Today’s Question: I have several folders in Lightroom Classic that show zero photos. Is it safe to simply right-click these folders and choose “Remove” from the popup menu?
Tim’s Quick Answer: I recommend first confirming that the folder is truly empty, but if it is then it is indeed safe to remove the folder using the Remove command in Lightroom Classic.
More Detail: While it is safe to remove a folder that Lightroom Classic shows doesn’t contain any photos, I recommend first checking if there are any files (including photos) in that folder on the hard drive that aren’t reflected in the Lightroom Classic catalog.
If you use the Remove command on a folder that is truly empty, the folder will be removed from Lightroom Classic and also removed from the hard drive. If the folder is not empty the Remove command will remove the folder from Lightroom Classic but will leave the folder and its contents on the hard drive.
To check the contents of the folder first right-click on the folder in the Folders list on the left panel in the Library module in Lightroom Classic. From the popup menu choose “Show in Finder” (Macintosh) or “Show in Explorer” (Windows). This will bring up a window in the operating system with the applicable folder highlighted. Double-click that folder and review the contents.
If there are files in the folder, you have several options. You can leave the folder where it is and remove it from Lightroom Classic as noted above. You could also move the folder to a more appropriate location on your hard drive, such as to keep it separate from your photo storage. You could also delete the contents of the folder, and then remove it from Lightroom Classic.
If the folder contains photos that you want to include in your Lightroom Classic catalog, you could use the Synchronize Folder command to import those photos. Back in Lightroom Classic right-click on the folder and choose “Synchronize Folder”. Wait for the Synchronize Folder dialog to update reflecting the number of photos that are not in the catalog, which will be shown to the right of the “Import new photos” checkbox. Also turn on the “Show import dialog before importing” checkbox is turned on. Then make sure that checkbox is turned on, and that the “Remove missing photos from catalog” and “Check for metadata updates” checkboxes are both turned off. Then click the Synchronize button.
In the Import dialog configure the settings as desired to import the photos. In most cases I recommend not applying any changes at this stage, meaning you should not apply a Develop or metadata preset, for example. Then click the Import to add the applicable images to the Lightroom Classic catalog.
