Moving files around on your system can really throw Lightroom for a loop. However, have no fear! We can fix this error in just a few seconds.
First, a little background. After you get images in a catalog, Lightroom can’t follow your images if they get moved. You might hit this error message because you renamed a folder, moved it inside of another folder, or anything that changes the path of the files in Lightroom.
You’ll notice the issue when you see this message pop up in Lightroom:
This message will show when images get moved around on your computer and Lightroom can’t find them.
Easy fix, no worries. All that we need to do is show Lightroom where we moved the files to. In the Library Module, look down at the Film Strip (the row on the bottom with photo thumbnails) and click the small box over the thumbnail.
Click this little box to fix the issue!
This box pops up to let you locate where the photos were moved to.
Lightroom pops open this box to allow you to locate where the files are moved to.
Finally, show Lightroom where the photos are moved to, and click the same image that you are locating. Leaving the “find nearby missing photos” box checked will help the rest of the images automatically fix.
If you don’t know what you did with the files, that’s a little trickier. The best thing I can recommend is searching on your computer for those files. For instance, I could use Windows or Mac’s search tool to search for IMG_2266.CR2 for the example above.
Lightroom also has a super cool feature that lets you filter all of the missing images quickly. While in the Library module, just choose Library from the menu, then Find Missing Photo. Lightroom will show you all of the images that have broken links.
Using “Find Missing Photos” can quickly show the missing photos in your catalog.
Having issues with missing images? Check in with a comment if you need help.