Latest LR update deleted my catalog and emptied file folders

[Bella Carolina]

I spent over an hour chatting with tech support. He could not explain why this happened or how to avoid it or prevent it from happening again. I had set up auto update and have now disabled it.

Has anyone else experienced this? Or have any ideas about why this happened? Has it happened to you?

[GoldingD]

That your Windows File Explorer shows images existing in a folder, but your Lightroom Classic Folder Panel, is not showing those images just means either they were never in the catalog, or got removed from the catalog (but not deleted from the computer)

The Folder Panel in Lightroom shows what images exists that are indexed into the catalog. It does not act as a file manager, it acts as a database file reporter.

Now, do you keep your images on multiple hard drives? Your Folder Panel indicates either you do, or that you have moved images or drives around, and Lightroom is confused. But, to each their own workflow, and their own file management approach. If you do file here and their Ok, if you do not, then an issue is occurring.

A more glaring issue is the ? mark in multiple folder locations.

Will post a link on missing images

[GoldingD]

Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

[GoldingD]

Based on your screenshots, the issue is not a new catalog, and probably not a wrong catalog issue, but of a catalog failing for some reason.

[Bella Carolina]

Thank you, David for your help. I believe there is a catalog failure and I don't have any clue how to go about trying to figure it out. What is your opinion if I uninstall LR and re-install it?

[Geoff the kiwi]

Have you tried File>Open Recent?? What shows in there??

What is the name of your catalog?
Do you have more than one catalog??

Can you search for Folders named Lightroom please??

[Jao vdL]

I read in another thread that apparently there might be a bug in LRC v12 when catalogs are on external (read non C: drives on windows) they are not upgraded correctly upon opening them in LRC v12. I would recommend you revert to LRC v11 and open your old non-upgraded catalog for now.