metadata and editing did not exported and imported from my desktop to my laptop

[Hani.sawiress]

Hi,

I am facing a problem.

I have 2000 JPG photos on my desktop Lightroom ver.10 classic  I do some editing and rating and keywording on them. then I started to export them on a new catalog to copy them to my laptop. 

I do export the whole catalogue from my desktop and when I tried to open it on my laptop lightroom "having the same version" but it asks me to upgrade the catalogue.

why .. while the two lightrooms are the same version and are the same subscription!!. this is the first issue. but it is not a big issue.

The Second Issue after upgrading the catalogue I didn't find any of my keywords (except the name of the catalogue) I didn't find my ratings, collections, keywords, GPS location and all the edits I have made on m desktop.

That was one of my nightmares comes true.

I am on Windows 10 ver 20H2 and my lightroom classic version is ver. 10 on both my desktop and Laptop.

Please advice what should I do ?!!

[dj_paige]

Export photos and Import photos is not the proper method.

Instead, you want to open the catalog on the desktop, select the desired photos, and then File->Export as Catalog. Then move the files created to the laptop. Open Lightroom Classic on the laptop and use File->Import from Another Catalog and select the catalog file that was exported on the desktop, but is now on your laptop.

[Hani.sawiress]

Thank you @dj_paige  for your reply

actually, the message that appears to upgrade the catalog when I tried to open it not when I tried to import.

I also tried to import into a new empty Catalog. 

nothing helped.

[dj_paige]

May I request a clarification? Are the first issue you mentioned and the second issue you mentioned related? It sounds like you did this import of photos and then did the upgrade. If you try to upgrade a catalog created by importing photos (and none of the edits and metadata show up), then upgrading the catalog will not magically produce edits and metadata.

So, can I get a more clear explanation of the issues? Explain what you did step-by-step, leaving nothing out, and explain what happened.

[Hani.sawiress]

after exporting my catalogue, I copied it to a removable drive with and all its folders, photos and preview. then on my laptop Lightroom, I opened the catalogue, lightroom asks to upgrade the catalogue to version 10 !!! very weird !! while my desktop lightroom is version 10 too.

no problem I upgrade the catalogue (I have no other choice). when It happed nothing from my desktop catalogue appears all my keywords, ratings, collections and editing where disappeared!!!

then I try another method. I tried to import the catalogue to my existing laptop catalogue. it asks for upgrade and nothing appears too .. even I tried to make a new empty catalogue ... but nothing helped. in all ways it asks to upgrade the catalogue 

I don't know if the two issues are related or not but in my scenario, I have noticed that lightroom version are the same however it asks to upgrade. but my big loss is my editing and metadata works. 

[dj_paige]

Let's get some basic information here, because sometimes people think they have the latest version of the software and they actually don't.

So, when you exported the catalog from the desktop, please go to Help->System Info in Lightroom Classic on the desktop and show us a screen capture of the Help->System Info box (just the top 10 lines is fine). Include the screen capture by clicking on the Insert Photos icon here (do not include it as an attachment).

Then do the same thing on your laptop Lightroom Classic.

[Hani.sawiress]

System Information on my laptop

Lightroom Classic version: 10.0 [ 202010011851-ef6045e0 ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en
Operating system: Windows 10 - Business Edition
Version: 10.0.19042
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 8
Processor speed: 1.9 GHz
SqLite Version: 3.30.1
Built-in memory: 8101.2 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 8101.2 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 925.2 MB (11.4%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 1128.2 MB
GDI objects count: 643
USER objects count: 2012
Process handles count: 2582
Memory cache size: 14.0MB

system information on my Desktop

Lightroom Classic version: 10.0 [ 202010011851-ef6045e0 ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en
Operating system: Windows 10
Version: 10.0.17763
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 6
Processor speed: 3.0 GHz
SqLite Version: 3.30.1
Built-in memory: 15715.2 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 15715.2 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 1206.8 MB (7.6%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 1342.4 MB
GDI objects count: 665
USER objects count: 2122
Process handles count: 1999
Memory cache size: 357.2MB

[dj_paige]

Thanks. I'm still stumped, and so I ask more basic questions

When you open one of these catalogs, and it asks you to upgrade, and then you upgrade and get an empty catalog ... how are you opening the catalog? Are you double-clicking on the Lightroom Classic icon? Or are you double-clicking on the transferred catalog file itself?

Once the catalog opens and it appears empty, does it work properly after that (in other words, can you import a photo and edit it and export)? Or do you have to upgrade it again to use it again? No matter what happens here, what is shown under Preferences->General->Default Catalog?

[GoldingD]

Probably not opening the correct catalog.