FAQ: My files are missing from the Library, or How to reconnect your images?

What is the Lightroom Library?
The Library module of Lightroom can be used to arrange, codify, systemize, group, and classify your media. When you import your images and video into the Library, you are adding information about your files to a catalog. Your files remain on your hard drive where they were, unless you are importing them from a camera, in which case the files are copied to your hard drive to a location of your choosing.
What is a Lightroom catalog?
The catalog is a database that stores information about the files you've imported into Lightroom. When importing a file, the first thing Lightroom does is collect the file's name and location on the hard drive. If the file has any attached compatible metadata, such as keyword tags, these are imported as well. You can use multiple catalogs and your catalogs can be carried forward from version to version.
Why does Lightroom say my files are missing?
Since the catalog database only stores information about your file, and not the file itself, if any of that information is changed outside of Lightroom, the connection to the file is lost. There are three ways this can happen: the file name is changed, the file location is changed, or the file has been deleted. If you need to rename, move, or delete a file, you can do so within the Library module, and then the connection is not lost.
What is Reconnecting?
When a file has been renamed, moved, or deleted, the catalog database needs to be updated with that new information. The Reconnection process allows you to point out a file's new name, it's new location, or to delete the database entry on your file if the file no longer exists on your hard drive.
Where can I learn more?
The Lightroom Catalog
Introducing catalogs
Understand Catalogs in Lightroom 2
Understanding the Lightroom Catalog System
Managing Files in Lightroom's Library
Adobe Help - Importing Photos
Adobe TV - Importing Photos
Adobe TV - Using the new import window
Adobe TV - Importing and Organizing Your Images
Adobe TV - Importing Existing Images
Adobe TV - Two ways to Import
Adobe TV - Moving Files in Lightroom VS the Operating System
Adobe TV - Moving Folders Around After the Fact
Adobe TV - Move & Archive Images, and Export a Catalogue
Video Workshop - The Filter Bar
Managing Catalogs in Lightroom
Managing catalogs and files
Preference and other file locations | Lightroom 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
Catalog FAQ | Lightroom
Single or Multiple Catalogs in Lightroom
Working with Multiple Catalogs
Merging Individual Lightroom Catalogs into a "Master" Catalog
Importing an Elements catalog to Lightroom
Lightroom 3 can't upgrade Photoshop Elements catalogs
Backing up your catalog
Exporting a catalog
How to Migrate LR to Another Computer
Reconnecting Media in Lightroom
Locate missing photos
Dude! Where are my photos?

Similar happened to me when i moved my iTunes library from XP to Win 8.1. Apps were in iTunes but would not sync to iPhone - could not find oritinal file. Win Xp and 8.1 have different file paths for My Documents and My Music. Locate the folder within iTunes called Mobile Applications. It should have a file with an IPA extension for each application. Add that folder to library. That will refresh the iTunes database so that it knows where to find the apps. I had to do that to my entire library (music, podcasts, etc)

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FAQ: My files are missing from Elements Organizer, or How to reconnect your images?

What is Elements Organizer?
The Elements Organizer can be used to arrange, codify, systemize, group, and classify your media. When you import your images and video into the Orgnizer, you are adding information about your files to a catalog. Your files remain on your hard drive where they were, unless you are importing them from a camera, in which case the files are copied to your hard drive to a location of your choosing.
What is an Elements Organizer catalog?
The catalog is a database that stores information about the files you've imported into Elements Organizer. When importing a file, the first thing Organizer does is collect the file's name and location on the hard drive. If the file has any attached compatible metadata, such as keyword tags, these are imported as well. You can use multiple catalogs and yourr catalogs can be carried forward from version to version.
Why does Elements Organizer say my files are missing?
Since the catalog database only stores information about your file, and not the file itself, if any of that information is changed outside of Elements Organizer, the connection to the file is lost. There are three ways this can happen: the file name is changed, the file location is changed, or the file has been deleted. If you need to rename, move, or delete a file, you can do so within the Elements Organizer, and then the connection is not lost.
What is Reconnecting?
When a file has been renamed, moved, or deleted, the catalog database needs to be updated with that new information. The Reconnection process allows you to point out a file's new name, it's new location, or to delete the database entry on your file if the file no longer exists on your hard drive.
Where can I learn more?
Managing Files in Elements Organizer
Get photos from files and folders
Importing photos from a digital camera
Import photos from a previous version
Moving files
Hiding and deleting photos
Managing Catalogs in Elements Organizer
Use Backup, Restore to move catalog | Organizer | Elements 6 or later
Troubleshoot catalog backup, upgrade | Organizer | Elements 6 or later
Freeze when you repair a catalog | Organizer | Elements 6 and later
Reconnecting Media in Elements Organizer
Reconnect missing files | Photoshop Elements | Windows
Can't edit, open, reconnect photos or media | Incorrect drive letter | Elements 6 or later Organizer | Windows

Anything besides reconnecting all the files, such as switching the drive letter (if that is even possible)?
The easiest way to fix this is to change the drive letter. Here are instructions for Windows 7: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows7/ht/change-drive-letters-windows-7.htm
To prevent this from happening again, you can change the drive to some very high letter, like X:, and then it should remain constant. In Lightroom, right-click on the top level folder ,and select Find Missing Folder, and then point it to your X: drive.
I know I can "Import---Add to catalog" all the photos from my external hard drive back into the catalog but I do have a question:
I won't address your question specifically, since re-importing is a very bad idea. A very bad idea. You will lose information that is not in the sidecar files, such as collection members, edit history, flags, virtual copies, stacks and a few other things. Just don't go there. Change the drive letters, as I explained.

I have a iPod Nano, when it is connected to my laptop all my songs and books are there but when it is disconnected from laptop, some books and songs are missing from the library

I have a iPod Nano, when it is connected to my laptop all my songs and books are there but when it is disconnected from laptop, some books and songs are missing from the library

I have a simlar issue like this when loading my movies to my iTouch. iTunes says that all of your wanted content is sync and your iPod says that all content wasn't synced, is that what you are saying?

.xml file and iTunes library files are missing from the music folder

I recently made a second itunes library on my external hd, today when I open itunes and choose this library, the .xml file and itunes music file are invisible or translucent, therefore I can't open my library. But when I go to my music folder they are missing. Another odd thing is that all my music is still in the folder. Is there a way to re-open my library w/o re-importing all my music? Can I some how get a new itunes library file?
Mac OS X (10.4.10)

This is not an answer but I have the same problem. From time to time I clone my music drive to an external drive for back up. When I do, I burn a copy of the album artwork folder, iTunes Music folder, iTunes Library.itl, iTunes Music Libraru.xml, and iTunes Library file to CDRW. This is so I can copy them into the music folder in my user home drive of my laptop then hook up the external and have access my library. Trouble is the .xml file and iTunes library files don't always show up when I go to the iTunes folder in my Music folder. There either is a blank where they should be or the names appear with no icon and when I click to select, that dissappers too. I thought I had a solve by exiting iTunes and letting it save everything. It seems to bring the .xml file back but not the itunes Library file. Any thoughts?

How can I get iTunes to recognize the apps that are missing from the library screen but still on the machine??

My apps are not showing-up in the iTunes library but they are present in the apps folder. How can I get iTunes to recognize their presence?
Library-Apps-All (only three of several hundred appear).
Apps are still present in Users-Music-Mobile Applications
I am running iTunes 11.0, OS X 10.8.2 on a Mac Pro.
Ran Disk Utility, Techtool, Disk Warrior and then reinstalled Mountain Lion, updated it and repaired permissions. No change.
There is a file that says 'iTunes Library (damaged), which is the iTunes Database file. How can that file be re-created?
Any technical help on replacing that file with a new, fresh one would be appreciated!

It has always been very basic to maintain a backup of media and other important files. If you chose to reinstall the OS without having a backup, well that just is not smart.
If you are in the US and running iTunes 10.3 or later, iTunes purchases can be redownloaded via iCloud. Simply log into the iTunes store, select purchases, purchase history and redownload the content.
If you are not in the US.... well, seems you just learned and important and possibly expensive lesson.

RAW files are dissappearing from the library

I import all my images into iphoto as .DNG Raw files. I have noticed that lately if I edit an image in iphoto the actual RAW file is changed and the original master file is nowhere to be found.
Trying to use the "rever to original" button fails to work because the original .DNG file is gone.
Has anyone else experience something similar?
Appreciate the help

Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.

An index of my desktop files appears in firefox. why is it there? does this mean my personal files are accessible from the internet? how can i make sure this goes away and stops?

i am seeing and index of my personal files on firefox. what is this? why is it there? how can i make it go away? does this mean my desktop files are on the internet? can someone explain clearly and simply (i am not tech saavy at all) thank you

This issue can be caused by an old bitmap version of the Helvetica or Geneva font or (bitmap) fonts that Firefox can't display in that size.
Firefox can't display some old bitmap fonts in a larger size and displays gibberish instead.
You can test that by zooming out (View > Zoom > Zoom Out, Ctrl -) to make the text smaller.
Uninstall (remove) all variants of that not working font to make Firefox use another font or see if you can find a True type version that doesn't show the problem.
There have also been fonts with a Chinese name reported that identify themselves as Helvetica, so check that as well.
Use this test to see if the Helvetica font is causing it (Copy & Paste the code in the location bar and press Enter):
<pre><nowiki>data:text/html,
Helvetica abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 
Helvetica Neue abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
</nowiki></pre>
You should reset the network.http prefs that show user set on the about:config page. 
Not all websites support http pipelining and if they do not then you can have issues with images or other problems.
See also http://kb.mozillazine.org/Images_or_animations_do_not_load#First_steps

When syncing my iTunes to my iPad from the laptop, I get a list of missing songs; they are in the library, but not in the music folder on my HD. In particular, I uploaded 3 CDs at the same time, all are in my library - but two are missing from the folder.

When syncing my iTunes to my iPad from the laptop, I get a list of missing songs; they are in the library, but not in the music folder on my HD. In particular, I uploaded 3 CDs at the same time, all are in my library, and all synced to the iPad - but the music from two of them are missing from the music folder. Questions are (a) where might they have gone? and (b) is there a way of "reverse loading" them back to my hard drive from the iPad? Thanks in advance!

Hi dones49,
It sounds like your issue here is that iTunes can not find the files for some of the songs you have brought into it. This happens occasionally even if the songs have not been moved from the location that iTunes places them on import or purchase. When you try to use the song, iTunes prompts you to find the file, as you have seen.
To find the file, use the information in this article to navigate through the iTunes media folders -
Locate and organize your iTunes files
If you are still unable to locate the files, you may need to download them from the iTunes store again, or rip them from your CDs. See this article for assistance with downloading your past purchases -
Download past purchases
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

HT1209 My Itunes Library and iPhone have fallen out of sync on music over the yearsare - how can I compare my itunes library with my Iphone to see what songs are missing from my library so I can then bring my Library up to date

My Itunes Library and iPhone have fallen out of sync on music over the yearsare - how can I compare my itunes library with my Iphone to see what songs are missing from my library so I can then bring my Library up to date

Hello Solid Buck,
Thank you so much for providing the details about the duplicate song issue you are experiencing. It sounds like you would like to remove the duplicate songs that will not play on your iPhone, but when you connect it to iTunes, iTunes only shows you one copy of the song on your iPhone.
In this situation, I recommend deleting the individual songs that do not play directly from your iPhone. I found the steps to do this on page 61 of the iPhone User Guide (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf):
Delete a song from iPhone: In Songs, swipe the song, then tap Delete.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

PS CS4 64-bit (in Web Premium CS4) on Win 7 PC. I did a duplicate file check on my hdd and deleted dup files. Now I get "Some of the application components are missing from the Application directory, Please reinstall.."

PS CS4 64-bit (in Web Premium CS4) on Win 7 PC. I did a duplicate file check on my hdd and deleted dup files. Now when I try to run PS 64-bit I get "Some of the application components are missing from the Application directory, Please reinstall the application." When I do this, it seems to install correctly until the very end, then it says "Installation Complete With Errors", and when I try to run I get the same 'component missing message'. What can I do? PS 32 bit runs fine. Some of the other applications ib Web Premium say the shortcut has been changed or removed. I appreciate your help...Thank you

Best advice I can think of is to uninstall and run the Clean Script from here.
Adobe - Adobe CS4 Clean Script

"File" and "View" are missing from the ribbon in Excel, MS Office 2011, please help!

"File" and "View" are missing from the ribbon in Excel, I'm running MS Office 2010. Please help!

Post your question on the MS Mac forums as it's their software you're having issues with: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac?auth=1

When I export an indesign document the graphics are missing from the eps file.

When I export an indesign document the graphics are missing from the eps file.

The why it isn't working can be a number of reasons. While I never have exported an EPS out of ID before, I just tried it and it worked fine.
What "graphics" are missing? I used bitmaps, native drawn ID vector, lines and a placed EPS file. Came into AI as an opened EPS fine.
Links up to date? For items not hitting the EPS, are they on a layer set to non-printing?
In the export dialog,General tab, PostScript Level 3? Data format set to ASCII? On the Advanced tab, Send Data set to All? OPI off?

I update my IPhone4 to IOS6 from IOS4.3.3. My all songs are missing in the Iphone4. How to get those songs into my Iphone from ITunes. Even after sync also not coming to IPhone.

I update my IPhone4 to IOS6 from IOS4.3.3. My all songs are missing in the Iphone4. How to get those songs into my Iphone from ITunes. Even after sync also not coming to IPhone.

The iphone is not storage/backup device.
The sync is one way - computer to iphone.
The only exception is itunes purchases. File>Devices>Transfer Purchases
You should copy everything from your old computer, or your backup copy of your old computer, to your new one.

HT4410 I have just installed Windows 7 64-bit full version Home Premium using Bootcamp and cannot get access to the internet. I installed on a Macbook Air Mid 2012 with Mountain Lion. Are there some drivers that are missing from the Windows 7

Dear Apple. I have just installed Windows 7 64-bit full version Home Premium using Bootcamp and cannot get access to the internet. I installed on a Macbook Air Mid 2012 with Mountain Lion. Are there some drivers that are missing from the Windows 7 bootcamp install download from Apple

It is a Total Misconception that the Support files are installed when you are installing Windows, even if the USB drive that holds them is inserted in the system when doing the Windows install.
You must always Run the Setup.exe files from the support files or run the drivers individually once Windows has finished installing and booted to the desktop.
Also you really need to run the Boot Camp Control Panel Applet and check for updates as not all the newest drivers for full function of all the hardware is included with the original support download. That download is basically a generic version to get the system working and without doing the updates not everything will work properly.

'Some of the application components are missing from the Application directory. Please reinstall the application.'

I tried opening PS and this message popped up 'Some of the application components are missing from the Application directory. Please reinstall the application.' I cannot find the Reinstall button?

I followed these instructions but cannot find how to reinstall PS. When I click on the membership link the page displays as NOT BEING FOUND.
Quit all applications.
In the Finder, navigate to the Photoshop application folder.
Do one of the following:
If the Locales folder is not listed within the application folder, then skip to Step 5.
If the Locales folder is listed within the application folder, then drag the Locales folder to the Trash.
Choose Finder > Empty Trash.
Start the installer for Photoshop or your edition of the Adobe Creative Suite.
If you purchased boxed software, then insert the installation DVD-ROM into your computer's DVD drive.
If you purchased downloadable software from the Adobe Online Store, then double-click the disk image (.dmg) file or files that you downloaded. (If you no longer have the downloaded disk image file or files, then log in to your account at www.adobe.com/membership to download the installer.)

FAQ: My files are missing from the Library, or How to reconnect your images?

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