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RogerG40767081
RogerG40767081
Inspiring
February 18, 2022
Question

Can I delete all these Catalog files?

  • February 18, 2022
  • 1 reply
  • 4163 views

I am, like many others confused as to what I can safely delete.  I have many files as below from 10 years ago to today.  Some are 60mb in size.  Can I delete them?

Lightroom Catalog-2.lrcat

Lightroom Catalog-2-v10.lrcat

Lightroom Catalog-2-v10-v11.lrcat-data

Lightroom Catalog-2-v10-v11 Helper.lrdata

Lightroom 2 Catalog Previews.lrdata

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1 reply

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
February 18, 2022

First, find the name of your current working catalog. Clearly then, don't delete that catalog or other files in that folder which use the same name.

 

As for the rest of them going back 10 years, I really think that those of us here across the internet can't be of much help. We don't know what is in your files. You have to look at what is in the catalog with your own eyes and decide if these catalogs contain information that is not in your current working catalog.

 

If you are the kind of person who used one and only one catalog during your time with Lightroom/Lightroom Classic, it is likely you can delete earlier catalogs, but you (not those of us here across the Internet) need to confirm that you can delete older catalogs. Don't come back and say some guy in this forum said you can delete it, because we didn't say that.

 

If you use two or more catalogs, then you have to do some work to figure out what is still needed.

RogerG40767081
RogerG40767081Author
Inspiring
February 18, 2022

Thanks.  Does all the above change if I store and backup my images to an external drive?  I re-import them for further edits.  Does anything change if I re-import an old image say 5 years old but have deleted the catalog file?

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
February 18, 2022

In the end, YOU still have to verify if you need an old catalog or not. It doesn't matter where the catalogs and images are stored.

 

Does anything change if I re-import an old image say 5 years old but have deleted the catalog file?

 

If you are doing things this way, then I suggest you develop a workflow that does not require re-importing files. But since I'm really not sure what you are doing, I can't say if this affects my answers. So I stick with the advice already given: "In the end, YOU still have to verify if you need an old catalog or not. It doesn't matter where the catalogs and images are stored."

 

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