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Izzy11201
Inspiring
Oct 21, 2024 1:24 AM UTC
Answered

Lightroom folder question

When I first installed Lr Classic, it created a "Lightroom\" folder (along with associated sub-folders and files) in the "Pictures\" (windows) folder on the hard drive of my computer.  That of course is where the catalog is, and where I've been using it.  That folder and its associated sub-folders and files, has now grown to the point where it occupies almost a quarter of the hard drive.  I recently copied that folder and its contents to an external with a lot more room.  That said.  If I either move, or delete, the existing lightroom folder from "Pictures\".  Will the Lightroom program generate a new "Lightroom\" folder along with the associated sub-folders and files in the "Pictures\" folder?....Izzy

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JohanElzenga
JohanElzengaCorrect answer
Community Expert
Oct 21, 2024 8:34 AM UTC

Open the catalog folder you copied to the external hard drive. Launch Lightroom Classic by double clicking the catalog file. From now on Lightroom Classic will remember that this is the catalog to use, and will no longer use the old folder on the internal hard disk, nor create a new one there if you delete that folder.

 

-- Johan W. Elzenga
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15 replies

DClark064
DClark064
Oct 21, 2024 4:30 PM UTC

How did these answers get marked as the correct answers? 

They seem to be essentially identical.

Did Izzy mark them correct?  How does this work?

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JohanElzenga
Community Expert
JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
Oct 21, 2024 9:15 PM UTC

They are not identical at all. I explain how to let Lightroom Classic use the existing catalog, when that has been copied to a new location. Somehow you'll have to let Lightroom Classic know that, otherwise it will continue to launch with the old catalog. Your answer explains how to create a brand new catalog. That is obviously not the same thing.

 

The OP can mark answers to his questions as correct, and moderators can do that.

 

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-- Johan W. Elzenga
DClark064
DClark064
Oct 21, 2024 9:54 PM UTC

OK, I assume Izzy marked them.  Who the moderators may be is a mystery.

The point you mention was covered in my first reply.  My second reply, marked correct,  was an answer to Izzy's follow up.

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DClark064
DClark064
Oct 21, 2024 2:09 AM UTC

If you open the LrC catalog in the new folder it will operate fine and will not re-create the folder on the original drive.  You need to make sure to open the catalog in its new location.  The easiest way to do that is to navigate to that folder and double click the lrcat file.  After that, if you have LrC set up to open the last catalog, it will open the correct catalog.

 

It is important that the lightroom folder is on a fast drive.  LrC does a lot of I/O to the files in that folder so a fast drive helps the responsiveness.

 

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    Izzy11201Author
    Inspiring
    Oct 21, 2024 2:33 AM UTC

    I understand that.  What I want to know is, if I remove the original Lightroom folder, from the Pictures folder on my hard drive.  Will lightroom generate a new Lightroom folder, along with its associated sub-folders and files, in that Pictures folder.  The idea being that the new folder and associated sub-folders and files, would have no data in them, so they wouldn't take up so much room on the computers hard drive, but would be available for possible later use (if necessary). 

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    DClark064
    DClark064
    Oct 21, 2024 2:50 AM UTC

    If you want to open a new catalog, use the menu item File>New catalog...

    You can then create a new catalog in any folder you wish.  

    LrC will not automatically create a new catalog in the default folder .

     

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