# How to stop virtual copies being made



## Joop (Jan 10, 2018)

Operating System: MacOs High Sierra
Exact Lightroom Version (Help menu > System Info): CC Classic

How can I stop Lightroom from making virtual copies???


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 10, 2018)

When does Lightroom do this exactly?


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## Joop (Jan 10, 2018)

the moment I start up he starts copying to this folder and I see "gesynchroniseerde duplicaten" getting more and more.
All my photos are externally stashed on a hard disk, but he keeps on making a small map "Lightroom" in my "Photos" locally on the laptop.


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 10, 2018)

That's something you did yourself when you created the synched collection(s).


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## Joop (Jan 10, 2018)

I imported directly from my external disk, so these maps where created automatically when I imported them.
Can I change this afterwards???


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## Joop (Jan 10, 2018)

Please check, to be 100% sure I removed everything, installed a fresh Lightroom, imported just 90 pics and please check what is happening with this synchronizing???


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 10, 2018)

Your screenshots show the *folders* on your disk, but I'm not talking about folders. I'm talking about *collections* ('Verzamelingen' in Dutch). What you see in your first screenshot are the images you synched with Lightroom CC (mobile). Those images are in a synched collection ('verzameling') and apparently you checked the option that the collection(s) should contain virtual copies.

The 'Lightroom' folder on your internal hard disk contains images that are downloaded *from* Lightroom Mobile *to* Lightroom Classic. Do you perhaps have photos on your phone that you added to Lightroom Mobile and also imported directly from the phone in Lightroom Classic? That would also create duplicates.


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## Johan Elzenga (Jan 10, 2018)

To elaborate: You say you started fresh, and now in your screenshot you see 1627 photos synchronizing. Those must be photos that are downloaded *from* Lightroom Mobile *to* Lightroom Classic.


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## Joop (Jan 11, 2018)

Problem solved!!
it was all in the Mobile Cloud that kept going back and forth, once I removed this I could start fresh.

Thank you for your help


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