Lightroom freezes opening any version or backup of one catalogue.

[samb30297160]

I have a really weird situation where I cannot get a catalogue to open. When I try to open it I just get the first Lightroom loading graphic before it stops responding and the following files seem to cycle appearing and disappearing in the same container as the catalogue -
.lrcat-smh
.lrcat-wal
.lrcat.lock

I have tried using a backup of the catalogue from time machine from a time when I know that it was working and the same happens. I have also tried using an older version of Lightroom and my other computer to no avail.

All I have read about this online suggests an issue with the lrcat.lock file however I have deleted all and any .lrcat.lock files from my computer and still no luck.

Other catalogues seem to open fine.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Sameer K]

Hi, 

Thanks for reaching out! We are sorry about the trouble with Lightroom Classic. We are here to help!  

Could you please share the exact version of Lightroom Classic along with your operating system on your macOS computer? Please specify where the catalog is stored, are they stored on an internal drive or an external drive?  

If the catalog is stored on an external drive, please move it to the internal drive or desktop and try launching it from there. Please check here for more help related to Lightroom Classic Catalogs:  

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/catalog-faq-lightroom.html 

Also, please ensure Lightroom Classic has permissions needed on the Mac by following the steps suggested below:  

1.  Go to the System Preferences for your Mac, then Security and Privacy, then select the Privacy tab.  
2. Then select Accessibility from the list to the left & check if Lightroom Classic is added to the list with a checkmark in front of it.  
3. If Lightroom Classic is not a part of the list, please add it by unlocking the window first using the lock at the bottom left, then clicking the + icon & navigating to the Applications folder.  
4. Also, grant permissions to Lightroom Classic under Full disk access found in the same list as Accessibility. It should look like as shown below. 
   
5. Once done, restart the Mac & check if it helps. 

Please let us know if this helps!  

Regards, 

Sameer K. 

[samb30297160]

Hey Sameer, thanks for the quick response. 

I have tried launching the catalogue from desktop, from external drives and from the cloud, all to no avail.

I am using v11.1 but have also tried v10.0.

I have allowed those permissions and restarted but no difference. 

Thanks.

[samb30297160]

The only thing I am wondering about is the catalagoue upgrade situation.

When I recover a version of this catalogue from September 2021 and try and load it, it doesn't give me the option to upgrade it despite the fact that it was made before the update to lightroom which required all the catalogues to be upgraded. 

Does this narrow down the issue at all?

Thanks.

[dj_paige]

I have a really weird situation where I cannot get a catalogue to open. When I try to open it I just get the first Lightroom loading graphic before it stops responding and the following files seem to cycle appearing and disappearing in the same container as the catalogue -
.lrcat-smh
.lrcat-wal
.lrcat.lock

I think this is expected to happen. So that's not the problem.

If it is always the same catalog (and recent backups of this catalog) causing the problem, then try this:

Open a different catalog, then File->New Catalog, then File->Import From Another Catalog and select the problem catalog file.

[samb30297160]

Heya,

That is good thinking but has come up with the error - 

The catalog does not appear to be a valid Lightroom catalog.

Which is bizzare as it is in the folder of files that I have restored from time machine from when it definitely was working. The same goes for the version on my desktop.

Thanks.

[Todd Shaner]

Try resetting your LrC Preferences file. It is not updated when you do a reinstall and may be corrupted. Move the .plist file to your desktop as outlined at the below article. That way you can easily restore it if of no help.

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