Lightroom catalogs can't be accessed

Forum|Forum|2 months ago
May 20, 2026
3 replies
86 views

I am having trouble accessing about five years worth of digital catalog photographs through Adobe Lightroom. My problem started I think when either my macOS system software updated or adobe Lightroom updated its software. Originally, I couldn’t find these photos anywhere on my hard drive so I had to retrieve them through Time Machine on my Mac. Once I located these catalogues I copied them over from Time Machine. I am unable to open them through Lightroom. I keep getting this warning. Can you help me with the ability to open my Lightroom photo catalogs again? And what does it mean when the LrC warning says “does not allow files to be created within it.”?

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Hi @crusnak,

Following up on this thread to see whether you’re still running into the issue.

Looking at the error message, Lightroom Classic specifically reports that it cannot create files within the folder containing the catalog.

Since some time has passed and there have been more updates since your original post, could you first update to the latest version of Lightroom Classic (15.4.1) and let us know if the behavior continues?

If you’re still seeing the error, I’d recommend checking the following on macOS:

System Settings > Privacy & Security
• Full Disk Access > Ensure Lightroom Classic is enabled
• Files & Folders > Ensure Lightroom Classic has access to Desktop, Documents, Downloads, and Removable Media, and any relevant locations where the catalog resides

Also, for the folder shown in the error message:

• Right-click the folder > Get Info
• Under Sharing & Permissions, confirm your user account (chrisrusnak) has Read & Write access
• If needed, use the gear menu and select Apply to enclosed items (it’s a must)

Please let us know:

• Are you still seeing the same error in 15.4.1?
• Were you able to verify Full Disk Access and Files & Folders permissions?
• Does the issue occur if you copy one affected catalog into a simple test folder, such as:

~/Pictures/Test Catalog
~/Documents/Test Catalog

I'm really looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Best,
Anshul Saini

dj_paige

Legend

Additional thought: does this folder mentioned in the error message actually exist? It would be odd (at least in my opinion) to have a folder under /Users actually have 3TB Lacie 1 and G Raid HD in the folder name.

crusnakAuthor

Participating Frequently

I know this is an odd path to have but it was by mistake. But it has been working in the past and I was planning on reorganizing all these folders.

Chris Rusnak

dj_paige

Legend

Did you check the permissions on that folder? What did you find? You must have write permission to create files inside that folder.

Can you try moving the catalog file to somewhere else to see if it will open?

crusnakAuthor

Participating Frequently

Yes, it exists and I’ve copied to new places and moved and the main folder of catalogues or any of the individual folders within it it as well. I still get the same results.

When I found the 215G folder on Time machine I copied to my harddrive and move it back to where I had it before.

Good questions BTW.

Chris Rusnak

dj_paige

Legend

Yes, it exists and I’ve copied to new places and moved and the main folder of catalogues or any of the individual folders within it it as well. I still get the same results.

But did you check the permissions on that folder or the moved folder? What were they?

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.