Lightroom Classic on Mac without creative cloud

[1Japon]

My creative cloud is 2016 and won't update or be uninstalled. I am using a  Mac  2012 with Catalina OS and LRC suddenly stopped wotoking today.  It just flashes and then disappears on start up. I installed a newer version of LRC but don't want to use the cloud for storage. Only 6000  of 15.000 photos came through and  they were no longer in folders, years etc.   How do I import my library/catalogue without connecting to the Creative Cloud.  I know it is the beginning of 2022 and my computer is becoming obsolete ( okay for what I need it for) but I don't want to buy a  new computer and have the same problem.   How can I see my photos now?

Can I use Lightroom Classic without the creative cloud?  Do adobe set  programs use the cloud?

Getting confused with all the changes I don't  ask for or want!

[dj_paige]

No version of Lightroom Classic requires using the cloud for storage of photos. However, it does require the presence of a working Creative Cloud app, the purpose of having this is the check to see if you license is valid and paid up.

You have used a previous version of Lightroom (version 6 or earlier) or Lightroom Classic — where are the photos? They cannot be stored in the cloud, they must be stored on a local hard drive or network drive.

[JohanElzenga]

Try resetting the preferences: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

[milesp87720620]

I bought a new computer ( they have such small storage these days) and that helped me access the software.  It was a good chance to get rid of the duplicates. I was able to bring accross just the last two years of photos and put the rest on an HD. I left most of the  documents/data   c--p on a back up I can access and am going to be more selective of what I keep now. 

I must say Lightroom is trying to  be very helpful. Whenever lightroom gets near my phone or the External HD  Pictures file it seems to want to add everything back in. Will it import only what I tell it too without looking through  the other 33,000 photos???

At the moment I am Airdropping photos from phone to desktop file and then importing into lightroom from there and deleting from desktop file. Is there a shorter way?

[JohanElzenga]

Lightroom only imports what you tell it to import, and if you choose 'ADD' it will only add the images to its catalog (which is just a database with information about the images) and not copy them to another location. That means you can easily add all the images of the external disk, because the images will stay right where they are.

[dj_paige]

Whenever lightroom gets near my phone or the External HD Pictures file it seems to want to add everything back in.

Do you mean Lightroom Classic, or Lightroom? Lightroom Classic does not force you to import everything.