# Location for synced image files



## deekay2308 (Aug 18, 2019)

I've noticed that after the most recent LR Classic update (I think) images that I am syncing from LR Mobile are showing up in a different folder on my computer compared to where they were before - or at least they're now where they haven't been before; I actually don't know where they were being stored before.... Any suggestions as to the optimal way of handling  these images, where to locate them optimally? Thanks.


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## Rob_Cullen (Aug 18, 2019)

Synced images can be saved to the folder location you specify [Choose] in Preferences/Lightroom Sync (tab)-




If you can see your synced images in the Library Grid, then a Right-Click on one and [Go to Folder in Library] will show exactly which folder they are currently being saved to. And you can move them in the Folder panel to any suitable folder. (eg. _Pictures\Synced Images\Dated sub-folders_)


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## deekay2308 (Aug 18, 2019)

The mobile downloads used to be in Macintosh HD > Users > My name > Pictures > Lightroom > Mobile Downloads. lrdata > folders with weird collection of numbers and letters

and now they are in Macintosh HD > Users > My name > Pictures

Why the change??? And do I need to do anything about it?


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## Victoria Bampton (Aug 19, 2019)

Grab us a screenshot of those preferences I-See-Light showed deekay2308? That'll likely explain the change.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 19, 2019)

The preferences fit with they are now being stored but don't explain why the change.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 19, 2019)

And I presume I can make this location anywhere I want? Including on an external drive?


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## Victoria Bampton (Aug 19, 2019)

It just means you've checked it and set that location at some point, perhaps without realizing it. Yes, the location can be anywhere you like, although it's worth selecting a drive that will be attached all the time.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 19, 2019)

Victoria Bampton said:


> It just means you've checked it and set that location at some point, perhaps without realizing it. Yes, the location can be anywhere you like, although it's worth selecting a drive that will be attached all the time.



Thank you. I am in the process of moving all my image files to an external drive. 

What about the previously synced image files that were in "Mobile Downloads. lrdata". I presume LR still see those if I leave them where they are?

And what is Mobile Downloads. lrdata?


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## Victoria Bampton (Aug 19, 2019)

It will, but if I was you, I'd drag the previous mobile photos over to your normal folders on your external drive. Mobile Downloads.lrdata is the package file where LR stores downloaded photos if you haven't set a custom location.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 19, 2019)

Victoria Bampton said:


> It will, but if I was you, I'd drag the previous mobile photos over to your normal folders on your external drive. Mobile Downloads.lrdata is the package file where LR stores downloaded photos if you haven't set a custom location.



So make a Downloads folder on the external drive, set that as the destination in Preferences (going forward) and then from within LR, drag all the previous mobile images to the folder on the external drive?


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## clee01l (Aug 19, 2019)

deekay2308 said:


> What about the previously synced image files that were in "Mobile Downloads. lrdata". I presume LR still see those if I leave them where they are?
> 
> And what is Mobile Downloads. lrdata?


"Mobile Downloads. lrdata" is in Apple's terminology a "Package" or a folder of folders.  The previews folder is  also a "Package" like "Mobile Downloads. lrdata".

When the Cloud concept was first introduced, "Mobile Downloads. lrdata" was conceived as a place to store locally image files that came from Lightroom Mobile.  Users wanted more flexibility in determining the local folder where Mobile images were sync'd.   You could always move them after syncing but thus was a manual process.  Date named folders are probably how the images are stored in the cloud and the recommended storage location method locally.  As the cloud concept matured, users were given the option to store sync'd image files in the folder of their choice OR let LR maintain a Date named folder structure to accommodate all cataloged files.
You can choose the folder structure that you prefer and this includes where you choose to store your sync'd images.  As Victoria has stressed, you should choose a folder that will be available whenever Lightroom Syncs with the cloud.  If your EHD is always connected, then storing all of your images on an EHD is fine.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 19, 2019)

Thank you for your help.

Just not sure how to get these synced image files:




in to the new location for synced images which is now on an external drive. These 9,000+ images are all now in "Mobile Downloads. lrdata".

Thanks..


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## Johan Elzenga (Aug 20, 2019)

Just like you move any other images from one folder to another. In the Lightroom folder panel, select them and drag & drop them into the new location. Because there are so many, you may want to do this in batches rather than all at once.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 20, 2019)

Johan Elzenga said:


> Just like you move any other images from one folder to another. In the Lightroom folder panel, select them and drag & drop them into the new location. Because there are so many, you may want to do this in batches rather than all at once.



Thanks.
Just drag them from the camera roll collection?
Any limit to how many should be dragged at once?There's 9,000+.
Once they are on the external drive, how do I delete the files on the internal drive? They're in MobileDownloads.lrdata.


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## clee01l (Aug 20, 2019)

deekay2308 said:


> Any limit to how many should be dragged at once?There's 9,000+.
> Once they are on the external drive, how do I delete the files on the internal drive? They're in MobileDownloads.lrdata.


As Johan suggested moving all 9000+ at once might tax that CPU and  Working storage.    Move them in smaller batches (200-300) should work unless the free space on the primary drive is tight.   Lightroom will stage them in Working storage  (on Macintosh HD) until the move is complete.  If you try to move too many, the process could stall or fail. 
When you do the Move  in the LR Folder panel, LR will use the file system MOVE function so that there will be no files remaining in "MobileDownloads.lrdata." when you are complete.  When the file count is zero, you can delete "MobileDownloads.lrdata." folder and it sub folders using Finder.


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## deekay2308 (Aug 20, 2019)

Thanks Cletus.


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## Victoria Bampton (Aug 20, 2019)

That's a collection, so the physical files might already be in a "normal" folder. Look in the Folders panel instead.


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## hklang (Jan 29, 2020)

Bumping this up as I have a related question.

I've been using Lightroom CC and have 8k photos in it.  I just upgraded to get Classic and installed that. I initially setup Classic to download CC files to same folder as my catalog (on a Mac).  Then the mobile downloads.lrdata folder ballooned up to 256gb and nearly filled up my internal hard drive.

So then I set the destination folder to an external drive and moved all the folders to that.  Everything is there and all synced.

However, I still have that mobile downloads.lrdata in the same folder on the internal drive and it still at 256gb! Can I delete that?  It shouldn't delete anything from the cloud since the cloud is syncing with my external drive now, right?  Interestingly enough, on the external drive, I don't have a mobile downloads.lrdata file there. All my pictures are all individual picture files.


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## hklang (Jan 29, 2020)

Nevermind on the above. After looking at the synced folders, I noticed there was my the folder of images I synced to the external drive, and those were all individual images in my folder structure.

Then I noticed a series of other synced folders from my phone, ipad, and other computers where I had CC installed. Opening the images up in finder showed them as stored within the mobile downloads.lrdata folder. And that's all I needed to know. So I just dragged each set of images to the folder on my external drive and just freed up 260gb of space on my internal drive!


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## Victoria Bampton (Jan 30, 2020)

Well done, you beat us to it!


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