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Bacillus9
Participant
March 16, 2026
Question

Lightroom Classic won't open after Windows 11 repair update

  • March 16, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 69 views

I was using Lightroom v15.2 on my laptop (ASUS ProArt H7604JV, i9-13980HX, 32GB RAM,  RTX4060, Win 11 Home 25H2) when I discovered that the Thunderbolt drivers were no longer installed so I couldn’t connect my second monitor. I attempted to use Windows Update to repair Windows and after the “repair” Lightroom wouldn’t open. With the task manager open I can see that Lightroom opens in background processes but never actually starts. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling and still nothing. I’ve tried opening backed-up catalogs and nothing. I’m going crazy trying to open lightroom so any help is appreciated!

    1 reply

    AxelMatt
    Community Expert
    AxelMattCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 16, 2026

    In a first step you should  try to reset the Lightroom preferences.

    https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

    It's recommended to backup your preferences before you reset the preferences to the default settings:

    https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/preference-file-and-other-file-locations.html

     

    My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 6 - Topaz Photo AI
    B
    Bacillus9Author
    Participant
    March 21, 2026

    I’ve tried ALT + SHIFT and the hourglass  pops up for about 2 seconds and then nothing. The only way I can tell anything is happening is if the task manager is open. Otherwise nothing effectively happens.

    AxelMatt
    Community Expert
    AxelMattCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 21, 2026

    If ALT+SHIFt doesn’t workstry to delete the preferences manually as described in section “Method 2: Manually delete the preferences file” in the linked document.

    How to reset Lightroom Classic preferences

     

    Another issue can be a faulty catalog. Hold the Ctrl-Key while starting LrC. This opens a catalog selection dialog. 

     

    First select the appropriate recent catalog and let it check it – note the checkmark "Test integrity of this catalog" to check its integrity. If that doesn't help, try to create a new one and see if this catalog works.

    If yes, you could then try to import your current catalog into the new one. Choose 'File - Import from Another Catalog' and then select your old catalog for import. In the import dialog choose all photos to import, but DON'T MOVE them. This will create an exact copy of your old catalog, but usually without the corruption.

     

    Another alternative is to try to restore the catalog from a recent backup -> Disaster strikes - a corrupted catalog! | The Lightroom Queen

    My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 6 - Topaz Photo AI
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