P: LrC 12.2.1 fails to start/launch or is extremely slow launching.

[Micke, Finland]

Hi,

LRC 12.2.1 is not starting anymore, just launches as a background process using significant amounts of RAM and CPU, but the visible window never shows up. 

I have already:

- Tried the alt-shift-click thingie.

- Tried logging out and in from CC.

- Wiping all data files from the computer and letting LRC create a fresh Lightroom folder and catalog file (sometimes it does that, sometimes it hangs before the folder is created). 

- Wiping all Adobe products with the cleaner tool and reinstalling just LRC.

- I have even formatted and reisntalled the computer (becuase it was a good time to do that anyway).

But LRC still fails. What to do next?

Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 22H2
Installed on ‎17.‎03.‎2023
OS build 19045.2728
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4190.0

[jemshome]

I have had this problem intermittently with Lightroom Classic - just launches as a background process using significant amounts of RAM and CPU, but the visible window never shows up. I don't have a metrics.json on my Win 10 desktop having check all my drives, not just the directory listed. Is this because I don't allow metrics to be sent back to Adobe?

I have simply opened Task Manager & ended the Lightroom task. Lightroom then opens normally.

[Paul McFarlane PSS]

@Frieda_2808 

File Locations: 
Mac: /Users/<username>/Library/Caches/Adobe/Lightroom/metrics.json
Win: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Lightroom\Caches\metrics.json 

If you're on Mac, you need to show hidden files - hold Cmd+Shift+. [period] (same to hide them again after)

[Patrickfd]

open the finder file (lower left smiley face) then at the very top left side of the screen choose Go then scroll to Go to Folder. In the dialog box type ~/library then click on the caches folder, then the Adobe folder, then the lightroom folder. The metrics file should be there and you can delete it. 

[Dennis291469266l6p]

Rikk,

'My Imac doesn't diplay that way, there is no "Adobe " displayed when selecting Caches. I have an iMac 24in. M1 chip  desk top.

[silvagrist]

Iam having same problem. Lightroom has worked fine the past few weeka and then today stalls at lauch screen and get spinning wheel. I have tried all the steps and same thing happens. I have sent numerous crash logs after it occurs.

[silvagrist]

That did the trick. Deleting the metrics.json file.

[johnrellis]

See here for the complete list of steps for working around this issue:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-lrc-12-2-1-fails-to-start-launch-or-is-extre... ]

[This post contains formatting and embedded images that don't appear in email. View the post in your Web browser.]

@Dennis291469266l6p, "there is no "Adobe " displayed when selecting Caches. "

1. Restart your computer (to ensure LR isn't running, hidden).

2. In Finder, do the menu command Go > Go To Folder:

3. In the Go To Folder window, copy/paste this line:

~/Library/Caches/Adobe/Lightroom

It should look like this:

4. Hit Return.

5. In Finder, do the menu command View > As List:

6. If you don't see the file "metrics.json", post a full-resolution screenshot of the Finder window.

7. Move "metrics.json" to your Desktop.  (Save it in case Adobe developers want to look at it.)

[jimrich3]

Deleting the metrics.json file is the solution that worked for me.

[Frieda_2808]

Thank you very much for your reply. I’m on windows. I can’t even find the folder Appdata.
Kind regards, Frieda

[David J Wood]

@Frieda_2808  On Windows, you can open File Explorer and paste (or type) %LOCALAPPDATA%\Adobe\Lightroom into the address bar to get to the correct folder.

[David J Wood]

There is a report from harris.djh on the Lightroom Queen forums that deleting metrics.json solved performance.... This is a somewhat different symptom from that previously reported (slow startup) that turns out to have the same root cause.

Rikk Flohr has apparently been sent the metrics.json file.

[Erzebeth]

Great it works on my iMac24 Ventura 13.1, today. Wonder if it will still work tomorrow....I will let you know!

[Erzebeth]

Sorry it must be Ventura 13.2.1

[Anglophilus]

Hallo Community,

seit ein paar Tagen startet mein Lightroom Classic CC nicht mehr auf meinem Macbook Pro.
Der Splash Screen bleibt beim Lesen der Benutzervorgaben hängen und ich kann die Anwendung nur durch "Sofort beenden" stoppen.
Bislang habe ich folgende Lösungsansätze versucht:
1. Starten mit SHIFT-ALT und Löschen der Vorgaben.
2. Starten unter einem anderen Benutzeraccount.

3. Starten im abgesicherten Modus (auch mit Löschen der Vorgaben)

4. Deinstallation und erneute Installation (aktuelleste und frühere Version)

5. Manuelles Löschen der Benutzervorgaben und Startversuch im normalen und abgesicherten Modus.

6. Abmelden und neu Anmelden im Adobe-Konto.

Ich weiß mir langsam keinen Rat mehr. Was kann ich noch versuchen, bevor ich meinen Rechner komplett zurücksetze?

Herzliche Grüße

Martin Krimmel

[Anglophilus]

Ich habe jetzt diesen Beitrag gefunden und den dort erwähnten Workaround ausprobiert, die metrics.json-Datei zu löschen/umzubenennen. Das hat funktioniert. Jetzt startet LR Classic wieder bei mir.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

You may want to try the solution on this thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-lrc-12-2-1-fails-to-start-launch-or-is-extre... 

[evan.sante]

This seems to be a much bigger issue than just deleting the JSON file.

​With one of my clients, who had a very old machine, we decided to buy a new computer.

​After deleting the JSON file on the old computer, I created a backup and optimize the catalog. We then moved ONLY the catalog file and the data file created from ZIP file, to a new folder (on the new machine, and started Lightroom). Lightroom then rebuilt the thumbnails.

​1 - Right from the start, we started to see some of the issues that have been reported such as when you switch to the develop module it takes much longer than normal for the image to render (10 to 15 sec, if it did it all), forcing us to go back to the grid view and then go back to the develop module in order to see the image rendered and had the ability to edit it.

​We’ve then created a 1 to 1  preview for another image, same issue as above.

​2 - On a Brand New installation of Lightroom, clicking on the export button does nothing! after restarting Lightroom, and clicking on the image, doing a simple crop, and then clicking on the Export Button, had to wait 3 to 5 seconds before the export dialog box opened, if it did it all. This issue persists throughout the session, the only thing that slightly improves it is restarting Lightroom.

​3 - I then started a built 1x1 previews for 25000 images, when my client woke up he got "Your system has run out of applications memory" see attached. Closed Lightroom and when he restarted Lightroom, the catalog, which is on an external drive, could not be found.

​You have to remember that this is on a brand new top-of-the-line MacBook Pro 1TB 32 gigs RAM, with only Creative Cloud and Lightroom on it.

​I’m just saying these issues are NOT normal and cannot be tied to a single JSON file.

​It's obvious that Lightroom has changed the way that it handles memory management, and it simply does not work. These issues are almost identical to the issues back in Lightroom 3.0 which was far and away the worst release of Lightroom.

[Henry9808]

What does one do if there is no Mac: /Users/<username>/Library/Caches/Adobe/Lightroom/metrics.json file? I am having the same slowness in loading issue (14 minutes) as well as the same import / export issues and preview problems others are reporting. Lightroom is pretty much useless at this point so any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

@David J Wood  I have received a link to the file and passed it onto engineering. Thank you.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

@Henry9808  Lightroom Classic must be closed to see the metrics.json file. Make sure you have closed the Application. 

[DdeGannes]

@Henry9808 , Make sure you are checking for the file when LrC is closed. No file will be present if LrC is open or running in the background.

[unhn]

I had issues with editing stitches with the transformation/straightening tool. It was terribly slow waiting for the lines to show up and the loupe showing details.

Renaming the metrics.json file solved the issue, it was really fast directly after.

2022 MBP / Ventura

[PBMarc]

YEP... this did it. Un-installed then reinstalled and renamed that bad file. DID NOT happen in previous versions over the last 6 years. The newest version is a disaster... even a photo I was editing suddenly disappear from the Windows version library while still showing on my synced phone. Photo appeared after this workaround.
Hopefully will get fixed soon as this is making LRc not usable. Thank you!

[Frieda_2808]

Thank you so much for your help. But I can't even open LrC.
I immediately get a pop up with a system error.

I'll try to translate, because it is in Dutch 😉

Lightroom.exe system error
The code execution cannot be continued because dunamis-ingest.dll was not
found.
You might solve this problem by re-installing the program.

I get 4 of these pop ups in total, but with a different file:
ahclient.dll
ui.dll
substrate.dll

Don't know how to re-install either 😕
I just have a subscription and downloaded.
No idea how to re-install it.

Kind regards
Frieda

[johnrellis]

@evan.sante, disable the Creative Cloud account option Share Information On How I Use Adobe Desktop Apps, as detailed here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-lrc-12-2-1-fails-to-start-launch-or-is-extre...

The symptoms you describe are consistent with the limited evidence posted so far that sometimes the usage-reporting process is running hog wild, with one or more of these symptoms: making LR very sluggish, using large amounts of memory, generating very large "metrics.json" files, and preventing LR from starting or making it very slow to start.