Melsilver9

I use an iMac. All my images are in ‘Pictures”
I copied the pictures file to a backup hard drive. Now when I open Lightroom and go to develop, it says “no image found’. Adobe was NO help. They want me to retrieve images one at a time. There are 4000. There must be a global way to do this. Can anyone help?
thank you

reverand

Try the edit tab, and then try opening up a "new catalog." This will allow you to browse, establish your new drive as the new catalog. Once Adobe thinks this is your go-to drive, you might simply be able to find your pictures.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

We should first confirm the exact details of your situation to provide helpful suggestions.

Did you actually 'move' your images to a new location, rather than making copies that left copies of the image files in their original location?

Do your images report with a small exclamation point icon in the upper right corner of the grid view in the Library?

If you display the folders in the Library view, you should be able to find the highest folder, say /my-pictures. If you right-click that high-level folder, you should have a pop up menu with option = Update Folder Location.

Then, just navigate to your new back-up drive and 'select' the corresponding highest-level folder to tell LR your images now reside in this new location. The update should cascade through all the images and folders under this highest-level folder.

If you intended some other action, like just making a back-up copy rather than a 'move', you'll need to review your situation in more detail and possibly undo the unintended actions. Or, consider a screen capture and descriptions of your situation. We can't see your desktop and rely on your descriptions to help resolve.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Sounds like you moved the images rather than copied them. See CHG_CANON's reply above, he gives you details on what to try. Please do that and report back results.

Melsilver9

In the Library view, the have a small exclamation point in the upper right hand corner

Melsilver9

I dragged the folder with all pictures from 2020 onto a hard drive and it appeared to copy it. The original pictures appear to Still be on my Mac hard drive in pictures. But when I open light room, the have an exclamation point in the upper right hand corner and when I go to develop, it says file could not be found

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You can use that Exclamation mark to investigate one image. Click that exclamation mark and a pop-up should arrive that lets you "locate" the image. Take note of the old "previous" location, because your reply said the image didn't move from the old location. You can either navigate to the new location, or pause and correct / restore the images to their old location.

When you've resolved where the images are now located, use the procedure mentioned in the earlier reply to mass-update their location, if needed. The exclamation point just addresses one image or all images in a single folder, at best. You need to update the highest level 'parent' folder to have the update cascade through the entire library.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

I had the same problem last year not as many pictures. I found the solution to the problem on YouTube. Sorry, I do not remember the name of the tutorial. Punch in the question. It was something similar to what CHG_Canon stated.

tcthome Loc: NJ

When you dragged them, you moved them. Drag them back. Then use the copy procedure. I don't own a mac computer but, on a windows pc, it is right click (on folder or catalog) & choose copy. Go to your external drive, write click &, choose paste. You know you can do a back up of your catalog also to the external drive also.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Are you sure you did not "move" them by mistake.

Bobsphoto

I do not use the "pictures folder on my MacBook. I have created my own root directory for "my pictures" under my name as user. I don't like the way Mac handles pictures and so make sure I can control the file structure.

Bobsphoto

I do not use the "pictures folder on my MacBook. I have created my own root directory for "my pictures" under my name as user. I don't like the way Mac handles pictures and so make sure I can control the file structure.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

On MacOS dragging to a separate volume copies the data. Dragging to the same volume moves it. This is done to establish maximum confusion and ensure the user will never remember which is which.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

You cannot create another root directory. There is only one root.

FYI - I use the Pictures folder on my MacBookPro. I have created my own sub directories to handle the pictures.

vg Loc: Kansas City area

I use a separate hard drive to store my images. That way I control the file structure not Adobe. The pictures file on Mac only captures my I phone images.