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David De Backer
Participant
May 6, 2026
Question

Permanently Clear keywords

  • May 6, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 24 views

[Branched off from a thread about keywords in Lightroom (not Classic]

Keyword List doesn't automatically remove keywords that have no photo associated with them, I have plenty in my library and tried to remove (delete) them using the SDK. 

Unfortunately the SDK doesn't expose a delete keyword capability as far as I've seen.

I'm using Lightroom v 15.3 (latest update available in my subscription) and I have quite a lot of keywords in my Keyword List that show ZERO photo count.

    2 replies

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 14, 2026

    You posted your answer in a thread about Lightroom, not Lightroom Classic. That makes this discussion very confusing to anyone who might read it. ​@Anshul_Saini Can you separate the two parts and place this recent discussion in the correct forum?

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
      Anshul_Saini
      Community Manager
      Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      May 13, 2026

      Hi ​@David De Backer,

      Thanks for reaching out. In Lightroom Classic, permanently clear keywords from the list by removing any remaining photo assignments, then use Metadata > Purge Unused Keywords.
       

      For keywords showing 0 photos, Purge Unused Keywords is the right cleanup step. If a keyword is still attached to even one photo, it must be removed from those photos before it can be purged from the catalog.

      Let us know if that helps!

      Best,
      Anshul Saini

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