Deleting LR catalogs to free up space

Question

I need to free up space on Mac HD and largest files are LR catalogs. My current catalog is on ext HD.I'm unsure which ones I can safely deleteCan anyone advise?

dj_paige · Accepted Answer

The catalogs are the .LRCAT files. You can open each catalog file and SEE with your own eyes what is in it, and then determine if you want to delete it or not.

If you decide to delete a catalog, you can also delete the associated (having the same name before the word Previews) .LRDATA folders.

Better yet, move the ones you don't want to a different drive, just to be sure, just in case you do need them.

I also suggest that moving forward, you use ONE catalog only (if necessary, combine multiple catalogs into one). Not only is that the simplest way to go, but it also eliminates the confusion about which catalog is which.

JohanElzenga · Answer

The largest file by far is the first one: 'Lightroom Catalog-v11 Previews.lrdata' of 26.5 GB. That is not a catalog file, it's a previews file. You can always delete a previews file, because Lightroom will simply rebuild the previews if and when necessary. These previews and the catalog file they belong to have not been used since 21 November last year, so this catalog does not seem to be your latest catalog.

I agree with @dj_paige that you should reconsider your catalogs. It looks like you create new catalogs all over the place, sometimes for one single day. That is confusing and inefficient. Use one single catalog.

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