is there a size limit to the LrC library?

[lasers100]

Heard a comment from a respectable photographer that LrC could run into a 'won't run' issue with about 5TB of images referenced, irrespective of the size of the .lrcat file itself.  Is this true (I have already exceeded this so worry that I'm on thin ice now)?  Or is the limit on previews?  Or anything else?  Or is this urban legend from someone with a corrupt catalogue?

thanks, Bill

[Rob_Cullen · Accepted solution]

You might find these two links informative (although they refer to earlier versions of Lightroom-Classic when it was simply known as "Lightroom")

http://lightroomsolutions.com/articles/one-or-many-lightroom-catalogues/

https://lightroomkillertips.com/many-images-can-one-lightroom-catalog-still-perform-well/

Large catalogs work successfully, and the only downside is that they may take longer to backup when you exit the catalog.

[KR Seals · Accepted solution]

Not true. My LrC catalog references 180,000 images. Most of those are high resolution 45mp images that are almost 7TB on two different hard drives and LrC runs just fine. It's really preferable to have the LrC catalog located on the fastest drive (preferably a SSD) in your computer.

[KR Seals · Accepted solution]

Ref: Corrupt Catalog... A sure sign of a corrupt catalog is that LrC will not start. Good catalog backup procedures and optimizing help prevent issues like a corrupt catalog. However, the only time in 18 years of using Lr/LrC was this year when my new home built PC had defective ram that corrupted the catalog. Since I optimize and backup the catalog on each LrC exit, I was back in business when the replacement ram arrived overnight from the Amazon warehouse that is a mile away from our home. 🙂

[dj_paige]

Heard a comment from a respectable photographer that LrC could run into a 'won't run' issue with about 5TB of images referenced

I take this as an incorrect statement. There are no hard-coded limits, only limits being what your hard disks can hold. And your photos don't need to be all on a single disk, LrC has no problems with some photos on Disk A and some photos on Disk B and some photos on Disk C and so on

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Heard a comment from a respectable photographer that LrC could run into a 'won't run' issue with about 5TB of images referenced, irrespective of the size of the .lrcat file itself.  Is this true ?

By @lasers100

There is no limit. My catalog is double that size (11.8 TB) and has no issues. I am aware of customer catalogs in the 10s of millions of images

[lasers100]

OK, thanks everyone.  Consider case closed.  As I expected there is no basis for the issue raised, again likely a corrupt catalogue was the root of the tale.