Images have ? symbol on the top right corner of the thumbnail what does this mean and how do I remove it?

Question

Q - My images have a
? symbol on the top right corner of the thumbnail what does this mean and how do I remove it?
A - The
? symbol is used to identify a file that Lightroom can no longer access; probably because it has been moved using OS drag/drop or Move command rather than Lightroom.
Click the
? symbol will cause a small dialog will appear. This dialog will provide information as to where the file was originally located along with an option to find (Locate) it again.
As you'll quickly realise, clicking the
? symbol is fine for finding individual files that may have been relocated, but not for large numbers. There must be a better way
Look at the Folder panel (left side of Library module) and you should find that the folder/subfolder containing the files that Lightroom can no longer find are shown in Red text. It is the red text that Lightroom uses to help you identify a folder/subfolder that contains files that it has lost track off.
On the Mac you should
Ctrl-click (right-click when using two button mouse) the folder/subfolder, a pop-up menu will appear. From the pop-up menu choose the command
Locate Missing Folder, a dialog should appear. The dialog gives you access to every hard disk connected to your computer or CD/DVDs if they're in the tray. Use this dialog to navigate to the location where the folder is now located, then select this folder (not the files). Finally, press the
Choose button and allow Lightroom to do its stuff.
The method described above also applies to the PC version although the dialog is called
Browse for Folder and the
Choose button is replaced by
OK.
You can avoid getting into a situation were Lightroom looses track of your folders/subfolders by using a variation of above.
A tutorial demonstrating above can be found
Here

Answer 1

Q - My images have a
? symbol on the top right corner of the thumbnail what does this mean and how do I remove it?
A - The
? symbol is used to identify a file that Lightroom can no longer access; probably because it has been moved using OS drag/drop or Move command rather than Lightroom.
Click the
? symbol will cause a small dialog will appear. This dialog will provide information as to where the file was originally located along with an option to find (Locate) it again.
As you'll quickly realise, clicking the
? symbol is fine for finding individual files that may have been relocated, but not for large numbers. There must be a better way
Look at the Folder panel (left side of Library module) and you should find that the folder/subfolder containing the files that Lightroom can no longer find are shown in Red text. It is the red text that Lightroom uses to help you identify a folder/subfolder that contains files that it has lost track off.
On the Mac you should
Ctrl-click (right-click when using two button mouse) the folder/subfolder, a pop-up menu will appear. From the pop-up menu choose the command
Locate Missing Folder, a dialog should appear. The dialog gives you access to every hard disk connected to your computer or CD/DVDs if they're in the tray. Use this dialog to navigate to the location where the folder is now located, then select this folder (not the files). Finally, press the
Choose button and allow Lightroom to do its stuff.
The method described above also applies to the PC version although the dialog is called
Browse for Folder and the
Choose button is replaced by
OK.
You can avoid getting into a situation were Lightroom looses track of your folders/subfolders by using a variation of above.
A tutorial demonstrating above can be found
Here