How do I force Lightroom Classic to sync only Smart Previews — not RAWs?

[nancycoste]

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out after two full days of troubleshooting and hitting a wall.

Despite setting everything up correctly in Lightroom Classic, I cannot get it to sync only Smart Previews to the cloud. Lightroom always uploads the RAW files (NEF), even when Smart Previews have been built.

Here’s what I’ve done:

• Imported RAWs (NEF) from my hard drive into Lightroom Classic.
• Built Smart Previews for every image at import.
• Disabled the option in Preferences for a specific folder location for Lightroom’s synced images.
• Created a synced Collection containing only Smart Preview–ready images.
• Verified in Library metadata that Smart Previews are present.

But no matter what, when I enable sync, Lightroom uploads the full RAW files to the cloud and mobile, using up unnecessary space. Even when I try testing with just two images, the same behavior occurs. In the mobile app and web interface, the uploaded file is clearly the RAW, not the Smart Preview.

What I need to understand:

1. Is there a reliable way to force Lightroom Classic to sync only the Smart Previews, even if the RAWs are available?
2. Is there any method to view both the Smart Preview and RAW side-by-side or identify which file was edited on mobile so I can copy those adjustments onto the local RAW in Classic?
3. Is the only workaround to upload Virtual Copies instead of RAWs? That seems incredibly clunky if you’re working with hundreds of files.

This problem is making it impossible to use Lightroom Classic + Cloud together efficiently. Any help, hacks, or official answers would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Nancy

[Double posts merged by moderator. Please do not double post!]

[JohanElzenga]

You don't have to do anything. Lightroom Classic always only syncs smart previews to the cloud. It is not even capable of syncing originals (syncing originals is actually a feature request with many votes). When you look at the images in Lightroom mobile, this is not always clear however. Lightroom mobile seems to suggest that these are originals, because it shows the original file specs when you tap on the "i" icon. So don't worry, you are not wasting space.

Lightroom mobile seems to suggest that this is an original

But now you can see it is actually a smart previews!

[Califdan2]

I bet your SP's are what has uploaded to the cloud.   The file extension shown for the file in the cloud apps are not relevent.  It shows the original file name and extension as imported into LrC (or renamed in Lrc).  Look in the Info block

[Rob_Cullen]

@nancycoste  If I may add some comments to your post-

"Built Smart Previews for every image at import"- Not Necessary! The Sync process does this automatically.

"Disabled the option in Preferences for a specific folder location for Lightroom’s synced images." - Why?  Specifying a folder makes it easier to find images in the LrC catalog. Lightroom-Classic is the Master when sync is enabled- ALL original files added to Lightroom by the mobile apps automatically download to the Lightroom-Classic catalog and are saved as specified in the Sync Locatation Preferences.

"Created a synced Collection containing only Smart Preview–ready images." - Again, Smart Previews need not be created. You can create a synced collection of any images in the Library, even if Smart Previews have not been manually created..

"Verified in Library metadata that Smart Previews are present." - Again, not necessary. You do not need to 'manually' create Smart Previews at any time (unless you have another reason.)

"Is there a reliable way to force Lightroom Classic to sync only the Smart Previews, even if the RAWs are available?" - As stated in other replies- only Smart Previews sync UP to the Lr cloud. 

"Is there any method to view both the Smart Preview and RAW side-by-side or identify which file was edited on mobile so I can copy those adjustments onto the local RAW in Classic?" - You only ever see the proxy Smart Preview in mobile apps for images synced UP from Lightroom-Classic, and edits to an image in Lightroom will auto sync to the image in the LrC synced collection (and visible in Library or Develop views).

"Is the only workaround to upload Virtual Copies instead of RAWs?" - Virtual Copies are simply the catalogs way of creating alternative processing steps to the one original photo.  Whichever photo you sync UP, be that the 'original' or a 'Virtual copy', the edits applied to each are synced with Lightroom.

Examples-

LrC Original and Virtual Copy-  both added to a synced Collection:

Lr- Showing both images to edit individually:

Whatever you add to a synced Collection in LrC, be that 'original' or  'Virtual copy',  LrC will sync that image with Lightroom. No need to create Smart Previews, (or Virtual Copies unless you want alternative edits shown)

[nancycoste]

Thank you for your previous response clarifying that only Smart Previews are uploaded from Lightroom Mobile unless full RAW sync is explicitly enabled. However, I must now respond seriously  and with visual proof  that this does not appear to match Lightroom’s behavior in my case.

As you’ll see in the attached screenshots from Lightroom on my iPad, the album I created for sharing (titled wedding aileen y Preston 05-03-2025) displays a filter count of 303 RAW files. Lightroom itself identifies these files as RAW not Smart Previews, not thumbnails, but RAW.

: I followed your recommended setup for Smart Preview-only syncing. I never intentionally enabled full RAW uploads, and I was reassured multiple times  that “Premium Previews” were all that would be uploaded when syncing from Lightroom Mobile.

But Lightroom is clearly labeling these files as RAW. If this label is incorrect, then it is misleading and must be corrected. If the label is accurate, then the uploads are happening without my permission or control, and this is a serious breach of trust for a professional workflow.

I need urgent help from your team to:

1. Confirm definitively whether these 303 files are actually RAWs stored in Adobe Cloud.

2. Stop any further RAW uploads from Lightroom Mobile or iPad, permanently.

3. Assist me in removing the RAW files from cloud storage without losing edits.

4. Ensure that Smart Previews are the only files synced across devices unless I explicitly override this.

I will be attaching all relevant screenshots from Lightroom, as viewed on my iPad, which clearly show the file type classification.

Thank you for your attention to this. I need to be able to trust that my cloud storage is not being silently consumed by RAW files I never meant to sync.

nancy

[nancycoste]

As a professional photographer, I am shocked by how difficult it is to manage cloud sync and file deletion between Lightroom Classic and Adobe Cloud.

I never intended to upload full RAW files (NEF/DNG) to the cloud, yet Lightroom Mobile and synced Collections pushed them up anyway. There is no global “Smart Previews only” setting, and once they’re in the cloud, it is nearly impossible to delete them:

• The Deleted folder won’t clear in bulk (limited to 1700 files)
• The system crashes when selecting large batches
• Deleted files still appear with “57 days left”
• I’ve spent hours manually removing files across two days, with the site freezing mid-process
• “From Lightroom” collection location jumps unpredictably and can’t be organized

This is not a user error—this is an architecture problem. We need:

1. A way to block full RAW uploads by default.
2. Stable bulk deletion from the cloud Deleted folder.
3. Better sync visibility across devices.
4. Control over cloud collections.

Adobe, your ecosystem has become unusable for professionals managing large volumes. Please escalate this to the product team.

Sincerely,

Nancy Coste

Lightroom Classic & mobile Subscriber

[Califdan2]

If you import images into LrC. ONLY SP's will be synced up to the cloud - period.  

In your LR/Cloud app, ignore the file exension on the file name as that is the file name on disk in LrC.  Instead, look at the info block.  For example in the screen shot below using Lr/Desktop on an ARW (Sony RAW) file the file name shows an extension of ARW but look at the info block

[nancycoste]

the RAW files (e.g., 45MB NEFs) appear in the cloud with full metadata showing RAW file info, not Smart Preview proxy info. There is no sync status or storage type panel showing what exactly has been uploaded. On mobile and web, all I see is that the file is NEF and 45MB there is no way to confirm if this is truly a Smart Preview or the full RAW.

Also, once the images are synced to the cloud, I can't seem to view the Smart Preview next to the RAW in any distinguishable way that would allow me to safely erase the RAW from the cloud while preserving edits locally.

Questions:

1. How can I guarantee that only Smart Previews are uploaded during sync?

2. Is there any way to verify in the Lightroom Web or Mobile UI whether a file is a Smart Preview or full RAW?

3. Can I safely copy edits made on Smart Previews in mobile (if that's what’s being edited) back to the original RAWs in Classic before deleting anything from the cloud?

Any step-by-step clarity would be deeply appreciated. I've reviewed multiple forum posts and help guides, but nothing has resolved this fully. Thanks so much in advance!

Nancy
Running macOS  sonoma 

Version 14.6.1 (23G93)

on iMac Pro, syncing over stable fiber connection

[nancycoste]

Hi again,

Thanks for the screenshot showing the Sync Status panel (“Synced from Lightroom Classic / Smart Preview”)—but unfortunately, that specific info box isn’t visible on my iPad, iPhone, or even in the web-based Lightroom. I also can’t find any equivalent way to configure or confirm upload status from Lightroom Mobile or Lightroom Classic itself.

So while I appreciate the reassurance that “only Smart Previews are uploaded,” here’s what I’m running into:

• The RAW files (e.g., 45MB NEFs) still appear in Lightroom Web with full metadata—file name, size, and type intact.

• There’s no clear confirmation anywhere (outside of that one web-only panel, which I can’t access) that these are Smart Previews and not full RAWs.

• There’s also no setting in Classic or Mobile to enforce Smart Preview-only syncing or to block RAW uploads altogether.

So my questions are:

1. How can I guarantee only Smart Previews are being uploaded from Classic?

2. Why isn’t there a universal indicator across platforms to verify what was uploaded?

3. Is there a way to remove cloud-stored RAWs while keeping synced edits?

4. And why isn’t there a hard toggle in Lightroom Classic or Mobile to block RAW uploads?

It’s a real problem that I can’t verify or control this behavior without deep-diving through inconsistent interfaces. I’d appreciate any clarification or workarounds.

Thanks,

Nancy

[JohanElzenga]

Dear Nancy,

Let me repeat one more time what I and other experts have repeatedly said. If you sync images from Lightroom Classic to the cloud, then these images will be smart previews, period. Full stop. End of line. What is shown as metadata in your cloud app can be confusing, because many views will show the data of the original image, period. Full stop. End of line.
I have nothing to add to this anymore.

[JohanElzenga]

Lightroom mobile seems to suggest that the image is a full sized image if you tap the "i" icon. This is false. What you'll see are the specs of the underlying original, but as @Califdan2 already explained, Lightroom Classic never ever uploads originals. In fact, uploading originals from Lightroom Classic is one of the most popular (but officially declined, I think) feature requests!

[nancycoste]

Hi Johan,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed and helpful response—it’s incredibly generous of you, and I’m genuinely grateful.

That said, I still feel a bit lost, and I hope you’ll forgive me for needing further clarification. Despite everything I’ve read (and re-read), I’m still not reassured that I’m not somehow uploading full RAWs from Lightroom Classic to the cloud. My storage usage on Lightroom Web seems unusually high, and every time I tap the “i” icon in Lightroom Mobile or Web, it tells me the image is a RAW file—often 45MB or more. I understand that this info panel is referencing the original file’s specs, not the actual uploaded data, but it’s confusing when nothing clearly indicates “Smart Preview only.”

So I guess my core question is this:

👉 Is there any definitive way to confirm that what’s showing up in the Lightroom Cloud from LrC is in fact just Smart Previews and not full RAWs? A toggle, label, status column—anything?

Also, just to clarify: when I make edits in Lightroom Mobile while traveling, and then return home, will those edits automatically sync to the RAWs I’ve kept locally in Lightroom Classic? (Even if the mobile edit was based on a Smart Preview, and the original was never uploaded?) And is there any way to view the Smart Preview and original RAW side-by-side to manually copy edits if needed?

Thanks again for all your insight. I’m almost there—I think!
Nancy

[dj_paige]

Is there any definitive way to confirm that what’s showing up in the Lightroom Cloud from LrC is in fact just Smart Previews and not full RAWs? A toggle, label, status column—anything?

No need to confirm anything. LrC does NOT ever ever ever upload full size images to the cloud. LrC always uploads smart previews to the cloud. You can't change this, so whatever is uploaded by LrC is a smart preview.

Also, just to clarify: when I make edits in Lightroom Mobile while traveling, and then return home, will those edits automatically sync to the RAWs I’ve kept locally in Lightroom Classic? 

Yes

(Even if the mobile edit was based on a Smart Preview, and the original was never uploaded?) 

Yes

And is there any way to view the Smart Preview and original RAW side-by-side to manually copy edits if needed?

I don't know, I have never felt the need to do this, and the whole point of Smart Previews is that at reasonable magnifications, you can't tell the difference. 

[JohanElzenga]

And is there any way to view the Smart Preview and original RAW side-by-side to manually copy edits if needed?

No, and that is never needed. The smart preview is a proxy for the raw file, not a separate image that can have different edits. The edits are identical as long as sync has finished.

[Califdan2]

Unfortunatly, there are many tools, features, actions, displays, and dialogs that are not available in all Lr/Cloud apps and this happens to be one of them.   It would be great if all the Lr/Cloud apps had the same features, tools, and displays but alas they don't.  I find myself always jumping around between LR/Desktop,  LR/Web, and LR/Android looking for which one has some tool or feature I need at that moment.  

But, to re-iterate,  at this time the only thing that will sync to LR/Cloud in relation to an image imported into LrC is a Smart Preview.   Images imported directly into any of the LR/Cloud apps will result in the full size original image being in both LR/Cloud and after syncing in LrC.  There have been requests for a setting in LrC that would put full size originals in Lr/Cloud instead of smart preiviews but so far that feature has not come about.

[nancycoste]

Dear Johan, Califdan, and the rest of the team,

First, I really do want to thank you both for taking the time to reply and explain the syncing behavior — especially given how often this issue must come up. I now understand that Lightroom Classic only uploads Smart Previews, and that full RAWs can’t be synced from there, no matter what.

Still, I have to be honest: from the user’s side, the interface can be quite confusing. When viewing images in Lightroom Web or Mobile, the system appears to label the files as "RAW" in several places (e.g., filter views, metadata pop-ups, album stats). Nowhere is there an obvious indication that these are Smart Previews. Even knowing what you've told me, when I see the word “RAW,” I naturally assume it’s a RAW — and I start worrying about storage, unintended uploads, and data management.

This is clearly a communication gap between how the system functions internally and what it’s presenting to the user. I imagine it’s not easy to resolve, but I’d love to offer a humble suggestion:

Perhaps a visible indicator or toggle in Lightroom Web and Mobile to confirm the actual cloud-stored file type — Smart Preview vs. RAW — would reduce confusion. Right now, it does require a bit of guesswork.

And while I know you’ve explained that Lightroom Classic won’t upload full-size originals, I’m still hoping Adobe might eventually provide a simple way to prevent Lightroom Mobile itself from uploading RAWs too — especially when importing from a camera roll. That added clarity would be very helpful for mobile-first workflows.

Finally, to Califdan: I really appreciated your note. I smiled when I read that you're used to jumping between the different apps to find tools or features — I'm relieved to know it’s not just me! Still, it does make me wonder (with some gentle humor): is this really how we want to be working with our images as professionals? It seems like a lot of platform-hopping just to get to what should be core tools.

I’m sincerely grateful for your time, your patience, and your willingness to explain all this. I hope some of these quirks are things the Lightroom team might consider addressing down the line.

Warm regards,
Nancy

[Califdan2 · Accepted solution]

A couple of points:

1)  Let me propose an analogy.  Let's say, you go onto Amazon and you order a copy of the US Constitution on parchment paper.   When you get it, you do not have the actual original from the 1770's.  What you have in your hand is a proxy or facsimile of the original - not the original.   However, if you read it, it says "United States Constitution" right at the top.  Nowhere does it say anything about it being a copy or proxy or replica.   In the same manner the Smart Preview is a proxy for the original RAW file and as such it carries the same file name as the original (IMG_1234.cr3), shows the file type of the original which it is standing in for (RAW), and also shows all the same metadata from the original.   In other words in most every regard it is an eaul substitute for the original RAW file except that it has fewer pixels an a smaller file size and can be used in all the same ways as the original.

2)  I consider LrC as the "super" or "most complete" of all the LR apps as it has the most features and tools and allows you to see the most information about images.  Having said that, there are a few tools available in one or more of the LR/Cloud apps which don't appear in LrC (yet?), so I just don't use those.

3) As a semi-pro photogapher I do most all my real work in LrC.  I am not about to do any fancy editing or adjusting looking at a 6" screen on my phone.  I treat the LR/Cloud apps as nothing more than a convenience for minor things I may want to do when I'm away from my main system.  For example, showing people images or doing initial rating and ranking and culling.  I'll also at times add titles and captions using LR/Cloud while I'm waiting for a flight at the airport or in other "waiting room" situations.  In other words, when I'm bored in a remote place.  But, for the real work, I'm back to my desktop computer and decently large monitor where I can control the envrionment.

4) It is many times quite puzzling to me what Adobe chooses to spend their R&D time on rather than requested features that I (and many others) would find way more useful.

5) Having said that, all the LR/Cloud apps have the core functions most folks rely on.  It's only some corner case things that are sporatic in the cloud apps which most folks could care less about or are only relevent for certain in frequent unique situaitons.  For example, if you need to completely wipe out everything in the cloud and start syncing over for some reason,  there is a step or two (used to find recent cloud imports and edits that may not have sucessfully synced to LrC)  that need a feature that is only available in one of the Cloud apps.  But, how often do you need to do that?