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penpicker
Participating Frequently
September 22, 2018
Answered

Lost pictures while trying to move them into a different folder!

  • September 22, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 1505 views

Help!  I was trying to move photos from one folder into another one and the move got totally stuck after moving only a small number of the pictures.  So I clicked on the x to stop the move thinking I would start over on the others but now they are lost!  I can still see their thumbnails but if I try to move them it says "All the files you selected are missing. No files can be moved.".  If I right click to edit, everything is grayed out.  If I tell it to go to the folder in Finder (I'm on an iMac) it goes to the folder but the files are not on the list.  I am in a panic.  Thanks for any help!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer dj_paige

    Make sure you look on your iMac using the Finder in both the original folder, and the folder where you wanted to move the photos to. Also look in the trash.

    If you can't find them, then restore the photos from backups.

    In the future, do not move photos inside of Lightroom, there are many many many reports of this happening. Move them via this method: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders​ Or even better yet, don't move them at all, put them in a folder where they will remain forever and save yourself some work by never moving them again (EXCEPTION: if you have to move them to a new computer or a new disk, then of course you move them)

    3 replies

    andreasd40914402
    andreasd40914402
    Participating Frequently
    September 8, 2022

    4 Years Later and Adobe still hasn't fixed this issue. This is scam...

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    penpickerAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    September 22, 2018

    Thank you, DJ!!!  You set me on the path that solved my problem.  I'll share what happened here in case anyone else having the same issue finds this thread.  They could not be found in either folder but, using the thumbnail which was still in the original folder, I told it to take me to the file in Finder.  As before, it took me to what was to have been the destination folder but it was not on the list there.  However, I did a Search for the file name and it showed up.  I was able to open it in Photoshop from Finder and there I changed it slightly and saved it.  Then I changed it a bit more and did a "Save As" with a new file name just to be on the safe side.  When they were still not showing in Lightroom, I did an 'Import' to that folder, and, wha-la, there were ALL of the missing files (about 100 of them)!!  It seems they had been caught between the original folder and the destination folder when I stopped the move (that was stuck).  I would normally never have found them because this is a rarely used folder that I would have never done an Import to. btw, it would seem you can safely move a small number of files between folders in the same catalog in LR but you get messed up if you try to move too many at a time.  Lesson Learned!!  And breathing a sigh of relief!

    dj_paige
    dj_paigeCorrect answer
    Legend
    September 22, 2018

    Make sure you look on your iMac using the Finder in both the original folder, and the folder where you wanted to move the photos to. Also look in the trash.

    If you can't find them, then restore the photos from backups.

    In the future, do not move photos inside of Lightroom, there are many many many reports of this happening. Move them via this method: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders​ Or even better yet, don't move them at all, put them in a folder where they will remain forever and save yourself some work by never moving them again (EXCEPTION: if you have to move them to a new computer or a new disk, then of course you move them)

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