Can't view folders or collections - MacOS 14 compatibility issue?

Question

I updated to the beta release of macOS 14 (Sonoma) a couple months ago without issue, however now when I open Lightroom Classic (LC) I am unable to view contents of Folders or Collections. I can view and switch between Catalogs (top area in left sidebar containing All Photographs, All Synced Photographs, Quick Collection, etc.). But when I select a Folder or Collection (second and third areas in left sidebar), the menu item is highlighted but the images don't change (and still show the previously selected Catalog items).

I also notice that the app is freezing and slow to update when scrolling or opening an image, and I am experiencing occasional crashes now.

The only things I can identify that have changed recently are my update to macOS 14, and the most recent LC update to 12.4. LC had no issues that I could see with macOS 14 and LC 12.3.

So. Is macOS 14 supported at this point? Or is there something else going on?

This is critical, as Lightroom Classic is unusable until this is fixed.

JohanElzenga · Accepted Answer

Every year around this time we see the same kind of reports in this forum. Some people install the beta of MacOS and find that the current version of Lightroom has certain issues with that beta version. There is no reason to report these issues here, and certainly not as bugs. Obviously Adobe is testing Lightroom in the new version of MacOS as we speak, but as long as that version can still be changed by Apple, it does not make sense for Adobe to spend time fixing issues in the current version of Lightroom to deal with these issues. That means that the release version of Lighroom will not be ready for the beta version of MacOS, plain and simple.

If you install beta OS software on your working computer then you are asking for trouble. If you do not have a second machine that you can use to test beta MacOS, then it is strongly advised not to use it. If you do use it on your working machine anyway, then be prepared to run into serious problems that could make you lose work. It's your call.

Ian Lyons · Answer

> This is critical, as Lightroom Classic is unusable until this is fixed.

You should first try resetting the LrC preference file as @johnrellis described, otherwise revert to the most recently supported macOS (i.e. Ventura). Alternatively you can configure your Mac to dual boot. The below link to an Apple support document provides some guidance, albeit for earlier versions of macOS, but there are plenty of guides on Youtube for Ventura / Sonoma dual booting.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208891

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