Adobe Lightroom by default will not write metadata in the image files but only in its catalog database. This is true unless you configure Lightroom to write metadata to your image files. Read on to find out how configure Lightroom properly.
6 video modules - over 30 videos containing step-by-step instructions for Windows or Mac programs like Lightroom, ACDSee, Picasa and Photos.
All my e-Books for free - all my products are included.
Completely self-paced. Learn at your own pace and take as long as you want until you learn how to organize your photos. More info
How do you configure Lightroom to write metadata to your image files?
There are two ways for writing metadata to you image files: global and individual.
Lightroom global metadata setting
The first option is to change Lightroom’s global settings. This means that if you change the setting for metadata in global settings, Lightroom will always write your metadata to the image files.
This way I like to configure my Lightroom installation because I want all the metadata to be inside my image files.
- On the top menu bar choose this:
- Edit/Catalog settings/Metadata tab
- Check the option that says: “Automatically write changes into XMP”
Set up Lightroom catalog so it writes metadata to image file
By default, keywords are written to the IPTC section of image metadata, and GPS geotags are written to the EXIF section of image metadata, but this setting ensures that all the metadata is written to the XMP version of image metadata.
Lightroom manual metadata settings
If you don’t want to write metadata to your image files automatically every time you edit your photos then you need to do it manually when you need it.
- Select an image with metadata (i.e. keywords) in it
- On the top menu bar
- Choose the Metadata menu item
- Choose Save metadata to File.
Sync your metadata with your Lightroom catalog
If you modify the contents of a folder outside of Lightroom, you must synchronize that folder with your Lightroom catalog in order for Lightroom to see these changes. Adding or deleting photos as well as modifying image metadata outside of Lightroom will require a folder synchronization in order to keep your Lightroom catalog in sync with your folder structure.
To synchronize the contents of a folder (including photo metadata) with your Lightroom catalog follow these steps:
- First select a folder with images that have new metadata.
- Right-click the folder and choose “synchronize”
- Check “scan for metadata changes” and click update.
Right click on a Lightroom folder and choose Synchronize
Lightroom Synchronize folder dialog
Synchronize local folder with Lightroom Catalog
Essentials for organizing your digital photos
Here are the essential products and services I have come to rely on for many years to keep my media collection organized and safe. Even though these are affiliate links, I wholeheartedly recommend them. 
Excellent Lightroom and Picasa alternative. If you need a cheaper and simpler photo manager then ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac (save 20% until Feb 15) or ACDSee Pro for Windows (save $20 until Feb 15) is my preferred solution for organizing all my media. It has a very fast browser, great image editing and it's simple to use.
If you do a lot of image editing like I do, I recommend using Adobe Lightroom Classic CC via the annual Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Lightroom has best photo editing capabilities even though it comes with a steeper learning curve. If you do image editing, Adobe Lightroom is my favorite.
I recommend Backblaze Cloud Backup for affordable & reliable unlimited cloud backup. I have been using Backblaze for backing up all pictures & videos for more than 5 years now. All my invaluable digital memories are safe and secure. This is the best solution especially if you have a large quantity of media files.
Use a reliable & affordable external hard drive for backing up everything on your computer. It is absolutely essential for keeping all your memories backed up and safe.
Start organizing now using detailed, step-by-step instructions and videos:
Personal Coaching (closed) Independent Course Private Lessons
Reference book Basics book Picasa book
YOURS FREE! 10 crucial steps most people miss when organizing their digital photos
Most people want to just organize their digital pictures and ignore these crucial steps right at the beginning...when they are shooting and transferring their digital pictures. Then they wonder why they can't organize their digital photos! Avoid most people's mistakes and start on the right track!
