Catalog Backup Error Due to Insufficient Disk Space

[Ivny Coura]

My Lightroom is set to back up the catalog once a week. Yesterday, when closing the program, I encountered this error stating that there isn’t enough disk space to complete the backup.

Note: The backup is saved to a folder on the C drive, which has over 350GB of free space. The last backup was successfully completed on November 19.

Today, when closing the program, the same error appeared again, stating there isn’t enough space. I tried changing the backup location to other drives, but the same error persists.

Can anyone help me?

[Moved from ‘Bugs’ to ‘Discussions’ by moderator, according to forum rules.]

[JohanElzenga]

This is a known issue, caused by catalog corruption. What usually works is the following: create a new catalog and then choose 'File - Import from Another Catalog'. Import your old catalog. Import all images, but do not move them. This will create an exact copy of your old catalog, without the corruption. The only thing that will not come across are publishing services. If you use these, then you'll have to recreate them. Check that this new catalog does backup, and if all is well, keep using this one and trash the old catalog.

[Ivny Coura]

" Import your old catalog."
Do I have to import the old catalog or the NEW copy I made of the old catalog? Just to be sure.

[AxelMatt]

... or the NEW copy I made of the old catalog? Just to be sure.

By @Ivny Coura

@JohanElzenga wrote you have to create a complete NEW catalog. Do'nt make a copy of the old one, because you copy the error with. 

Hold the Ctrl-Key while starting LrC. This opens a catalog selection dialog.

To create a new one by clicking on "Create a New Catalog...".

Then import the content of the your OLD catalog to the NEW one.

[JohanElzenga]

Yes, see what @AxelMatt said. You run Lightroom Classic with a new catalog (not a copy of the old catalog!), and then import your old catalog. Importing your old catalog into a copy of that same catalog would not import anything.

[dj_paige]

If you are making a backup to the same drive as where the working catalog is stored, DO NOT DO THIS. Backups MUST (it is mandatory, not optional) be on a different physical disk than the original.

[Ivny Coura]

It's a paid cloud, my friend.

[AxelMatt]

It's a paid cloud, my friend.

By @Ivny Coura

Even if you use a paid cloud, you should make a backup and not just rely on the provider. If you don't have your own backup, things can get bad. You may even risk losing your entire data!!

[Ivny Coura]

You misunderstood me. I make backups and I have some of them on a paid cloud. Do you have some tip about the errors I related or you only came to preach?

[AxelMatt]

You misunderstood me. I make backups and I have some of them on a paid cloud. 

By @Ivny Coura

Ok, then write your answers more clearly in the future. The way you wrote it makes it clear that you don't make your own backups and just put everything in the cloud.

... Do you have some tip about the errors I related or you only came to preach?

By @Ivny Coura

Do you see my answer above? There I answer your question about creating a new catalog.

BTW: We're all here helping in our free time. Do not be offensive in the future. 

[Ivny Coura]

I apologize if you felt offended; that wasn’t my intention. It just seems that whenever we bring up a problem, people tend to only point out what we should or shouldn’t do, without offering any actual tips to address the issue. Anyway, I optimized the catalog, and it worked for me. Thanks.

[Ivny Coura · Accepted solution]

This is what worked for me:

File > Optimize Catalog
After that I didn't have the same problem with backup.