’re reasonably competent at basic command-line scripting, you could use this approach:

     

    1. Use the Any Filter plugin’s Sort command to export a CSV containing the full path and the metadata field “Preserved Filename” for each of the selected photos in the catalog.

     

    2. Use Excel, Google Sheets, or a text edit to transform the CSV into a shell/command script that copies or moves each of the restored photos to the path recorded in the catalog.

     

    3. Execute the script.

     

     

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 20, 2026

    There is another way, assuming that you renamed the files on import, or later in Lightroom, using a rename template. This is what you could do: create a brand new temporary catalog, choose import and import those images from the latest shoot. Rename them on import with that same template and copy them to the location you used in your main catalog. That’s it. Restart Lightroom with the main catalog and trash the temporary catalog.

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
      Rupert Barker
      Rupert BarkerAuthor
      Participant
      March 21, 2026

      Thanks Johan, the problem is they shoot has been culled, edited and the renamed before exporting to jpeg, client has the jpegs. I can individually match the files to the original file numbers, they are in the folder Lightroom thinks they are in, it’s just I get the “ The file you selected “DSC01802.ARW” has a different name than the one you were trying to locate. Are you sure this is the correct file?” I was just hoping there was a way of utilizing the fact Lightroom knows the original filename in the metadata?

      JohanElzenga
      Community Expert
      JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 21, 2026

      Read my answer again, because I believe it does solve your problem. Using a temporary catalog, you can rename the backup files so they match again with the files Lightroom expects. That means they will no longer be missing, so you don’t have to relink them again.

       

      Example: the original file name was ‘DSC018082.ARW’, but your main Lightroom catalog knows this file as ‘Whatever.ARW’. So you create a new catalog, import ‘DSC018082.ARW’, and rename it to ‘Whatever.ARW’ on import. Also make sure it gets copied to the folder where your main Lightroom catalog expects it to be. Now if you restart Lightroom with the main catalog, it sees ‘Whatever.ARW’ in the location it expects. In other words: Lightroom will not report missing files, because all the files are where Lightroom expects them to be with the name Lightroom expects them to have. 

      -- Johan W. Elzenga
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