Library module Folders not showing on left pane, yet can be seen in Finder ok.

[PhilCrean]

Lightroom Version Number

15.2.1

Operating System

1. macOS 26 Tahoe

Hi guys,
In the left pane I have folders with subfolders.
On one folder in the pane not all the subfolders are showing. If I right click on parent folder and select show in finder all the subfolders are there.
I have tried Synchronise Folder which initially says there are 3441 photos to be imported but when I click on synchronise the import dialog appears and the total counts down to zero. Don’t import duplicates is on.
I don’t understand why this is happening on only one folder, and am puzzled about how to resolve it!
Any advise very welcome!
Thanks,
Phil

 

[clee01l]

The folder panel is a subset of the File System folders. It only shows folder that correspond to images imported in the catalog. If you see a Folder in Finder that is not showing in the folder panel, then there are no images in this folder that have been imported into the Lightroom Catalog. If there are images in this folder, then you need to use the Import dialog to import them.

Synchronise Folder which initially says there are 3441 photos to be imported but when I click on synchronise the import dialog appears and the total counts down to zero. Don’t import duplicates is on.

If you have initially 3441 images in a folder that resolved to zero, then this is Lightroom telling you that these images are already in the catalog and won't be reimported .
Something to consider. Depending on the "Show Photos in Subfolders" check box setting, the image count may include the image in sub folders or just the images in this folder.

 

[PhilCrean]

The folder panel is a subset of the File System folders. It only shows folder that correspond to images imported in the catalog. If you see a Folder in Finder that is not showing in the folder panel, then there are no images in this folder that have been imported into the Lightroom Catalog. If there are images in this folder, then you need to use the Import dialog to import them.

If you have initially 3441 images in a folder that resolved to zero, then this is Lightroom telling you that these images are already in the catalog and won't be reimported .
Something to consider. Depending on the "Show Photos in Subfolders" check box setting, the image count may include the image in sub folders or just the images in this folder.

View attachment 28702

Thanks for the reply….
I’m attaching 2 screenshots of what I am seeing...

This is what is on the left panel.

This is what I see when I select Show in Finder from right clicking on the parent folder.

I have Show Subfolders selected.

All the RAW files were originally imported using the import dialog in LR Classic, which is what is in the dated folders.
The other folders were created inside LR Classic also.

Still puzzled!!!

Phil

 

[clee01l]

Using the folder labeled 2025-09-10 as an example. Your Lightroom catalog is saying that you have no imported images from that folder (and no reason to show it in the Folder panel). If you used the import dialog in this catalog, then you have either moved the images to another folder or deleted the images from the catalog and removed the folder from the folder panel. Notice that I highlighted "in this catalog". The possibility exists that you have somehow created more than one catalog. You only need one master catalog.

If the catalog that you have open is your master catalog, then you need to search it for at least one image from the 2025-09-10 folder. If you do not find images in the catalog then you need to reimport that folder. And repeat for any other folders that do not show in your master catalog.

 

[PhilCrean]

Using the folder labeled 2025-09-10 as an example. Your Lightroom catalog is saying that you have no imported images from that folder (and no reason to show it in the Folder panel). If you used the import dialog in this catalog, then you have either moved the images to another folder or deleted the images from the catalog and removed the folder from the folder panel. Notice that I highlighted "in this catalog". The possibility exists that you have somehow created more than one catalog. You only need one master catalog.

If the catalog that you have open is your master catalog, then you need to search it for at least one image from the 2025-09-10 folder. If you do not find images in the catalog then you need to reimport that folder. And repeat for any other folders that do not show in your master catalog.

The thing I can’t understand is that when I choose SHOW IN FINDER from the right click menu on the parent folder it shows in the finder!!!
Also if I try and SYNCHRONISE the folder it initially says that there are 3441 photos to import yet when I try to Import*ADD( them with Do Not Import Duplicates ticked it returns to zero on the import dialog.

Me thinks there is something else afoot but I’m damned if I can get my head around it!!!

Anyway thanks again for your input.
Fortunately I have backups of everything on other drives which are showing ok.

Phil

 

[clee01l]

The thing I can’t understand is that when I choose SHOW IN FINDER from the right click menu on the parent folder it shows in the finder!!!
Also if I try and SYNCHRONISE the folder it initially says that there are 3441 photos to import yet when I try to Import*ADD( them with Do Not Import Duplicates ticked it returns to zero on the import dialog.

Show in Finder will show you a Finder dialog of ALL your folder including those that are not in your catalog

"Synchronize Folder" will open a Lightroom Import dialog for that folder and will check each image against the images in the catalog for duplicates.

Did you perform the following test? If the images are already in the catalog, searching for them by name will locate them and tell you which folder they are located in the filesystem.

If the catalog that you have open is your master catalog, then you need to search it for at least one image from the 2025-09-10 folder.

 

[PhilCrean]

OK!!! Didn’t realise that Show in Finder would show photos not in the catalog!!! LIGHTBULB MOMENT!

I have searched for image by file name and the ones that are not in the folder panel are not being found, which makes sense!

Trying Synchronize Folder with "don’t import duplicates" unticked and its showing everything!
But if I tick it, then eveything gets removed so it thinks they’re there!

Anyway I shall re-import and take it from there.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Phil

 

[camner]

The thing I can’t understand is that when I choose SHOW IN FINDER from the right click menu on the parent folder it shows in the finder!!!
Also if I try and SYNCHRONISE the folder it initially says that there are 3441 photos to import yet when I try to Import*ADD( them with Do Not Import Duplicates ticked it returns to zero on the import dialog.

To reiterate Cleetus’ good response…When you synchronize a folder, LrC first looks to see how many POTENTIAL images there are to import. So in your case, LrC is saying, “I found 3441 images physically located [on your drive] in and under Canada_Alaska.” Then, since you have “don’t import suspected duplicates” checked, LrC goes through those 3441 images, one by one, and checks if they are already in your catalog, and if so, won’t import them again.

I suspect what is happening is that those 3441 images are already in your catalog but the catalog’s version of those images is physically located elsewhere, not under Canada_Alaska. Or, put another way, the files that LrC won’t import under Canada_Alaska are duplicated elsewhere in your file system

 

[camner]

OK!!! Didn’t realise that Show in Finder would show photos not in the catalog!!! LIGHTBULB MOMENT!

I have searched for image by file name and the ones that are not in the folder panel are not being found, which makes sense!

Trying Synchronize Folder with "don’t import duplicates" unticked and its showing everything!
But if I tick it, then eveything gets removed so it thinks they’re there!

Anyway I shall re-import and take it from there.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Phil

Please don’t reimport yet. That is almost never a good solution to solve the issue of images in the LrC catalog that aren’t where you think they ought to be. As Cletus said, you need to use LrC to where LrC says the version of the one of the “missing” files under Canada_Alaska is located elsewhere.

 

[PhilCrean]

Please don’t reimport yet. That is almost never a good solution to solve the issue of images in the LrC catalog that aren’t where you think they ought to be. As Cletus said, you need to use LrC to where LrC says the version of the one of the “missing” files under Canada_Alaska is located elsewhere.

So the images are on a back up HD which is also in the catalog, so that explains that!

Amazing what I didn’t understand about the catalog system despite using LR since it was a CD based software!
Never had an issue before so I suppose that’s a thing, if you don’t have a problem you don’t find the solution!!!

Thanks,
Phil

 

[Califdan]

In skimming this thread, I don't think anyone mentioned checking to assure that there is nothing in the folder filter. Make sure it says "Filter Folders". If it is blank or has anything other than "Folder Filters", then the list of folders is only showing folder that match the filter. In the case where there is a filter set, click the "X" at the right end of that line, which will be there in that situation, to clear the filter.