Moved catalog to new computer - how to force sync of cloud images?

[gregw96794841]

I moved my LRC main catalog that synced with mobile downloads onto a new Mac. However, when I browse the "From Lr mobile" collection, I just get a exclamation mark on each image showing that it cannot be found. However, if I take a new photo on my phone with LR mobile and add that to one of the collections, then they appear.

In the attached screenshot, the two images that are shown are ones I took today, and synced successfully, The two below them existed prior to the move, and cannot be located so show as blank.

So the sycning is working for new images, but I want to be able to see the LR Mobile images that I had before the move.

I have checked my online libraries, and all the images are still online.

How can I force a full resync from the online cloud storage back to my Classic catalog?

[JohanElzenga]

You do not have to resync, but 'reconnect'. Lightroom Classic downloads all cloud images to your hard disk, so if you move the catalog to a new computer, you will have to move those images to the new computer too, just like any other images. Apparently you did not do that, so the images are now 'missing'.

By default, Lightroom Classic stores downloaded images in an obscure package called 'Mobile Downloads.lrdata', which is inside you catalog folder, but you can change this in the preferences. So depending on whether you did change this or not, you'll have to move that package to the new conputer or some other folder.

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-move-lightroom-to-new-computer/

[gregw96794841]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and I appreciate you taking the time. 

But it does not really solve my problem.

When I did a fresh install on the new mac, I ran it before moving my catalog so it created a default catalog in Pictures/Lightroom folder. I then exited LR after confirming all was installed. It left behind a Mobile Downloads.lrdata, which is 77Mb big.

I then moved my actual catalog file into a new folder 'Main', a pee of the Lightroom folder, and reconnected all my images that were on an external drive. Sync status shows it is syncing, but still my files stored in the cloud did not show. Via my phone, however, I have been modifying my cloud files, and new images on my phone have synced. In preferences, I changed the location of the synced images to the new foler, but all that does is copy some images to a subfolder, and I don't get a new Mobile Downloads.lrdata file.

I've just checked my old mac, and the Mobile Download file is 13Gb. The problem if I copy that now is all my changes to my online library will be lost.

All I need is a way to tell Lightroom to delete all previous sync'ed data, and to start again with a new complete fresh copy from my cloud files. I was hoping "Delete all Synced Data" would do the trick, but that appears to wipe all the data from the cloud, which is the wrong way around.

I'm sure I'm missing something obvious here. Should not be hard to wipe a local copy and force a fresh download from the cloud. 

[JohanElzenga]

I've just checked my old mac, and the Mobile Download file is 13Gb. The problem if I copy that now is all my changes to my online library will be lost.

Are you sure about that? I would think that if you start over with the old catalog and old download data and old sync data, then this old catalog does not contain any of new edits, so as soon as you sync this catalog it will sync down those new edits. Just as if you made those edits a minute ago.

[gregw96794841]

No, I wasn't sure of that.

I bit the bullet and overwrote my new mobile downloads file with the 13Gb one from my old mac. Sure enough, my new images appeared.

However, while images taken since the original catalogue was copied over do appear in the catalog, because the files when synced to the cloud were downloaded into the Mobile Downloads file, after restoring my old file these are now showing up as unable to be found. And I have no way of syncing them back locally, so have effectively lost them at least as far as Lightroom Classic is concerned.

So I have my old files back, but no way to get my new ones redownloaded into the Mobile Downloads folder. It's no big deal for the handful of images I have changed. However, I do think it highlights a missing feature of Lightroom. It simply should be possible to redownload images from the cloud storage onto the local Mobile Downloads location either individually, or as a batch pulling all images down.

I even tried deleting the Mobile Doanloads file completely and restarting Lightroom, to see if the absence of that file would trigger a full download. But it didn't.

Thanks for your assistance - at least I have all my old files back and usable, and have gained a better understanding of the cloud sync mechanism in Lightroom Classic.

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

The mobile downloads file will show as a 'device' in the Lightroom folder panel, just like each disk is a device. Reconnect the missing pictures like you would reconnect pictures on a disk: 

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-photos-missing-fix/

[gregw96794841]

Thanks. That's done the trick.