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ndcahill
Participant
December 28, 2021
Answered

Lightroom Classic not importing all files

  • December 28, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 407 views

I noticed that my Lightroom catalog was missing photos that were in the folders I had imported. For instance, I have a folder with 73 files - 71 .dng files, one .mp4 movie, and one jpg, but only the one jpg file was imported; or another folder with 36 jpg files, but only one was imported. If I try to synchronize the folder with missing images, LR asks if I want to import the other 72  or 35 or 392 files, and then I get "Importing files..." but then "No photo or videos were found to import." I thought perhaps it was because they had been previously imported, so made a brand new Lightroom catalog, but the same thing happens. Copied the images to a new external disk in case something on that disk was flaky; exact same problem. Some folders are fine; others refuse to import no matter what I do. 

 

I'm trying to catalog one enclosing folder with 71 subfolders, about 12,000 files (336 GB) mostly .dng and .mp4 files from a DJI drone.

 

Using MacOS Big Sur 11.6.2, Lightroom Classic 11.1 Build 202112022200-7fd1f998. The files are on external Western Digital 10-14 TB drives.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer dj_paige

When Lightroom Classic refuses to import photos, it is almost always because the photos have already been imported into this catalog. So you need to do a thorough search in your Lightroom Classic catalog by following all four of these steps, in order:

 

1. In the Lightroom Classic Library Module, on the left, under Catalog, click on All Photographs
2. Turn off all filters (Ctrl-L once or twice)
3. Turn off all stacking (Photo->Stacking->Expand All Stacks)
4. Search for at least one of these photos by file name using the Lightroom Classic Filter Bar

 

 

2 replies

N
ndcahillAuthor
Participant
December 29, 2021

Thank you! That was the problem: there was a folder of duplicates which prevented the import of the main folder. Removed that and reimported, and it seems OK now. Many thanks!

N
ndcahillAuthor
Participant
December 29, 2021

Further: tried to import one of the faulty folders on its own by dragging just that folder into the Import window. I get the full set of images but grayed out, and LR says "this appears to be a duplicate of another photo already in the catalog." But that is not true. I have imported these photos into other catalogs which I'm not using any more, but can't you have the same photo in more than one catalog? 

dj_paige
dj_paigeCorrect answer
Legend
December 29, 2021

When Lightroom Classic refuses to import photos, it is almost always because the photos have already been imported into this catalog. So you need to do a thorough search in your Lightroom Classic catalog by following all four of these steps, in order:

 

1. In the Lightroom Classic Library Module, on the left, under Catalog, click on All Photographs
2. Turn off all filters (Ctrl-L once or twice)
3. Turn off all stacking (Photo->Stacking->Expand All Stacks)
4. Search for at least one of these photos by file name using the Lightroom Classic Filter Bar

 

 

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