LrC does not see photos on external hard drive

[tm255]

I am attempting to move my Lightroom Photo Library to an external hard drive.  I initially followed Scott Kelby's instructions from his Simplified Lightroom Image Management video, moving the LPL to the external drive from within LrC.  However, once that was done the LPL files no longer showed in LrC and LrC did not show (recognize) the external HD (??).

Searching for a fix here I found this advice: 

Using Finder or Explorer, copy (drag n drop) the desired top-most folder from your internal drive to your external drive.  Then in Lightroom, go to the Folders panel in the Library, right-click on the top-most folder that you copied, select "update folder location", navigate to your external drive. LR will update all the files and folders that you moved.  Doing the actual file copy outside of LR is both faster and safer.

I like faster, safer, and copy so I moved the LPL back to my computer (Mac OS Monterey) HD where it was when I started.  From within LrC all looked the same as it was before I started, so satisfied that I was back to ground zero, I copied the top most folder (outside of LrC) to the external HD (all worked fine), then in LrC I updated the folder location by navigating to the external HD.  Now LrC "sees" the external HD, the total number of images next to the name of the external HD is correct, but all of the nested image folders have question marks on them and when I select a given folder LrC shows the images within, but won't show the images in some other folders.  I checked on the external HD and the images that are not showing in LrC are indeed there (as well as the ones that DO show on LrC).  All images are also still on my internal HD, as far as I can tell (which I would expect, given that I did a copy).

At this point I need to raise the white flag and call for help.  What do I do to fix this?  Thanks so much!

[dj_paige]

The method to move photos (en masse) to a different disk is found in "Part 2 — Updating Folder Location" in this document.

By the way, Lightroom Classic does not "see" photos. It does not "recognize" folders or drives. It is not a file browser like Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. It is a database and it only knows about photos in the database; it only knows the location of photos according to what is in the database, and so if LrC's database knows photos are on the internal drive, and you move them outside of LrC, it doesn't know that. You have to tell it you moved them. How do you do this? That's what the link explains.

[tm255]

Thank you!  I certainly wish that I had gone that route to start rather than following Scott Kelby's directions.

However, I still don't see how to unwind the mess I'm in at this point.  I'm thinking that part (all?) of the problem may be in this statement: Now, follow Step 2 above to connect Lightroom Classic with the folders in their new locations.  IIRC, when I did that I had selected Lightroom Photo Library in LrC for Update Folder Location, I selected the name of the external HD as the new location, and let go.  Now in LrC I have the external HD showing, right below it is a folder with the same name as the external HD (I did not create a folder with that name), and nested under it are all the folders with pics (uh, or without pics in some cases).

I would start over from scratch if I could figure out how to get things back to square one.  But I think I must not be understanding exactly how to connect with folders in their new location.

[tm255]

Another description: Navigate to the new location and press Select Folder (Windows) / Choose (Mac). The folder disappears from the old volume (drive) in the Folders panel and reappears under the new volume bar.

New location is the name of the external HD, but when I did the Choose I ended up in LrC with the name of the external HD, a folder right under it with the same name (??), and nested under that all the Lightroom Photo folders with question marks.  ????

[tm255]

When I try to tell LrC to "go back" to the location on the internal HD (Navigate to new folder and Choose) I get this message: 

The selected folder or one of its subfolders is already in Lightroom. Do you want to combine these folders?

[dj_paige]

New location for your photos is a FOLDER on the external HD, not the external HD itself.

[tm255]

Makes sense, but when I select the first folder under the external HD name,  update folder location, and Choose the folder on the external HD, I get this message: 

The selected folder or one of its subfolders is already in Lightroom. Do you want to combine these folders?

Do I tell it "yes?"

[dj_paige]

This is an indication that you are still doing something wrong.

[tm255]

Well after reading and re-reading your link, the Lightroom Queen instructions, and the older post here I am still stymied.  How can I just put it back together like it was before?

[tm255]

OK, done, I called Adobe Support and dude spent a long time getting it squared away.  

I'll spare the details but will add, he was adamant that the Scott Kelby advice i.e. migrating to the external drive from WITHIN LrC is the CORRECT way, and only way, that it should ever be done -- not outside LrC.

I'm not judging as I sure don't know -- just passing along what Adobe said.

Thanks again for helping, and what a great resource to have phone support.

[tm255 · Accepted solution]

Spoke too soon.  I opened LrC today and it is back to where it was, i.e. LrC only "sees" some of my photos.  But, thankfull, they are still on my external HD and I made a backup.

I don't remember all of the steps CS did yesterday, so I'll call them Monday and see if they can fix it again.