Lightroom on Mac OS Catalina can't import photos from camera or iPhone- can't find files

[Higs77__]

Please Help. After updating to Catalina on my Mac, Lightroom can no longer find/import photos using a USB cable (so nothing off the camera, card reader, or iPhone when connected). It can see them if I transfer them to my desktop first. I uninstalled and went back to an older version of Lightropm and that did not help. What is the fix? I need to load directly from a device into Lightroom.

[GoldingD]

Lightroom Classic appears to be having problems with Catalina 10.15.2

Problems with external image sources connected via USB. Now, not so much for card readers, or external hard drives, but for cameras, smartphones, and such. Problems are not consistent from camera to camera.

This is not limited to teathering.

Workaround is to remove memory card and place in card reader.

This is also not limited to Adobe. (for example Fujifilm x-RAW Studio, can not see camera, no workaround)

Might be an issue at Apple, Might be waiting for next MACOS fix.

Not Adobe or Apple emlpyee, so no idea when. And not a lick of proof.

[Higs77__]

Thanks.

[GoldingD]

One thing to look at

Outside of Lightroom Classic, in the MACOS, bring up System Preferences, select Security and Privacy, select Privacy, scroll down to Files and Folders, for Lightroom Classic and while you are at it, a Photoshop, make sure all presented options are checked fir approval. Nite these options show up first when an attempt is made.

[Higs77__]

The box in System Pref/Privacy that said Removable Volume wasn't checked. So I checked it and Viola! It worked. Super cool. Thanks so much!

[PaulaMorris]

Yes!!! Going into Privacy was the key for me. When I updated to Catalina, it must not have remembered to give Lightroom (9.2.1) permission to look at files. Thank you so much for this suggestion.

[livial88293797]

Just logged in to say a big THANK YOU - this helped me import photos from a removable device! Much appreciated!

[JohanElzenga]

Apparently this will be fixed in Catalina 15.3 (people testing the beta have confirmed that).

[Higs77__]

Awesome. Thanks.

[Janet0846]

Just read all these Cant wait for catalina update then  So frustrating

[JohanElzenga]

The update to 15.3 was released last week...

[archiea]

Running catalona 10.15.7, LR 11, and still no visible files on removable drive.

This is a laughable disaster.

Back to my 2009 mac pro with mojave and LR 11.

[JohanElzenga]

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@archiea wrote:

Running catalona 10.15.7, LR 11, and still no visible files on removable drive.

This is a laughable disaster.

Back to my 2009 mac pro with mojave and LR 11.

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You are reviving a 1.5 years old thread, but the answer that you must give Lightroom the necessary permissions still stands. Countless people are using Lightroom Classic 11 on MacOS Catalina without having this problem.

[archiea]

I'm replying to a 1.5 year old problem because its still happening and disrupts my ability to work in a time sensative situation.

Also I already tried the permissions solution with no success, hence why I replied to this.

Turns out it was a LR preferences  issue where I had to launch LR while hitting shift alt to reset its preferences.

[JohanElzenga]

Good to hear that your problem is solved. It's better to create a new thread in such cases. The chance that you really encountered a problem that hasn't been fixed for years is very slim. If you did, this thread would be a mile long. It may look like the same problem to you, but it rarely is. And this particular thread actually ends with the OP saying that the problem was solved.