Unable to move files/folders in Lightroom Classic CC?

[ScottThomas]

The current version of Lightroom Classic CC's file manipulation seems to have an issue, unless it is just me. I recently imported a couple of hundred images from a shoot and did some editing.

On returning home, I went to move them, from within Lightroom, to a different drive (note that these are all within the same Catalog). Tried to  drag them, and nothing happened. Right-clicked, hoping to be able to cut/copy and paste. No joy. Well, actually, from within the top-level folder, about 6-7 files moved, but the sub-folders and the other files did not.

This used to work flawlessly. FWIW, I'm on Mac Sierra (10.12.6).

Scott

[JP Hess]

It may have worked flawlessly for you. But moving images within Lightroom has always been a precarious task for many people. It's easy to lose images. I have lost them, and it has taken hours to locate them. When I have had a group of images including folders that I have wanted to move, I have preferred to do so using my system browser with Lightroom closed. I position those images and folders where I want them and then Lightroom will notify me that those folders are missing. Then I use the Lightroom library option to either find the missing folders or update the folder location to get things synchronized again. It just takes a couple of seconds to get things straightened out. A much "safer" way to get images moved in my opinion.

[ScottThomas]

Thanks Jim.

Yes, I have seen issues like this, but in recent versions it has worked flawlessly for me. Probably because moving files has not been a very common need.

In this case the only option was to move the files on disk with the system file manager, then help LR find the "missing" files.

Yet the standard admonition is to move files within LR, so they don't get "lost."

Hmmm.

[JP Hess]

I don't know who gave that admonition. My suggestion would be to move the folders using your operating system file manager and then use the Lightroom 'find missing folder' or 'update folder location' option for the specific reason to avoid losing images. I lost too many folders trying to move them from within Lightroom. I don't ever do that anymore. But if you feel better doing it that way, that's fine.

[dj_paige]

ScottThomas  wrote

Yet the standard admonition is to move files within LR, so they don't get "lost."

I think there are a lot of people who realize that moving photos in LR is not a good idea. Not everyone, however. Given this split between what people recommend, it's hard to say that the "standard admonition" is one or the other.

(Side note: Adobe claims to have fixed this bug where files get lost when you move them in Lightroom, years after saying they couldn't find such a bug. I don't remember exactly what version number update the fix was included. I still wouldn't use LR to move the photos, if I ever had such a need, which is extremely rare for me)

[GWSHARK101]

I think it's fairly ridiculous that LR has trouble moving image folders around.   Isn't one of the main features of LR that it's an image file management system?  Why is it so challenging for Adobe to address this issue?

[dj_paige]

GWSHARK101  wrote

I think it's fairly ridiculous that LR has trouble moving image folders around.   Isn't one of the main features of LR that it's an image file management system?  Why is it so challenging for Adobe to address this issue?

Well ... I would not say Lightroom is a "image file management system", and I don't think one of it's main features is file management, as it provides ZERO file management features that are not available in your operating system. And I don't think Adobe would say it is an "image file management system" either. I would say that Lightroom is an "Image Management" system, without the word "file", by providing tools such as keywords, collections and other metadata that are not available in your operating system, or are extremely cumbersome to use in your operating system. All of this "Image Management" can be performed (as I do it and as many people do it) with minimal "file management", the only file management that many people do (including me) is to import the photos from the camera card to some folder somewhere, and then the files are never moved or never managed again.

(Side note: Adobe claims to have fixed this bug where files get lost when you move them in Lightroom, years after saying they couldn't find such a bug. I don't remember exactly what version number update the fix was included. I still wouldn't use LR to move the photos, if I ever had such a need, which is extremely rare for me, and so I can't state any experience with the bug actually being fixed or not)