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Participant
Oct 10, 2025 2:41 PM UTC
Question

new installation

I installed LRC on a new computer, plugged in my external hard drive with all my pictures, and I see all of them, lost all keywords and edits. Re keyworded all, but I cant import new pictures (probably because i didnt create a catalog). What happens to all the pictures if i create a new catalog?

5 replies

dj_paige
Legend
Oct 10, 2025 2:53 PM UTC

Do not create a new catalog. You want to use the catalog file from your old computer.

 

You lost all edits and keywords because either:

 

  • You imported the photos into LrC; or
  • You are looking for keywords and edits in the original photos on the external HD outside of LrC

 

Please explain in more detail, step-by-step, what you did.

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Participant
Oct 10, 2025 3:25 PM UTC

Yes,I imported the photos into LRC, didnt really appreciate the role of the catalog. I do enjoy Lightroom, but am somewhat of a novice

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dj_paige
Legend
Oct 10, 2025 3:30 PM UTC

Copy the catalog from the old computer to the new computer, then open the catalog in LrC on the new computer. No importing of photos. If the photos are "missing" because LrC shows an exclamation point icon on each photo, you have to tell LrC where the photos are so it can re-link to your photos. You can re-link entire "tree" of folders with one action, see Figure 4 and associated text here.

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