Lightroom crashes on MacOS Ventura, MacBook M2

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

Since the last update, Lightroom is crashing after several minutes (or sometimes if changing a menu). The application cannot be terminated (only after several tries including cancelling the adobe crash handler process). Thereafter, the whole system is unstable, access to NAS not possible, reboot necessary.

The validating of the database during startup or creation of a blank catalogue and importing again all the photos has no effect, as the app crashes almost immediately. Tried also to remove Rosetta, without any effect. Even blank catalogues crash, and there is a definite relationship also with network access, as no drive on the NAS is shown by the system after a crash.

My photos are stored on the NAS (and quickly accessed on startup, catalogue, database and backups are directly located on the Mac (to avoid as least the well-known issue with NAS drives). The NAS is accessed via SMB (everything as before the last upgrade). Has anyone closer information on that issue? Directly before the update, this configuration worked pretty well on my system, also after the upgrade to MacOS Ventura...

[TheDigitalDog]

First try with a local catalog.

Try resetting your Lightroom preferences:

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/setting-preferences-lightroom.html

Also see: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/important-steps-for-manually-resetting-...

Quit Lightroom Classic.

macOS: Press and hold the Shift + Option keys.

Windows: Press and hold the Shift + Alt keys.

While holding down the keys, launch Lightroom Classic. 

When asked, select "Yes". Try logging into another user account (you may need to make one), still crashing? 

Try starting up in Safe mode (hold down Shift Key when booting), still crashing? 

You might want to try running a free utility like Onyx: still crashing? 

https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html

Also view:

https://www.macworld.com/article/352902/onyx-review-macos.html

https://www.macworld.com/article/224955/how-to-reset-a-macs-nvram-pram-and-smc.html

From Adobe:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/basic-troubleshooting.html

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

Sorry, but I wouldn´t have posted here if I hadn´t ried all the generic suggestions. It is already a well-known issue discussed in many groups. And I don´t think that the lightroom preference reset has anything to do with the network issues after crashing. I just want to know, if it is under investigation or if someone else has a workaround.

[TheDigitalDog]

Did you try booting in safe mode or logging into a new user? Still crashing, time for a clear install of the OS.
https://www.techtarget.com/searchitchannel/definition/clean-install?amp=1

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

The McBook is 2 months old and had a clean install, different user makes no difference and everything worked perfect until the update of Lightroom...

[TheDigitalDog]

Yes but in 2 months (2 days) other conflicting software may have been installed. 
You could also try booting off a clean install off another drive but until you try all possible options presented, there isn't much more we can do here.

We also don't know what you tried until you tell us.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

We’ve reviewed the email address you use with this forum and find no crash reports in our system.

Did you see a crash dialog?

Do you use a different email address when filling out the crash report?

Was the crash dialog Adobe’s? Apple’s?

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

I have exactly the same problems as already mentioned in the forum:

         Lightroom Classic is crashing on MacOS Ventura               

I never saw a crash report from Adobe and had serious troubles to stop the process. Obviously, after rebooting there is still the adobe crashhandler running in several instances (see also photo posted below). Now, after resetting, I created a new Standard catalog and am now trying to import photos from my last catalog- after 30 minutes without progress I canceled the program manually, as I couldn´t abort it properly again. Next try: reboot, kill all crashhandler processes, start over now importing the Photos DIRECTLY from the NAS (not from the old catalog).

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

Just pinned the problem: Lightroom stays stable when working on my McBook only, including imports (works quick and perfect). As soon as I access my NAS (even to import a small folder, it gets stuck. It seems to me more a Ventura/Synology problem... btw: I NEVER received a crash report window for Adobe, only for Apple... unusual, as this usually works e.g. in Acrobat Pro...

[Ian Lyons · Accepted solution]

If the issue is between your Synology and Ventura, then best you check on Synology Community forum if there are any known conflicts, etc 

https://community.synology.com/enu

[TheDigitalDog]

Just pinned the problem: Lightroom stays stable when working on my McBook only, including imports (works quick and perfect). As soon as I access my NAS (even to import a small folder, it gets stuck. It seems to me more a Ventura/Synology problem... btw: I NEVER received a crash report window for Adobe, only for Apple... unusual, as this usually works e.g. in Acrobat Pro...

By @Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7

Which is why days ago the first reply here I wrote; First try with a local catalog.

Reply to that:

Sorry, but I wouldn´t have posted here if I hadn´t ried all the generic suggestions.

We again also don't know what you tried until you tell us.

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

Rikk, there were many helpful hints in the community, but I will post my solution here to ensure, that the information goes directly to Adobe. Following staps I did to get Lightroom perfectly working with my NAS:

1) Uninstalled CleanMyMac (don´t know, if it was one of the reasons, just to be on the safe side)

2) On my NAS, I deactivated-saved-activated-saved SMB. Due to some suggestions from Synology groups: 3 day after the LR upgrade, there was also an upgrade from Synology (Network/Cloud services!) which caused access problems from Mac to Synology. Rebooted NAS (Rackstation RS 815+).

3) Opened my old catalog in Lightroom, worked like a charm until now. Started with a reset and verification of the database.

As the problems appeared directly after accessing the NAS, I presume that the upgrade of the Syno caused the issues. Deactivating and activating SMB services (although it may be without sense) did the trick! Unfortunately, never a crash window from Adobe appeared, just from Apple. And CleanMyMac stays removed to be on the safe side....

[Jao vdL]

The deactivating and reactivating the SMB service is probably exactly what solved your issue here. I haven't seen this on my Synology NAS but it is very possible that the upgrade you did brought the SMB file server in a strange state that caused issues for the file share and how Lightroom accesses it. Restarting the service might have reset that. I have had to do the same thing (unchecking and rechecking SMB service) once before because of oddities with the server not appearing in finder and not even allowing me to mount the share manually through finder command-K. Restarting it solved that.

[dw24154351]

I'm seeing LRC 12.2.1 and 12.1 crash on macOS Ventura 13.3.1 / M2.

Just a couple of clicks switching between images and it aborts.

The crash does not result in an Adobe Crash Reporter modal appearing. Nor does an Apple crash modal appear. This might explain why there are no crash logs being uploaed. I've tested now 3 times and nothing. Tried a 4th time and it still crashes - I have even backtracked to 12.1.

[Ian Lyons]

> Tried also to remove Rosetta, without any effect. 

Why are using Rosetta?

Other than for tethering Canon cameras in MacOS prior to Ventura, LrC hasn't required Rosetta since June 2021.

Have you tried creating a catalog that contains only files installed on a non networked drive (i.e. non NAS)? If no, then please try and report results. 

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

Why using Rosetta? There are still programs on OSX requiring Rosetta, e.g. Mail Bridge from Proton Mail....

I cannot even create a catalog, as somewhen LR crashes, during creation, import...

And here is a "live view" from my actual try, resetted LR and now trying to import from another catalog (verified). it is still alive, prompting "importing Photos" since 15 minutes. How long does it take to import a catalog with 32.000 photos, 15MB average? Not sure, if the process is slow due to the quantity or an endless loop...

[Ian Lyons]

To create a new catalog - hold down the Option key when launching LrC. Yous should see a dialog like the attached screenshot.

[GoldingD]

Yes I read that you have or created a blank catalog. But to be certain:

You can create a new catalog?

And without ever accomplishing any imports. with that new catalog open, LrC crashes?

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

No. Not, if the catalog is empty. Only during

• import from a NAS
• import from another catalog
• sometimes even if I change the menu, when I start with the latest catalog, which loads well first, then locks after some mouseclicks.

It freezes, then has to be manually aborted. The adobe crashhandler processes are present even after reboot.

[johnrellis]

Double-check that LR is granted Full Disk Access (not Files And Folders) permission:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/quick-tips-how-to-give-full-disk-access...

Without Full Disk Access, LR can do all sorts of screwy things.  (We don't know which "generic" steps you've already performed.)

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

Yes, also checked that. Added now Lightroom also to "Accessability" as suggested. Just importing from NAS to a new catalog, will wait now for several hours (33.000pics). After (probable) rebooting, I will check if the change of this setting had an effect. not sure, if the process is frozen or longer taking due to the huge amount of pics- I didn´t want to reimport from my old catalog and decided to start the process brand new. Do you have a guess, how long the import (photos stay on NAS) of 33.000 pics x 12MB takes?

[johnrellis]

Rough estimates:

Importing raws with the Add option and the default building standard-sized previews will go roughly 2-3 photos/sec, perhaps somewhat faster on your M2.  So expect 3-5 hours at least.  

If you import raws with Build Previews: Embedded & Sidecar, it can considerably faster, about 10 photos/sec plus or minus, so about an hour.  If you have the option Preferences > General > Replace Embedded Previews With Standard Previews During Idle Time, then LR will incrementally build standard-sized previews as you scroll through Library and/or leave LR idle.

[Jao vdL]

I run Lightroom Classic 12.1 with images on my Synology NAS (DSM 7.1.1) and it works beautifully and always has. This is both on a MBP M1 Max and a MBP i9 machine both fully updated Ventura. Works just fine. I know this is not helpful but I doubt it has anything to do with the Classic version or Mac OS X version but must be related to another configuration issue. Are you running any third party stuff on this machine? Crapware such as MacCleaner? Anything else?

[Wolfgang Alex26059042qus7]

just CleanMyMac... as I mentioned: I changed nothing in the NAS configuration, everything else with the NAS works like a charm. The version before the update worked also perfect together with the Syno, also latest DSM.

[Jao vdL]

CleanMyMac is widely known to be terrible crapware that if you're lucky does little harm but at worst causes major issues with your Mac. If you see a positive review on youtube or somesuch those are all paid for. Highly recommend nuking it completely. I have no clue whether it is the cause of your issues but more than once I have seen it delete essential parts of Adobe installations and system software to "make your Mac more efficient" and cause problems. I semiregularly teach Lightroom Classses at local photoclubs and sometimes see it on people's machines and those machines are invariably very unstable and don't work right. Anything CleanMyMac does is easily done manually if you really need to (almost never) and all it does is scare people about all kinds of non-issues and slow your machine down. 

For your issue, I would disable CleanMyMac and reinstall Classic (might need to use Adobe's Creative Cloud Cleaner to completely get rid of every preference file before reinstalling). I would also make sure access permissions are set correctly. If this doesn't help, try creating a new user on the machine and run Classic from this user. 

A fresh install of Mac OS X and Lightroom Classic without doing anything special will run just fine on a M2 mac including access images on network shares. If the program crashes something else is off that somehow interacts. It's possible that the latest update brought this bad interaction with other stuff on your machine to light.