New Participant

Answered

Lightroom catalog cannot be opened because another application already has it opened

Forum|Forum|17 years ago
October 22, 2008
41 replies
123199 views

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer _DW_Harrison_

Try looking into whatever directory your catalog is in and deleting the ".lock" file with the same name as your catalog.

D

Damssaul277460844t8j

New Participant

I can't find the lock files

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

'.LOCK' files should only exist when LrC is running. They should disappear when LrC is shutdown.

If you have an existing .LOCK file preventing you from opening a Catalog with the error message- "The Lightroom catalog cannot be opened because another application already has it opened." the .LOCK file can be found next to the Catalog.LRCAT file, using File Explorer or Finder.

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.0, Photoshop 27.0, ACR 18.0, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0 .

D

Damssaul277460844t8j

New Participant

I went into the folder I only see the Lightroom files and the data. The lock is not there.

J

Juan José26940368xh0x

Participating Frequently

Hi,

I'm getting same problem but I can't fix it.
In my case the lrcat.lock file is not in the directory and I can see that LR try unsuccessfully to write one in the folder. In fact it is possible to copy the file in the same folder, so i

t looks that it is not a privilege issue.
Any advise will be welcome.

D

dj_paige

Brainiac

Hi,
I'm getting same problem but I can't fix it.
In my case the lrcat.lock file is not in the directory and I can see that LR try unsuccessfully to write one in the folder. In fact it is possible to copy the file in the same folder, so i
t looks that it is not a privilege issue.
Any advise will be welcome.

By @Juan José26940368xh0x

First, try describing the problem from the beginning, providing lots and lots of details, leaving nothing out.

What is happening that makes you say "I can see that LR try to unsuccessfully to write one in the folder". Provide details, lots and lots of details, leaving nothing out.

J

Juan José26940368xh0x

Participating Frequently

I've tried to delete the lock file (that was not in the directory) and copy the catalog to another folder, with no success.

By @Juan José26940368xh0x

If the .lock file is not in the directory, then you are looking at the wrong directory, this is not the directory that contains the catalog file you are trying to open; it contains some other catalog file. You may need to have your operating system search all folders on all disks for files whose name ends with .LRCAT, and then delete the .LOCK files in each of those folders (one-by-one) until your catalog opens.

Also, if you are a Mac user, please read this: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic/ct-p/ct-lightroom-classic?page=1&sort=latest_replies&filter=all&lang=all&tabid=discussions

I'm using windows, and I'm looking the rigth directory because I can see the lock file when LR is starting, once the OK buttont of the error message windos is pulsed, the file desapear and LR is not rurring.

F

Federico Polese

New Participant

Well done it worked for me

R

Remo24378265rqq1

New Participant

Is there someone to help

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

"help" with what?

Please include the following in your question:
Adobe product and Version number.
A Screenshot of the info panel from MENU: Help/System Info...
Operating system and Version number
The full text of any Error Message(s)
What you were doing when the problem occurred
Screenshots of the problem.

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.0, Photoshop 27.0, ACR 18.0, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0 .

E

ericpaulmarks

New Participant

Awesome thank you worked perfecly!

larryg65365216

New Participant

This did it. Worked perfectly. Thank you!

R

ranveig marien58235082

New Participant

Thank YOU! 🙂 I believed all my recent work were gone 😉

J

jonathonaiken

New Participant

That sorted it for me too. I am running the latest version and windows 10

KevinMByers

Known Participant

The fact that i had to use a thread from 2008 to solve an issue in 2020 is all kinds of wrong.

Just Shoot Me

Brainiac

Although your search for an answer took you back to a 2008 conversation doesn't mean there aren't newer posts/replies that deal with the same problem. A Lock file was left behind in the folder the catalog is stored in because of either a LrC or system crash of some kind.

A Google search for Lightrrom classic won't start because the catalog is being used by another program give you this.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/lightroom-error-catalog-cannot-be-opened-lrcat-lock.html

KevinMByers

Known Participant

My point was that we're twelve years on and this is still an issue.

JP Hess

Inspiring

Whenever LrC starts normally a lock file is generated. It has to be there, you must not delete it. Leave it alone! It is a file that you should ignore. When Lightroom closes normally LrC will delete it automatically, and you won't get any of those "other application" notices. Don't look for that file, it isn't anything that you should even be aware of under normal circumstances. The only time it should become a concern is "IF" Lightroom shuts down abnormally and that file gets left behind. It is then that you have to go in and find it and delete it. Otherwise, it is a file that you simply ignore.

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