Unable to delete rejected photos

[Suzanne Grady]

Lightroom Version Number

8.2

Operating System

1. macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Suddenly I am unable to delete photos that i have designated with an X using the same work flow as always. I have updated to the latest LR version, tried quitting LR and turning off the computer. I am in the folder, not in a collection. But when I go under Photo and select Delete Rejected Photos, I am given the message that "There were no rejected photos to delete". I have tried rejecting one or a group and I have tried selecting them under Edit. Nothing seems to work. Can anyone help with this new problem? Thank you so much.
Suzanne

 

[Califdan]

Have not seen this problem that didn't correct itself after a full shut down of LR and a re-launch, but as you did a complete computer shutdown, re-boot and re-launch of LR your problem is obviously different.

So just to check:
- some images in the grid have the "reject" flag visible on them, but selecting the "delete all rejected photos" from the menu does nothing - you don't even get any sort of pop up?

If so, I don't know what the problem is, but you may want to try manually selecting one of those image and pressing the delete key on the keyboard to see if that works?

If it does, then try filtering for the reject flag, select all the images and again hit the delete key on the keyboard to see if that works. If it does, then that is a work around even though it is not a solution to the problem.

See if the catalog integrity check comes up with anything (I suspect it won't)

Last resort, unless someone else has some ideas is to either call Adobe Tech Support or remove and reinstall LR. You may want to make sure you have a good back up copy of the catalog and other catalog related folders first, just in case. Many times this is what Adobe Support will have you do. But they also may have you delete some other system files if just a re-install fails to fix the problem.

 

[Jimmsp]

Try to reset your preferences - that sometimes fixes weird problems.

 

[Ed Anderson]

filtering for the reject flag, select all the images and again hit the delete key on the keyboard.

This is what I do except I right click and select the Remove Photos option. This gives the choice of removing photos from the catalog or deleting from the disk.

 

[Califdan]

I assume then after selecting the Delete option in the popup it does indeed go ahead to delete the selected images.

So, given that, the only part that is not working is the getting the delete process to trigger through the "Remove all rejected Photos" menu button.

If resetting preferences didn't fix it, the next thing to try before calling Adobe Tech Support is a reinstall of LR.

 

[Suzanne Grady]

Thank you all for your thoughts. When I use the Delete key to delete a photo, I am able to delete that one photo. However when I try to delete a group of photos using that method, I am able to delete only one photo at a time in spite of selecting a group. The Remove Photos option yielded the same result. One at a time is a bit slow. Next I'm going to reset my preferences and hope I don't have to reinstall. Thank you again for the help.

 

[Rob_Cullen]

I am able to delete only one photo at a time in spite of selecting a group.

This might suggest you are selecting photos on the Filmstrip.
Note that many actions taken using the Filmstrip will only affect the one "most selected" photo (the lightest grey border).
To delete multiple selected photos you must work in the Library Grid.

 

[Suzanne Grady]

Thank you so much for this. Previously I was able to delete from the filmstrip all those photos with the X, but now that does not work for more than one. However, I'm happy to report that if I use grid mode as you suggested, select all photos marked as rejected and click Remove Photos, I am able to remove them all. So I think it's all going to be fine. I'm also just getting used to working in Collections and remembering to return to the Folder before deleting. A new work flow for me. Thanks so much. Suzanne

 

[msmack]

Thank you so much for this. Previously I was able to delete from the filmstrip all those photos with the X, but now that does not work for more than one. However, I'm happy to report that if I use grid mode as you suggested, select all photos marked as rejected and click Remove Photos, I am able to remove them all. So I think it's all going to be fine. I'm also just getting used to working in Collections and remembering to return to the Folder before deleting. A new work flow for me. Thanks so much. Suzanne

Suzanne:
Do not delete from the Film Strip. Go to Photos, Delete Rejected Images. Because I have worked with you on a one to one basis, I know you always went to Photos, Delete Rejected Photos. You did not choose a bunch from the Film Strip and then Delete. If you are in a Collection you cannot delete from disk only from collection.

 

[MarkNicholas]

In the Library Module in the LH panel under Catalog click on "All Photographs". Then filter for rejected photos. All (and only) photos that have been "x" rejected should then appear. Select the photos you want to delete (presumably all of them) and then right click "Remove Photo..." and click on "delete from disc".