lightroom catalog upgrades

Report · Mar 25, 2025

I have a question regarding lightroom classic upgrading catalogs after new releases. Because of different professional and personal situations, I need to have more than one lightroom catalog. I am used to lightroom needing to upgrade catalogs after a major release... What confuses me is: Using 14.2 I have opened and used all my catalogs. None of them ask me to upgrade catalog. However when looking unside each catalog folder on my drive, some catalog files are .lrcat and some are v13-4.lrcat... There seems to be no correlation between catalog age and the current naming convension. Why did lightroom upgrade some catalogs and not others? (or did it upgrade without changing file naming convension)? How come none of my lrcat files are 14...etc...?

Report · Mar 25, 2025

The name of the catalog file may or may not indicate what LrC version created the catalog.

For LrC 14, the only upgrade would happen during your first use of LrC 14, which for most people is when they first run LrC 14.0. So, if the catalog file opens in LrC 14.2, it has been upgraded somewhere along the way.

Report · Mar 25, 2025

So if I open first catalog (of 5) with Lrc14 it would only upgrade that catalog? (or each catalog the first time it is opened with Lrc14)? If I am using Lrc14.2 and have always upgraded along the way, why are some of my catalogs Lrcat and some v13-4? (None are upgraded to 14).

Report · Mar 25, 2025

So if I open first catalog (of 5) with Lrc14 it would only upgrade that catalog?

Yes

If I am using Lrc14.2 and have always upgraded along the way, why are some of my catalogs Lrcat and some v13-4?

I don't know how upgrading changes the catalog name, as I have only done this on my own catalog, which has default names, and Catalog v-13 upgrades to Catalog v-14 (or something like that). If your catalogs don't have default name, I don't know what LrC will do when upgrading. However, it is easy to change the catalog name, the command in LrC is File->Rename Catalog. Please remember, the catalog name does not necessarily indicate which version of LrC can open this catalog.