Lightroom Classic Catalog empty on laptop but not on desktop

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
January 2, 2023
2 replies
636 views

I edit my images on my desktop but I also want to edit my images on my laptop in the same catalog. So I have my catalog and images saved on a External SSD, when connected to my desktop everything is fine when I open the catalog alle the images and edits are there. When I plug in the External SSD in my laptop and op the catalog is tells me its empty. What is going wrong?

Windows

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer JohanElzenga

I'm 100% sure I open the right catalog file, because when I open the same in the desktop it works and I can see it at the date.

By @Bas_Leroy

That does not mean anything. On your desktop, Lightroom will open the catalog from the external disk. But that does not prove that on the laptop Lightroom also opens that same catalog. Most likely it opens a new catalog, located on your internal hard disk. That catalog was automaticay created when you started Lightroom one day before the catalog on the external drive was available.

DdeGannes

Community Expert

Probably LrC on your laptop has created a new Catalog since it did not locate the external drive. Try the following close LrC on the laptop and then using explorer open the external drive and locate your main Catalog file there. The Catalog file will have an extension on ding .lrcat (LRCAT), double.click the Catalog file and that should boot LrC with the correct Catalog.

Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5,; Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; (also Laptop Win 11, ver 24H2, LrC 15.0.1, PS 27.0; ) Camera Oly OM-D E-M1.

Bas_LeroyAuthor

Inspiring

I'm already opening the .lrcat file form the explorer doesn't seem to make difference.

dj_paige

Legend

Probably, you are opening the wrong catalog file.

When the external SSD is plugged into your laptop, find the correct catalog file in your Windows Explorer, and then double-click on it to open it. Once that works properly on the laptop, go into Lightroom Classic Preferences/General and set the option "When starting up use this catalog" to always open this catalog, by name.

Bas_LeroyAuthor

Inspiring

I'm 100% sure I open the right catalog file, because when I open the same in the desktop it works and I can see it at the date.

Now I noticed when I open a backup file it works, but this is not my latest edits. Now it is for example from yesterday.

JohanElzenga

Correct answer

Community Expert

I'm 100% sure I open the right catalog file, because when I open the same in the desktop it works and I can see it at the date.

By @Bas_Leroy

That does not mean anything. On your desktop, Lightroom will open the catalog from the external disk. But that does not prove that on the laptop Lightroom also opens that same catalog. Most likely it opens a new catalog, located on your internal hard disk. That catalog was automaticay created when you started Lightroom one day before the catalog on the external drive was available.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

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