Thousands of Lr Icons in Images!

[foetoefeak]

Hello!  Can anyone tell me why my image files are loaded with thousands of Lr icons?  See sample, below.  Is it safe to delete them?

[dj_paige]

Since you haven't told us what folder you found these in, I would not delete them (yet).

What folder? What is the filetype of one of these files?

[foetoefeak]

Thank you for your response.  I found them by doing a search for Lr in my images.  If I open them through Lr, they open Lr.  Does that help?

[dj_paige]

I found them by doing a search for Lr in my images. If I open them through Lr, they open Lr. Does that help?

Does not answer either of my questions.

[foetoefeak]

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

These are NOT your photos. These are the preview files that Lightroom creates. If you delete them, Lightroom will re-create them as needed. So in other words, I would not recommend deleting them.

[foetoefeak]

Very good.  Thank you for your time and your help.

[Just Shoot Me · Accepted solution]

You are looking at the LR catalog Previews folder. Those files are created by LR and they are PREVIEWS of the actual image files. LR rarely shows you the actual image file. It 99%, if not 100%, of the time shows you a Preview of the image file.

Somehow those files have been Associated with the LR Executable file, LR.exe and that is why they are showing the Lr icon badge.

Mine have never been associated with the LR exe file so they do not show that badge.

No need to have them associated as LR the program knows where they are and what they are for. As Previews to my images.

To find them and show them in one place, in the Win File Explorer window, I had to Search my D drive, where I store my catalog and the LR Previews folders.

So they are Not your images and if by chance they are all in one folder along with your actual image files then somewthing is very wrong with your LR install and or your computer or you have somehow moved the preview from the CatalogName Previews.lrdata folder to where your images are stored.

[foetoefeak]

Thank you, Just Shoot Me.  Here is another view, showing the Lr icon in folders, below the ones posted in the above screenshot.  This also shows where they are appearing.  

[Just Shoot Me]

Yeah I have no idea how your Previews folder got the Association to show the Lr icon badge on not only the files in the multiple preview subfolders but also on all the Folders in the CatalogNamePreviews.lrdata folder.

And in your search criteria you have All Subfolders selected which will show you every file and folder that has a lr in its name.

Not sure why you are even searching for that. What is the reason you are doing that?

By default LR stores the LR catalog file in the Users Pictures folder. And the pictures folder is also the Default location LR store the images you import into the catalog if you don't change that at the time of import.

I have my pictures stored on my E drive in folder I select (Dated by year, month and day) and my Catalog file and Previews folder on my D drive.

[foetoefeak]

Just Shoot Me...  I was searching for images that I had placed in a file called, "Lr Full size," where I had placed the images I had edited in Lr.  I scrolled below the images, and there were all the icons.

I guess the bottom line question is...should I just leave them where they are?  I was concerned they were unnecessary, and clogging up my PC, but it seems that is not the case..

[Just Shoot Me · Accepted solution]

IMHO there is no reason to delete them. LR Classic will just recreate them when and if you browse over them in either the Filmstrip or the Grid view.

I sometimes delete the previews folder, with LR Classic Closed, just to free up some space on the drive the catalog is on.

The preview folder can get a bit big.

[foetoefeak]

Thank you for your help and suggestions, Just Shoot Me...all much appreciated!