# Catalogue Empty!



## Peter O'Reilly (Jan 24, 2020)

When I opened my Lightroom Classic catalogue today, I got a message saying that I needed to upgrade the catalogue for Lightroom Classic (I haven't used the program since the last update). I went ahead with the upgrade, and Lightroom opened with a catalogue called "Lightroom-Catalog-2.lrcat", but there are no files in the catalogue!

My image files are stored on a network server, and catalogues are on the C drive.

How can I restore the catalogue to show all my files?

Thanks


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## johnbeardy (Jan 24, 2020)

See https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic/catalogue-empty/td-p/10878600


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## Califdan (Jan 24, 2020)

With LR closed, go into Windows File Manager and locate the correct catalog - presumably the one you were using the last time you successfully used LR Classic.  I'm assuming this catalog was one being used on an earlier release of LR.  When you find it double click on it to launch LR.   If that catalog was from an earlier release of LR you will get a messages asking your permission to update the catalog for version 9.  Go ahead and do this.  It will make a copy of the catalog you had selected and will upgrade that copy to the new structure required for LR9 (the catalog you pointed to in File Manager will remain untouched).  The new catalog will have the same name as the old one but with a "-2) appended to the end of the name.    Once the catalog is converted and opened in LR you should be good to go.


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## coachejp (Jan 25, 2020)

Similar problem last WIN 10 upgrade catalog & images gone  off of external hard drive & backups gone off of C: drive. Don't ask I have no idea. Have two other externals but  what would you think of putting everything on an EXTERNAL SSD?


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## Califdan (Jan 25, 2020)

When you say "Gone" do you mean gone from LR (no longer in folders Panel), or gone from the disk drive when using File Manager or My Computer to see if they are still there?

If File Manager does not find them, then suspect that an option was selected during your Windows upgrade to not keep any user data files.  

LR classic can't find your catalog file (ends in ".lrcat") but you can find it with File Manager, in File manager and with LR closed, double click on it to launch LR using that catalog.  Depending on LR version you have installed vs. LR version that catalog was for you may be asked to upgrade the catalog

If you see your folders in the LR folders panel and/or your images in the grid or filmstrip but the folders have "?" on them or the image previews have "!" on them and you can find those folders and images using File Manager, you will need to relink your images in LR.   If this is the case, DO NOT RE-IMPORT the images,   we can give you more detailed instructions if you let us know this is the case.


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## coachejp (Jan 25, 2020)

Califdan said:


> When you say "Gone" do you mean gone from LR (no longer in folders Panel), or gone from the disk drive when using File Manager or My Computer to see if they are still there?
> 
> If File Manager does not find them, then suspect that an option was selected during your Windows upgrade to not keep any user data files.
> 
> ...


GONE from the drive, it won't even open  or appear in Disk Mgt.
Since I have to replace the external HDD anyway ,can I put it  all on an external SSD ?


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## Califdan (Jan 25, 2020)

Sounds like a bad drive or cable.  

But, back to your question - You can put your images on an external Hard drive (Including an SSD).  You can also put your catalog (or more accurately the folder that contains your catalog among other things) on an external hard drive (usually the same one where your images are) or an SSD as well.     In the case of an external SSD drive, your operating system must see it as if it were a disk drive for this to work.    There have been some cases where such devices appear to the OS and/or LR as if they are big memory cards and in those cases LR does not let you keep your catalog folder or images there.   

Putting the catalog folder on your fastest drive is beneficial - be that your internal spinning disk drive, internal SSD or external SSD.  Putting you images on a fast drive offers some performance gain but is not considered as important as LR does not access the actual images as often as it does the files in the catalog folder.  The other common problem with putting images on an SSD is that SSD's tend to have much less space than spinning disks and you wind up running out of room on the SSD - especially if you shoot a lot of RAW and/or Video


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