Importing - Pictures Going to Wrong Folder

[Melissa_Cooley5746]

Please help.  I have been using Lightroom for about 1 year and I am not up on all the verbage so please be paitent if I am wordy.  When I imported pictures they have shown up as a year-month-day in the tree.  Recently they have shown in a year folder, with the year/month/day as a subfolder.  I needed to process some so I didn't have time to figure out the issue.  I have tried importing multiple times and they want to all go into the 2025 folder.  Now I  discovered the other 2025 pictures I previously processes I cannot access.  The folder says their is ~3000 photos, but the below subfolder do not add up to this value.  It does appear to be adding all the 2025 pictures even if not a subfolder.

1 - How do I move all the folder into a year format?

2 - How to I access the "missing" photos

 I I click on 2025-01-31 I get a message that states "no photos in selected folder" though it says there is 55, but they are not visisble in the 2025 folder either.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Melissa_Cooley5746,

Thanks for the clear explanation, and no worries at all about the terminology. This is a common Lightroom Classic scenario, and the good news is that your photos are very likely safe.

Here's what's going on and how to address it:

• Why do photos look "missing"
– The parent 2025 folder is showing a total count that includes all photos inside its subfolders.
– When you click a dated subfolder and see "No photos in selected folder," it's usually because Library filters are active.
– Go to Library > Filter Bar and click None

– Also, go to the Library menu and enable "Show Photos in Subfolders" to confirm everything is visible.

• Why new imports are going into a single year folder
– Your Import Destination settings likely changed.
– In the Import dialog, check the Destination panel on the right.
– If you want Year > Date (YYYY-MM-DD):
– Choose Organize: By date
– Choose Date format: YYYY/MM-DD
– Lightroom will follow this structure for future imports.

• How to reorganize existing folders
– Do all folder moves inside Lightroom only, using the Folders panel.
– You can drag date folders into the correct year folders, or move photos between folders safely there.
– Avoid moving folders in File Explorer, as that breaks links.

If anything still doesn't line up, please share:
• Your Lightroom Classic version
• A screenshot of the Import dialog showing the Destination panel

Happy to help you get this fully sorted.

Best regards,
Anshul Saini

[Melissa_Cooley5746 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the response and I appreciate the assistance.  In the end it turns out it was show/hide parent folder that was the issuse.  

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Melissa_Cooley5746,

Thanks for circling back and sharing the resolution. I’m glad to hear you found the cause. Yes, the Show/Hide Parent Folder option in the Folders panel can definitely make things look confusing, especially with photo counts and visibility, even though the images themselves are still intact. Your follow-up will be helpful to others who encounter the same situation.

If you have any other questions as you continue working in Lightroom Classic, feel free to post again.

Best regards,

Anshul Saini