Rating gets wiped after every few months

[jkm]

If you delete the db and rebuild now, you'll lose the ratings on the jpeg files

this is not how it works, his JPEGs should have embedded metadata

Should, but since the user is complaining about losing ratings, I want to make sure his information is properly saved and exported before deleting the db. I can't be sure what settings have changed over time.

you likely moved files outside of the app, so app lost track of them

That was the obvious diagnosis from the outset...
Except user insisted not.

So a methodical approach is called for. There's no harm in working things through cautiously.

[MarioRossi99]

When you say "JPG rated are still there", exactly what do you mean? You're using the Catalog Filter panel to show files with a certain rating, or you're browsing to the folder they're in?n

Yeah I meant using the Catalog filter

If you delete the db and rebuild now, you'll lose the ratings on the jpeg files, so hold off for the moment.

That's not a problem, the JPG rated are very few files - I mostly rate RAW files and that's the most important

... and the paths with size different than zero are all gone now, all of the entries are zero in size,...

Hmm, this result indicates paths have changed, but you say they haven't.

I said I didnt change the path with the files rated but here are listed folders of 5/6 years ago that I have deleted. I rate files and until I edit and publish them I dont change the structure. Once I publish them I remove the rating.

By "all gone" do you mean the entries for those paths (that had non-zero sizes) were totally removed, or just that they are now of zero size?

Now they are all zero

First, please confirm that these two folders are no longer listed at all in the Catalog database directory list:
/Users/dav/Pictures/A2P PHOTOS/0. Monte Misma/
/Users/dav/Pictures

Do you mean under Preferences>Catalog>Database Directories ?
This one exist: /Users/dav/Pictures

Next, in the Mac file manager (not XnViewMP) examine two folders please:

/Users/dav/Pictures/A2P PHOTOS/0. Monte Misma/
Does that folder still exist, and are there still 19 images at that exact path?

/Users/dav/Pictures
I know the folder exists, because it still has children in your subsequent screenshot.
But are there still 19 images in that folder?

Ths first folder does not exist. I deleted it long time ago. But yeah /Users/dav/Pictures does exist and it has 0 files and 7 folders

Are you always using Details View in the Browser?

Yes I only use Details View

If you do a Help->About, it will tell you the exact path to your INI file, where your XnViewMP database is also stored. Do you have backups of that folder? Your Mac might be making backups so that you have old versions of the database. That could help recover metadata that you think you've lost.

Lastly, please do make the settings changes I provided before, and report back that/if you see the behavior I described. This will be important later.

I did make the changes in the settings as you suggested but still when I rate the RAW files in the folder there no xmp files created by the rating process. There are the RAW files only.