To move Lightroom Classic to a new computer or drive, copy the catalog folder and your photo folders to the new location, then open the catalog and point Lightroom at the moved photos. The catalog stores edits and metadata, while the photos live in separate folders, so both must move and be reconnected.
Before You Move Anything
- Close Lightroom and make a fresh catalog backup on a separate drive.
- Check that the new drive has enough free space for the photos, the catalog and the cache files.
- Find your catalog location through the catalog settings in preferences, and note where your photo folders are.
- Format the new drive in a way your system supports, and prefer a fast internal or high speed external drive for the working catalog.
Move the Catalog and Photos
- Copy the entire catalog folder, which contains the .lrcat file and cache files, to the new location. Copy rather than move, so the original stays until you confirm the result.
- Copy the photo folders to the new drive. Keeping the same folder structure makes relinking much easier.
- Open the new .lrcat file by double clicking it, or through File and Open Catalog in Lightroom.
- Look at the Folders panel. Folders with a question mark are not linked to the files.
- Right click each missing top level folder and choose Find Missing Folder, then select its new location.
- Once the top folders are relinked, subfolders usually reconnect on their own.
Alternative: Use Export as Catalog
If you want to move only part of your library, select the photos, choose File, then Export as Catalog. Include the negatives and cache files if you want the files copied with it. The result is a new catalog and photo folder you can open on another machine.
| Method | Best for |
|---|---|
| Copy whole catalog and folders | Moving everything to a new machine or drive |
| Export as Catalog | Moving a project or a subset |
| Move folders inside Lightroom | Rearranging photos on the same system |
Check the Result
- Confirm that no folders show a question mark.
- Open several photos in the Develop module and check that edits appear.
- Rebuild thumbnails if they look missing or slow.
- Set up automatic catalog backups to a drive other than the working one.
- Keep the old copy for a while before you delete it.
If you use presets, plug-ins or other custom settings, copy them across or sync them as well. Sign in to your Adobe account on the new computer and reinstall Lightroom Classic before opening the catalog.
FAQ
Can I run the catalog from an external drive?
Yes, if it is a reasonably fast local drive. Avoid network storage for the working catalog because it can cause errors.
What if file paths change between Windows and Mac?
Lightroom can relink them through the Find Missing Folder step. Keep the folder names unchanged to reduce manual work.
The Short Version
Back up first, copy the catalog folder and the photo folders to the new place, and open the catalog there. Relink any missing top level folders, check a few edits, and keep the old copy until you are sure everything works.
