Moving and Sharing Tagged Photos
The golden rule
To keep keywords, move or copy both:
- The image file
- Its companion keyword file (the small file LunaFinder creates next to the image)
If you move only the image, tags will not appear in LunaFinder on the new location.
Moving within the same library
Use Finder to drag photos between subfolders inside your opened library. LunaFinder companion files should move with the images if you move the whole file pair.
After large moves, click Refresh in LunaFinder to update the grid and folder tree.
Copying to an external drive
- In Finder, copy the image and its companion to the drive.
- On the same Mac, you can open that drive’s folder in LunaFinder and see keywords.
- Eject and share the drive—keywords travel with the files.
Sending photos to someone else
Recipients only see LunaFinder keywords if they:
- Use LunaFinder, and
- Have the companion files alongside the images
Otherwise they still receive normal image files—companions do not harm other apps.
Renaming files
If you rename an image in LunaFinder, the app renames the file on disk and you should keep image and companion names aligned. Avoid renaming only one of the two in Finder manually.
Archiving old projects
Zip or backup folders including all companion files. Treat them as part of the archive, like sidecar XMP files in other professional workflows.
Re-tagging after a broken move
If keywords disappeared, the companions were likely left behind. You can:
- Move companions back next to images, or
- Re-apply keywords in LunaFinder (manual work)