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defaulta5tcqevtnok5
Participant
August 16, 2021
Answered

Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which

  • August 16, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 10773 views

I have purchased a MAC having previously been using windows 10.  I have downloaded Lightroom Classic and when I go to open my catalog from my external hard drive I get the following message.

 

Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannot save changes

 

Anyone know how to help?

 

{Moved from Lightroom Cloud to Lightroom Classic Forum by Moderator} 

 

Correct answer JohanElzenga

Most likely you copied the catalog to an external drive that is NTSF formatted. MacOS can read those drives, but cannot write to it. That is what Lightroom is telling you: it cannot write to it. Copy the catalog folder to your internal drive and open it from there. That should solve it.

 

3 replies

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PauloDamian
Participant
February 21, 2025

Well, te restriction of not being able to open a catalog form a network share seems very artificial.
It's stated here: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/lightroom-classic/kb/catalog-faq-lightroom.html
But on the same documentation says that you can store the catalog on an external drive so you can use it on different computers.

Moreover I came to this discussion looking for answers on why lightroom refuses to open my catalog that is indeed on a network share on a new instalation of my new PC, the funny thing is that I have been using that catalog for years from that location mounted on my Mac. I guess that the only difference is that mac OS does not do any difference with mounts (for the os it does not matter if it is an external drive, a network resource or a local disk its just a mounted directory), but windows informs that is a network drive and lightroom refuses to open the catalog.

This is dumb, I want to be able to work on my way more powerfull new PC or on my mac indistinctly and on the same way.

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 21, 2025

It's not artificial. There is a big difference between a network drive and an external local drive. IIRC, a long time ago Lightroom did not check this, and the result was that many people compained about catalog corruption.

 

-- Johan W. Elzenga
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PauloDamian
Participant
February 21, 2025

Did you read my message?
Do you even understand what you just wrote?

I am currently doing it on my mac with no wokrarround, just opening the catalog from a mounted folder from my NAS. Also I just monted the drive on windows on a different way and it works just fine too.

You just wrote that the restriction was added some time ago and now lightroom check for this ...
That is exactly the definition and proof of an artificial restriction.

So there is a big difference!!! you are just writing what you have been told.
Here you have a full repo speacking about the issue and giving solutions:
https://github.com/kgorlen/lightroom

Adobe is just restricting things thinking that all of his users don't know what they are doing.
That is the case with some peole ... 🙄

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MadMac89
Participating Frequently
February 23, 2022

Since repeated attempts to search for solutions to this problem result in this discussion being just about the only thing even close - I will note the following:

I get the error noted on a Synology Network Share, using MacOS.  What is different - is that Lightroom CC WROTE the catalog and all the photos and data to the network location. In this case the local mounted reference is: "The catalog's location is /Volumes/Photos/[directory of catalog+photos]/filename same as directory].lrcat."

I have validated all the security issues related to the latest major and major.minor MacOS releases - to the point that I put the application in the "Full Disk Access" privacy category - and restarted the application.

I have not found a solution yet, but didn't want other people with my issue - to come up empty handed. This has to be some technical issue, because it would be astoundingly unthinkable for Adobe to prevent people from using network shares. 

"Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannot save changes."

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 23, 2022
    @MadMac89 wrote:

    Since repeated attempts to search for solutions to this problem result in this discussion being just about the only thing even close - I will note the following:

    I get the error noted on a Synology Network Share, using MacOS.  What is different - is that Lightroom CC WROTE the catalog and all the photos and data to the network location. In this case the local mounted reference is: "The catalog's location is /Volumes/Photos/[directory of catalog+photos]/filename same as directory].lrcat."

    I have validated all the security issues related to the latest major and major.minor MacOS releases - to the point that I put the application in the "Full Disk Access" privacy category - and restarted the application.

    I have not found a solution yet, but didn't want other people with my issue - to come up empty handed. This has to be some technical issue, because it would be astoundingly unthinkable for Adobe to prevent people from using network shares. 

    "Lightroom cannot launch with this catalog. It is either on a network volume or on a volume on which Lightroom cannot save changes."


    The last sentence gives you your answer. Lightroom cannot use a catalog that is on a network volume. It has to be on a local volume. Adobe is not preventing people from using network shares however. Your images can be on a network share without any problems. Just the catalog can not be.

     

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
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    MadMac89
    Participating Frequently
    February 23, 2022

    Johan - thank you for the quick response. It is appreciated.

    Not trying to be a pain, but this cannot be true.  The default catalog itself is not on a local drive, the entire /Users/[home] is not on a local drive. Its not on the Synology, but is in an external exclosure.


    Lets find an Adobe document which states that synology network drives are not supported.
    --Michael

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    August 17, 2021

    Most likely you copied the catalog to an external drive that is NTSF formatted. MacOS can read those drives, but cannot write to it. That is what Lightroom is telling you: it cannot write to it. Copy the catalog folder to your internal drive and open it from there. That should solve it.

     

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
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      defaulta5tcqevtnok5Author
      Participant
      August 24, 2021

      Thanks for the reply, It was a combination of the formatting and the fact I wasn't copying all the relevant files needed.  All sorted now though thank goodness.  Thought I was going to regret changing to a MAC lol.

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