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A
arnautv90906393
Participant
April 28, 2019
Question

Lightroom import without copy

  • April 28, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 13774 views

hello there, I have a question about importing exiting images from a external drive. Is it possible to import existing images from an external disk without making a Copy? I don’t need a copy of something I already have stored on a disk. I only need to see them in Lightroom. Otherwise my storage space is used twice.

      3 replies

      I
      israelgoldstein
      Participant
      February 28, 2020

      I am also searching for a solution, did you find one yet?

      Y
      Ymein
      Participant
      March 12, 2020

      Nah, it seems the only solution for now it to use lightroom classic...

      P
      Philipp22514403l97s
      Participant
      January 5, 2022

      In LR I can't find an option to open images I already have organized in folders on my hard drive. The Add button is grayed out, it only shows the option to copy, which means my data size is doubled, which just doesn't work at all. That can not be that you can only copy!!! I leave LR again and continue to use Photoshop.

        cmgap
        Community Expert
        cmgapCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        April 28, 2019

        Just to clarify... are you asking if you can add photos to your Lightroom  account and not  have  the originals uploaded to the cloud? You only want to have them stored locally on your external hard drive?

        A
        arnautv90906393Author
        Participant
        April 28, 2019

        Thank you for your answer! Yes I don’t want images in de could. I only want to see my existing images on my external disk in Lightroom CC without copying them and put them a other in a folder. is it possible to link existing images to Lightroom CC without moving and copying them to the cloud or other folder?

          Ian Lyons
          Community Expert
          Ian LyonsCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          April 28, 2019

          Yes, this is possible. When setting up the import dialog, choose the 'Add' option rather than the copy or move options. Your photos will still be visible in Lightroom when you disconnect the external hard drive.

            A
            arnautv90906393Author
            Participant
            April 28, 2019

            Thank you for your answer. I stored all my images on a NAS (synology disk). so the images are already where I want them to be.  I only want to link my NAS to lightroom CC Without copying them on a other place. I only can choose to import them and then a copy will appear in a new map with the name Lightroom. It can not be that I am the only one who only want to connect existing images in Lightroom without copying them. Please help me because copying 12 terabits images must not be meaning 

            Ian Lyons
            Community Expert
            Ian LyonsCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            April 28, 2019

            Apologies, my response was for Lightroom Classic, not the cloud based version. Therefore, if using Lightroom CC rather than Classic, you can ignore my response. That being said, based on the description of what you're doing now and wish to do in future, then Lightroom Classic is the more suitable application.

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