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Inspiring
November 8, 2019

P: Updating to version 9 but my catalog from version 8.4 is incompatible

  • November 8, 2019
  • 54 replies
  • 1477 views

Lightroom Classic - Updating to Lightroom Version 9 but my catalog from version 8.4 is incompatible and for some reason, it can't be updated. I can revert back to 8.4 temporarily so as not to lose my collection of work but it's not going to be a solution long term. Can you help give me some steps that might offer a solution to this issue I am encountering?

Any advice, solution or steps that I might be able to try would be most appreciated.

Thank you.

Joe

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54 replies

Inspiring
November 9, 2019
I actually got it working, thank you. It wouldn't work from the start trying to upgrade my Catalog, but after creating a brand new one, I relaunched my old catalog from within the updated program and for whatever reason, that worked and has remained working after several restarts.
Inspiring
November 8, 2019
So, after updating to Lightroom Classic v9 and launching the programme, I get the message telling me that my catalog needs to be upgraded and a new catalog file will be created in a stipulated destination. I’m asked to either ‘Upgrade’ or ‘Choose a Different Catalog’.

If I choose Upgrade, the catalog will go through about 5 minutes of upgrading before I get the message

‘Lightroom encountered problems when trying to update the format of the catalog file and cannot use this catalog in this version of Lightroom’, to which I am given the options, ‘See Adoe TechNote’, ‘Show in Finder’‘Quit’ and Choose a Different Catalog’.

Now, I can start a new Catalog and Lightroom v9 seems to work fine, but I have none of the pictures from the last two years available, nor any of my presets for that matter but I haven’t considered that as an issue of concern yet.

Inspiring
November 8, 2019
So, after updating to Lightroom Classic v9 and launching the programme, I get the message telling me that my catalog needs to be upgraded and a new catalog file will be created in a stipulated destination. I’m asked to either ‘Upgrade’ or ‘Choose a Different Catalog’.

If I choose Upgrade, the catalog will go through about 5 minutes of upgrading before I get the message

‘Lightroom encountered problems when trying to update the format of the catalog file and cannot use this catalog in this version of Lightroom’, to which I am given the options, ‘See Adoe TechNote’, ‘Show in Finder’, ‘Quit’ and Choose a Different Catalog’.

Now, I can start a new Catalog and Lightroom v9 seems to work fine, but I have none of the pictures from the last two years available, nor any of my presets for that matter but I haven’t considered that as an issue of concern yet.

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 8, 2019
Do you get an error message and if so, what does it say?
-- Johan W. Elzenga