Lightroom Classic 13.2 for Mac no longer automatically creates or saves to xmp files

[Robert Ripps]

Running Lightroom Classic 13.2, on macOS Sonoma 14.31. I noticed that recently- maybe after the last update- I have to click on the down arrow to force LRC to save changes I make in LRC (stars, labels, etc.) to the associated xmp file, when previously I did not. I have this setting checked to save all changes to xmp:

But LRC seems to ignore it.

Also, today I just downloaded some raw files from a card to LRC exactly as I have been doing for years- I have a preset telling LRC were to put files, what development preset to use, what metadata to add, etc.- yet unlike before, LRC is not creating an xmp file for each downloaded raw file.

If I look on side panel, I see LRC has added metadata & desired development preset, but only seems to have it in the internal catalog, not in an xmp file like before. If I click down arrow (as per above) it finally does create the xmp file, with the information there as well.

I also imported some jpegs, with no develop preset or metadata to be added. They also all required me to manually click down arrow, whereas before unless I made a change, I would not have to manually save them.

Has anyone else noticed this change in behavior? Is there some new setting I need to change?

Thanks.

[Per Berntsen]

Try resetting the preferences.

The easiest way is using Method 3 as described here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/setting-preferences-lightroom.html

[Robert Ripps]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I feel like resetting everything, then trying to restore all my settings is a bit like throwing out the baby with the bathwater… Don’t want to try to solve one problem, but then create several more?

[Per Berntsen]

To make it easier to restore the settings, take screenshots of all the tabs in the Preferences dialog before resetting the preferences.

[Ian Lyons]

You can make a copy of your current preference file, save it to a safe location or compress where it is. Next, delete the original.  Relaunch LrC. If the issue is resolved, be happy. If not resolved, then delete the newly created preference file and reinstate the original.

FWIW, it took me longer to write above than it normally takes reinstate all my settings.

[Robert Ripps]

Okay, I will try those last two suggestions, and report back next time I import images into Lightroom. Thanks. 

[Robert Ripps]

Okay, I quit Lightroom, deleted the preferences, restarted Lightroom, could see that my righthand panels had changed location. I then downloaded an image from a card, but experienced the exact same behavior- LRC did not create the desired XMP file automatically, and instead gave me the down arrow requiring me to manually save the image, thereby creating the XMP file.

And every time I made a change to the image’s metadata, I again got the down arrow signifying I needed to save the changes. So unfortunately, it is not a corrupted preference that I can tell. I guess I will just have to live with seeing the down arrows and having to constantly manually save every time I update the metadata or other changes to a file(s).

[Robert Ripps · Accepted solution]

I looking in the forum once again to see if anyone was having this issue, I found this post from 2022:

“I had the same issue. My Catalog Settings were all set up for XMP data to be automatically written, however, for some reason, it was not creating the XMP sidecar files. I solved this by clicking on the name plate, and then pausing and unpausing  the "saving xmp" option that is available. As soon as I did that, xmp files were once again being created, even though i had never paused the function. It appears there might be a bug somewhere in the recent update.“

As soon as I looked, I saw that save to XMP was indeed “paused” , and once I clicked, LRC started to save all the changes I have made to files.

To further test, I again imported an image, and this time LRC did indeed create the desired XMP file right away, with no need for saving. I then made a change to the file’s metadata, and again, LRC saved the changes automatically as desired.

Never would have thought to click in that area, to solve the problem! Strange that a “setting” that was not in Preferences could override a something clearly set in Preferences, but there you go…