Why the difference in the Number of Media Files ?

I was asked, why do I have a difference in the number of Media files in Family Tree Maker and in the Media folder on my computer related to the file I am working on?

Here is my file in the Family Tree Maker program, the Media Folder for my current database I have 293 Media files..

Using Windows Explorer, I look at the Media folder for that same file., Again 288 Media files.:

So far, I have the same number if Media files. Yes, I check these two numbers frequently.

But, that doesn't answer the question. One of the reasons was discussed in this blog post;

Should I Copy or Link to a New Media File?

The indication that a Media file was LINKED to the Media Workspace instead of the Copy command, looking at the file Media Folder using File Explorer (the Windows file explorer), would have FEWER files vs the Media Workspace. The Media file is in Family Tree Maker, but in another place on the Hard Drive.

If the Media Workspace has FEWER Media files, vs using File Explorer, that would indicate that there are Media Files in that Media Folder that have not yet been added to Family Tree Maker.

To compare what files are not in Family Tree Maker but in the Media folder, you would want to go to Tools, Options, and use the Sort by Filename option.

More Media files in the Media Workspace, may be the LINKED option and not the Copy Option.

More Media files in the Media Folder, may be that there are Media files in that folder that have NOT been Added to Family Tree Maker.

Since we are talking about the number of Media files, and a question that wasn't asked, Why do I have FEWER Items in my Ancestry Member Tree Gallery.

There are Two Reasons, that I know of, that might be the difference. 1) Media files from Ancestry, where a merge was done, may not be in the Gallery. You can see those images, in the Ancestry Member Tree, but those images are coming from Ancestry, not your database. 2) Any Media files, in Family Tree Maker marked as PRIVATE, will not be in the Ancestry Member Tree.

I checked this file, and I have 30 Media files that came from Ancestry, using the Web Merge feature.

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Copyright © 2017 by H R Worthington