Have you ever lost a file, or had your catalog stop functioning in Lightroom? If you have, you know the panic it can cause. But here's something you might not know: the cause and solution to either of those issues are more straightforward than you might realize. 

Cause: If you moved your files to a new location or renamed a folder after you set up a catalog in Lightroom, you likely broke the link between your image references and your Lightroom catalog. That causes your files to "disappear" and your catalog to stop functioning. 

Solution: Below are our quick tips to:

1. Avoid breaking the links (image references) when you rename a folder.

2. How you can fix broken links.

How to Avoid Breaking Image References

If you need to move image files or rename a folder after setting up a Lightroom catalog, follow these steps:

Make changes within Lightroom: Make any changes inside of Lightroom to avoid looking for missing files and fixing broken links. Try renaming the folder while you're inside of Lightroom. If you do it within Lightroom, it will make the necessary changes in the file system and automatically update the links. 

How: Right-click on the intended folder and rename it within Lightroom.

How to Fix Broken Image References in Lightroom

If you've noticed a broken link/image reference, try either of these two steps: 

1. Move the images back to the original location if you've broken the link between Lightroom and the image or images. You don't even have to close and reopen your catalog to repair the link. 

2. Use the "find" function and revert back to the original name (before you changed it) to fix the broken links. If you prefer the new name you'd selected, you can keep it: 

How: Right-click on the broken folder and select "Find Missing Folder." Then locate and select the renamed folder. Lightroom will then automatically fix the broken links.

That's it! You should be good to go. But remember! Keeping your catalogs organised correctly and linked is to your benefit and will save you time.