Copy link to clipboard
Copied
When I import, LRc is seeing my shortcuts in an imported folder, and follows them, thus tries to import all folders and subfolders from these shorttcuts.
It shows them shortcut in the import interface, but no way to remove.
The only way I can prevent this is to remove my shortcuts before importing, but any syncing of these folders then sees the shortcuts again and then LRc tries to import them all again...
I've never had this problem before, so maybe I've just not noticed or its something that is happening unintendidly in LRc. 12 years of LRc use, never seen this behaviour.
These are standard windows 11 shortcuts, not symbolic links.
I did som searching and from what I gather LRc is not meant to follow these basic shortcuts?
If I'm wrong, then ok, I can live with not having my shorctucts, if not, then this is pretty annoying as some of my shortcuts point to root folders for quick navigation, and those can have many thousands of images, or worse > they are system folders so I get all the windows icons and other junk that is not meant to be imported.
Option to disable this behaivour or is it a bug?
To test> I created a simple root folder Z:\test\ and put 20 images in.
Imports as expected.
I added one windows shortcut to C:\users\*myname*\
I syncronized the folder Z:\test\
and LRc went head and added every single folder from C:\users\*myname*\ to the catalogue....
Does the same on import and syncing a folder.
[Moved from ‘Bugs’ to ‘Discussions’ by moderator, according to forum rules.]
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Can you post a screenshot of your Import. The entire screen.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
In Z:\test\
28 images.
Standard import > add folder to catalogue. Z:\test\ selected
1 shortcut in the folder for c:\windows\
1 subfolder named to highlight the issue (no images inside it)
You can see on import source on left, TEST and empty subfolder
Below that, the shortcut which is greyed out but draws in 7k images it found....
As you can see LRc wants to pull in all image/video content from c:\windows\*.*
7592 images being imported... not 28.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
If any question as to why this specific shortcut C:\windows\
This is to highlight the issue as a test - it is repeatable and therefore either a bug or intended functionality that has no "off" switch (which itself is a bug from my perspective because it has unintended concequences)
If why I used shortcuts in folders?
Windows quick links bar on left already full. I'm a working professional with hundreds of thousands of images, composites and video clips in a rabbit-hole-myrid of folders - sometimes I use shortcuts in folders to quickly jump around image folders, working project folders, export and finals folders etc... and back, or move content into other applications
It doesn't really matter why; it's the actual reason we have shortcuts in an OS in the first place.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
So, looking at that screenshot, two oddities
1. No option to include subfolders.
2. Looks like subfolders are being included.
Speaking of this check box:
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
I am suspecting that you have a corrupt preferences file. The preference file can get corrupted, leading to all sorts of odd behavior. Resetting the preference file is basically deleting the preference file (or relocating), and restarting LrC, whereupon LrC will recreate the preferences file. The preference file keeps track of all sorts of things, not just the preferences settings. Note that a side effect of doing this may/will return preference settings to defaults. Carefully read the following references.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hi,
1 - Since when are shortcuts considered subfolders?
That is the why we have symbolic links (hard links) if we want to aggrigate or redirect.
These are OS navigation shortcuts. The one single shortuct in question is there to show that LRc sees it and pulls in everything from the shortcut location.
2 - This is a clean test folder, there is no other reason for it to exist than to show the issue.
Anything you see on that screenshot is directly pulled from the shortcut location. The 28 images in the TEST folder are there, just at the bottom of the 7000+ images in the import screen....
The other folder in there: "THE SHORTCUT IS TO - C-WINDOWS - as you can see - LRC sees it"
Is there deliberately to tag for the screenshot you asked for.
It is empty, and its presence makes no difference to the test.
As per below screenshot > I deleted the empty folder you we'r wondering about > The problem still persists.
As for the question on why no checkbox for import subfolders.
There are no images in the subfolder - thus nothing to import - thus no reason for it to show?
Keep in mind when asking, I'm a veteran IT professiona and a veteran LRc user, I rarely make mistakes when dealing with and describing everyday things like the basic functionality in an OS.
You're referring to these as "shortcut icons" - in plural - post states clearly: 1 folder and 1 shortcut - to assist in troubleshooting for the screenshot requested.
LRc ignores empty folders.
LRc is not ignoring the windows shortcut. Hence we are seeing 7k images being found from the shortcut.
Cheers!
T.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
To further clarify >
This screenshot is from the same TEST folder.
I deleted the shortcut to prove that there is nothing "out of the ordinary here".
And - of course, as expected > no 7k images in import dialoge.
Which takes us back to the initial title of this bug report > LRc is seeing everyghing in a shortcut, when it probably shouldn't!
And, no way to turn that off?
-T
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
And if I reintroduce the shortcut, you can see, all the unwanted content appears again.
Ths time I scrolled down and took the screenshot, so you can see that the intended 28 test images from the TEST folder are there....
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
As for the "include subfolders" selection:
We're using different versions ?
Mine is here: and on right click per folder.
Yes I can toggle it, but, it being on includes the shorcut destination > which is again the contention here.
Like I said, if this is meant to be this way, fine - but imo it's a whole-bag-of-daftness, but I can live with it.
If you have 1 shortcut ANYWHERE within a folder-tree structure that you are importing, then you get everything from that shortcut too on import
> so turning off include subfolders prevents you from importing your workflow/folders and subfolders etc.
> and keeping it on, even if you later add a shortcut, post import, will then sync the shortcut next time you update the folder/syncronize.
Which maybe makes sense to Adobe, but not to real world user.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
"1 - Since when are shortcuts considered subfolders?"
No, they are not. Point is they are in (perhaps) some of those subfolders. And to be specific, probably not the shortcut but the photo that goes with the shortcut, the icon.
Perhaps in either of these two subfolders:
And the issue of why you cannot select/unselect to include subfolders is big.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Not really - just different verions of LRc > I already posted more/replies in thread. Screenshots explain.
Why would there be anything in an empty folder I created for this test??
I don't think you're seeing that I set this folder up as a test > that this is a controlled and repeatable test to show the issue.
The EMPTY folder is irrelevant > as per further posts where I deleted it to show you.
The shortcut is simply that > I could put any shortcut in there, or multiple, they all do the same thing; and LRc will see them and try to import.
See my other post which explains the daftness of this.
Seems that - you can't have ANY shorcut ANWHERE in an imported folder structure AND have "include subfolders" selected > because LRc will also pull in not just your intended folder-tree-structure, but the shortcut destination too,
It does not see them as different. It is an ALL or NONE situation.
Thus rendering the import either useless for complex folder structures, or forces you do import every folder individually.
And if you didn't realise this behaivour from LRc > It could drive you mental trying to work it out.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Nope.
Sorry. This is like asking me did I try powering it on and off lol - sorry! Couldn't resist that!
There is nothing wrong with my LRc install > nor my preferences > see my other posts > I show where my dialogues for this are.
Are you using the latest version of Lightroom Classic for Desktop in Windows?
This is version 13.4 > updated mid last week.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Uggg,
One thing that just came to mind.
In that import screen, when you see all those files that should not be showing up. Select one of the images inn the Grid View, right click, and select to Show in Explorer. Where does that image show up on your hard drive? (and in a reply, perhaps a screenshot of that)
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hiya, I really don't want to be pedantic but this literally proves nothing.
You are missing the point, which I stated at the start.
I "deliberately put THAT shorctuct into the folder on purpose to show the issue" working
> knowing how much junk imagery there is within the C:\window\*.* /s folder structure!
You're trying to troubleshoot the destination of that shorctut when that is not the issue;
The issue is that LRc sees and uses the shorctucat as a normal folder destination when "Include subfolders" is cheked/on.
That "behaivour" means that ANY shortcut in an imported forlder heirarcy will (probably unintentionally for the end user) also import any file or subfolder in the destination for the shorctcut! You cannot stop this behaivour if you have existing subfolders on import and (intentionally or not) have any shortcuts (no matter where they point to) as you have no granular control over the actual use LRc makes of shorctucts (for which it really really should just ignore!).
> Which IS the issue I'm discussing. NOT that there "are files in the shortcut destination folder. Of course there are files and folders there > it wouldn't be a "test destination shortcut" if there weren't 🙂 🙂 😉
Can we please get past this incorrect analysis and move on to the actual issue?
We've already had the "reset preferences" misunerstanding...
Let's not get entwined in anotehr false flag?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
So for sanity sake:
1 import folder with 14 images> with 1 sub folder 14 images.
3 shorctuts happen to be sitting inside....(I put them there deliberately for this test)
Include subfolders is ON.
My import will work > But pulls in EVERYTING from the shortcuts.
Turn "Include subfolders" OFF.
You have to manually select the subfolders and it ignores the shortcuts. (which is ok but it is daft)
BUT > Shortcuts are NOT subfolders > (we'e agreed on this)
So why does LRc both refere to and treat them this way > this is the contention.> It makes no sense.
Hence why I ask - maybe this was intentional - but calling shortcuts "subfolders" in the GUI is completely incorrect on Adobe's part - this should be referred to as shortcuts or something similar to avoid the confusion that it brings.
Which is why I think it is a bug or a an example of bad UX design and wording at the lest!
Really hope this explains it better? 😂
-T
[abuse removed by moderator]
[ what abuse moderator? ]
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
For some context:
I created a new catalogure that covers my temporary download, import/export and screenshot folders.
Because I have many thousands of images in these and I'm sick of using the windows gui (extra lage icons) and folder-clicking to find stuff - so I had the bright idea to unify all these disparate folders into one unimportant but useful catalogue.
This is when I discovered the issue - because these folders all have shortcuts to other working folders, for clients, projects and resources.
So when I did the import > I got tens of thousands of images showing up that are not in these folders > they are just in the destinations of the included shortcuts.
So at first I thogut I had messed up my import >
The I panicked thinking I had somehow fudged up my folder structures>
Then I realised that LRc is using shorctucts like they are folders.>
Googling "shortcut and lightroom" in any combination just yeilds "shorcuts for lightroom basic info" nothing on this subject.
I found one reference that LRc shoud NOT use shorctuts, but will use hardlinks (I use symbolic links and they work as intended) so that got me nowhere...
Then I came here for answers and to troubleshooot or at least to see it this is a bug or intentional.