P: loses connection with files after folder is renamed

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I've been using Lightroom for many years, and I've never experienced this problem until the last two updates to the application.

When I upload photos to Lightroom, the app creates a folder that is by default named with the date, in this format: 20210403.

I usually rename the folder, in Lightroom, with something more descriptive, just after the upload is complete. For example, 20210403_family-gathering.

Starting with the previous version of Lightroom, after I perform this action, Lightroom loses the connection with the files in the newly renamed folder. A question mark appears on the folder in the Navigation panel, and in Loupe view, every photo now displays a small exclamation mark in its upper right corner.

When I click on an exclamation mark, a dialog box appears, like the first one of three that I've uploaded.

1Lightroom_missingphoto-ccc406f0-67d4-4b3d-bff7-05c1c0834148-835634586.png

When I click on "Locate," another dialog box appears. For example:

2Lightroom_missingphoto_select-94760d8f-1b85-462b-b489-24b48e58a8c8-1771050602.png

The first file, which is highlighted, is the one that is missing (although at this point, Lightroom has lost track of all of the files in the renamed folder). When I click the "Select" button, this dialog box appears:

3Lightroom_missingphoto_alread-79fdfacb-e016-4610-aaba-6f295e7d4035-643118839.png

Lightroom is obviously confused, and the only way around this, in the current version of Lightroom, is to quit the application and re-launch Lightroom. After I relaunch Lightroom, it re-finds the files and the exclamation marks are gone. When I quit Lightroom after renaming the folder from the most recent upload, I back up the catalog. I don't know if this is necessary, but I back up the catalog whenever I quit Lightroom.

This is a bug, which never existed for me, until the last two updates of the app.

[heff66]

I'm seeing it on Mojave, Catalina, and Big Sur.

[giancatt.stmoritz]

I can replicate this problem on my macpro 2013 with 64GB RAM

  Systemversion: macOS 10.15.7 (19H1030)

  Kernel-Version: Darwin 19.6.0

  Startvolume: MacPro

I have 340’000 photos on my Drobo 5D all backed up to 2 other Drobo 5D

happens whenever I change the folder name.

files show missing ! mark

after closing LrC and reopening files are back 

 see my screenshots Adobe !

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Exactly the same for me.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I have the exact same problem with the following configuration:

MacBook Pro 15' macOS Big Sur 11,3,1

2,4 GHz Intel Core i9 8 cœurs

32 Go 2400 MHz DDR4

LrC 10.2

LrC catalog path (SSD inside) :
Macintosh HD/Users/Milek/Pictures/Lightroom

At your disposal if you want to upload my catalog to reproduce the bug.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I am having exactly the same problem with '!' in each image after a folder is renamed in LR but I don't get the '?' in the Folder list in the Library. '!' disappears after restarting LR.

2020 27" iMac Retina 5K, macOS 11.2.3, Lightroom Classic 10.2

[COBill]

Did you give it enough time to complete the catalog updates? When the folder name is changed, each file is in the folder now has a new path/filename. This is stored in the catalog for every file. It's a quick process unless there are thousands of files or some contention for the drive containing the catalog.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

That’s entirely possible.  I’ll test that theory next time I do this although I do seem to remember I had the same thought but waiting didn't help.

🙂

[heff66]

No Bill. That's not the issue. Many users have tried this and it doesn't change anything. Honestly, you have been incredibly counterproductive with your bad advice and suggestions in this particular thread. Without any compelling reason, you've pushed people to rebuild their catalogs from scratch and to upgrade their entire operating system. Both of these have major potential fallout that you have blithely dismissed. You are swatting flies with a sledgehammer. Not helpful.

[COBill]

I have NEVER suggested that anyone rebuild their catalog. When folks have asked, I have explained how I do it. 

When you consider the rarity of this problem, it's very unlikely to be a bug. It's much more likely to be related to the system configuration or conflicts with other concurrent tasks.

With hundreds of thousands of users not experiencing this problem, problem determination methodology says to first seek elsewhere for the cause. 

While it could be a bug in Lightroom, that's certainly not at the top of a list of likely candidates.

[heff66]

Sorry, but you are most definitely wrong, Bill.

It's a very consistent and reproducible bug in Lightroom 10.2 and is being seen by quite a number of macOS users running Mojave, Catalina, and Big Sur.

I work with hundreds of them on a weekly basis and this isn't nearly as rare as you've made it out to be.

The team at Adobe is not only aware of this bug but are actively working on a fix.

You clearly mean well, but you are quite misguided in your conclusion that it's related to system configuration. I can reproduce the bug across multiple operating system versions, storage configurations, CPU and GPU combinations, etc.

[GWSHARK101]

Bill, all users with issues are from MacOS users using most recent operating systems on various hardware systems.   Many of these users have been using lightroom for several years without having this issue, and you don't think a lightroom bug specific to MacOS users is at the top of the list of likely candidates?  

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

@bill_3305731  You didn't suggest that I should rebuild my catalog. Instead, you asserted that I've "proven" that my "primary hardware is defective," and it's "time to replace it."

You also said I have "zero evidence" that I have a software problem.

You were, and are, wrong.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Bill,

I first noticed the problem when I renamed a folder with 5 images. using the LR Library instead of Finder. The problem remained until I found this thread and restarted LR, which was probably 15 minutes. Certainly enough time to update the catalog.

[alexskunz]

For what it's worth (and I don't know if someone has already done and mentioned this but I'm not going to comb through two pages of old comments and replies now) I just reverted to Lightroom Classic v10.1.1 to test, and that version works just fine on my 2019 iMac with Catalina.

I did two imports to my external hard drive, waited for the previews to render, renamed the folders - no problem.

The folders and the files within remain "online" and do not go missing in LrC v10.1.1. It only happens in LrC v10.2 for me.

Hope to help
Alexander.

[heff66]

Thanks, Alexander. I can corroborate that as well. Have only seen the issue with 10.2 installations. Anything earlier does not suffer from that particular glitch.

[GWSHARK101]

That's great to hear!

Quick question:  When reverting back to 10.1, does the 10.2 catalog still work in it?  Want to know before I go ahead with this.   Thanks.

[alexskunz]

The catalog format didn't change between 10.1.1 and 10.2 so it's not a problem. I'm back on 10.2 now and suffered no losses. 😉

[GWSHARK101]

It works!  You are right.  10.1.1 works fine.  Renaming files in any of my folders on any of my drives works fine.   Bug is in Lightroom Classic 10.2.    I hope Adobe can get this resolved in next update.  It's a serious bug.  Renaming folders without having software glitches is pretty critical to most users.  

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Greetings,

Updates to Camera Raw, Lightroom Classic and the Lightroom Ecosystem products for Desktop, Mobile and Web, were released today and contain a fix for this issue.

Please refresh your Creative Cloud application and install your update when it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I've updated LR to 10.3 and can verify that renaming a folder following import (and before quitting LR) is no longer a problem. Lightroom maintains its connection with the folder and the included files.

Yay! Thanks, Rikk, and the Adobe engineers who fixed this bug. Much appreciated.

[GWSHARK101]

Hooray!    THANK YOU.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Tested and it seems to be fine - thank you

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I have to say that after my initial joy at this fix - I find that is not completely fixed. I had a situation today where approximately half the images in a folder were left with 'exclamation marks' after renaming. Quitting and restarting resolved it. 

[COBill]

A "go around" that sometimes works and is quicker than restarting. Use the Library module

• give a temporary keyword to all the "!" files
• Text search and search for the filename of one of the missing files
• if the ! is gone then click on the temporary keyword to display all the files 
• maybe they will all correctly display 

This works for "lost files" returned from Photoshop. 

This bug was fixed for LRC on Windows, I guess you could switch? hey hey hey 

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Hello,

Even without to rename the folders or the files, I have the same issue with Lightroom Classic 10.3 on my windows 10 PC.

I have almost 1/3 of my photos impacted by this issue and I do not found any solution yet to recover my photo's settings.

Anyboby else has the same issue ?

Thank you for your assistance