# Parent and child folders



## Kent (Jan 25, 2011)

Using the library module I have folders that are named by date and event. When I click on the small arrow to the left of the folder (parent) it will drop down another folder (child) with the same amount of files as the parent. If I have 300 files in the child folder do I also have 300 files in the parent folder for a total of 600 files? I have tried to delete the child folder but LR3 will also the parent folder. Is it possible to delete only the child folder and keep the files in the parent folder? How would I accomplish the task?

Kent


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## Mark Sirota (Jan 25, 2011)

Welcome to Lightroom Forums.

In the Library menu, uncheck "Show Photos in Subfolders".  Now how many files are shown in the parent?  Does this make it more clear?


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## Jim Wilde (Jan 25, 2011)

Kent, welcome to the forum.

You can choose which way to display the numbers of pictures when you have a parent/child hierarchy. There is an option to "Show Photos in Subfolders" which you can get to via the Library drop-down menu. When NOT selected, the Parent Folder will NOT include the sum of all the pictures in its child folders, thus if Parent Folder A has 10 pictures, and its two Child Folders each have 20 pictures, in this situation Parent A will show 10. 

If however, you *select*  to "Show Photos in Subfolders", then in the above example Parent A will have a total against it of 50 (its own 10 plus 2 x 20 from the Child Folders).

So in your case, do you have 300 in each folder? Don't know because I don't know what your selection for that setting is.....though I would guess the option is selected and you have in fact 300 photos ONLY in the child folder. Change the setting and the number against Parent will likely drop to zero.

If you truly want to move all the photos out of the child into the parent, select the child folder in the Folders Panel, make sure you are in Grid mode, do Ctrl+A to select all, then click *in the centre (not on the grey frame)* of any one of the selected photos and drag onto the Parent folder name in the Folders Panel. Release and the 300 photos will be moved into the Parent folder. The child folder (which should then have a zero count) can then be deleted. Just be careful!


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## Kent (Jan 26, 2011)

Thanks for the info. I was able to move the files and all is well.

Kent


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