LOCKED: If you have this problem start a thread: corrupted Lightroom catalog.

[jdclay2]

I was using lightroom and then I got this message: "the catalog could not be opened due to an unexpected error." Then I tried to repair the catalog in lightroom but it says this: "The Lightroom catalog is corrupt and cannot be used or backed up until it is repaired. I've tried choosing "repair catalog" but it doesn't work. There's a lot of work on this catalog that I need to access. Please let me know how to repair this corrupted catalog.

Thanks!

[Simon G E Garrett]

Just a reminder: Lightroom automatically creates a backup of the catalog at regular intervals.  I think that by default it creates backups every week, but that might be wrong.  Unless you have explicitly turned off backups (or always decline making a backup when Lightroom asks) then there should be a recent backup.

[mollydee123]

Hello Tanuj.

I am having the same problem with my 2017 Catalog, have been using a back up version of the Catalog, but now I am unable to back that version up any more. I have not lost work yet, but this is very stressful. Will you please help me?!

Thank you,

Molly

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

The easiest thing to do is to restore a recent backup of your catalog file.

Other than that, I have seen only this one attempt succeed at fixing a corrupted catalog, those instructions are here: Recover A Corrupted Unrepairable Lightroom 3 Catalog With SQLite | More Photography Tips | Photograp...

[Robot]

I have the same issue. Basically, I was uploading from a non-backed up catalog and the hard drive came unplugged... twice. The first time it happened, I was able to "repair the corrupt cat". The second time it happened, (wow) I chose "repair the corrupt cat" but it was not recoverable. After I clicked repair and it failed, I read advise on "never to hit repair". whoops.

I stopped backing up my catalogs to save space on my hard drive a couple of years ago, and in the 6 years I have been using Lr, Ive never had this problem. From this point forward, I will always back up and just delete previous back ups manually. It's worth it.

I was able to go into the corrupt folder and access all but 2 smart collections (about 500 photos) Those 2 collections are the ones I fin editing but had not uploaded yet to my zenfolio site. Those 2 smart collections are the images I needed to publish.

In one last attempt before downloading the SQLite plugin rec by DJ_Paige, I ended up copying my original non-repairable .lrcat (name hp3.lrcat) and put it into a new folder. Then I created a new cat from hp3.lrcat. I lost all of my smart collections (2000 images total) but all of my edits where there. With the exception of the 1 quick collection (200 photos) I was uploading when my hard drive came unplugged.

[Simon G E Garrett]

Robot wrote:

...I was uploading from a non-backed up catalog...

By default, Lightroom backs up the catalog every week.

Have you turned that function off?  If not, you will have a backup no more than one week old.

[jenna_nelson_890]

Where can I find the backup from Lightroom?

[Mark Fagan]

I'm having the same problem.

[DdeGannes]

The moral of this story is make regular backups of your Catalog.

Decide the threshold for the loss of data, if its one days processing then backup at the end of each day if its 1 hours work then backup every hour.

The chance of repairing a corrupt catalog is stacked against you, so you need to have a recent catalog that has been backed up so you can recover without undue loss of time. You will never recover wasted time reparing a catalog. 

[Harris_Fogel]

Yes, I agree. In my case it was a perfect storm. A single drive in a RAID somehow became corrupted, and as a properly functioning mirror should do, mirrored the corruption.

To make things worse, when the drives were rebuilt (Thanks to DiskWarrior), the latest backup folders were empty, so normally I'd have a current backup. My settings are to backup upon every time the app shuts down. I do have an offsite drive, but it's about a month behind, and difficult to get to right now.

I do backup on a regular basis to other devices, so now if the catalog can be repaired, fantastic, if not, I can create a new one, then merge it with the older one, to bring the entire catalog into current status. But, it's a reminder that even the best backup plans can have a fatal hitch is the conditions are right, or in my case wrong!

[mdkayser]

Oh boy.  So, my main computer drive where I run LR died.  Thankfully my pictures are all backed up to multiple external drives, as well as having a catalog back up, but the catalog was backed up to the drive that died.  The files were recovered, but LR does not like me.  It has sort of loaded the original catalog, but not correctly and it is not showing any pictures (or metadata - AH!).  I obviously don't want (and shouldn't need) to import all the photos again, and it seems that even if I did, the editing data wouldn't ride with it.  Help?!?!

[dj_paige]

Catalog backups must (MUST!) go on a different disk than the working catalog.

It has sort of loaded the original catalog,

What does this mean? What does "sort of loaded" mean? What do you see that indicates it is the original catalog if the photos don't show and the metadata isn't there?

[mdkayser]

Yes, I understand that now.  It was set as a default to go where my LR was running, and I couldn't figure out how to change it.  My husband has me set up now.  Sorry about my lack of details.  LR has found all the folders (6 years worth) from the catalog, but doesn't show anything in the folders - and no - no photos or metadata.  I assume this means it is the original catalog.  Perhaps I am wrong.

[dj_paige]

LR has found all the folders (6 years worth) from the catalog, but doesn't show anything in the folders - and no - no photos or metadata.  I assume this means it is the original catalog.  Perhaps I am wrong.

Can you show us a screen capture?

Do you mean each folder has zero photos in it? Or do you mean that the photos are present because there is a positive number to the left of the folder name, but the photos don't show, they are grey rectangles?? Or do you mean something else?

[mdkayser]

[mdkayser]

Yes, each folder has zero photos in it, but the actual folders on the drive have all the photos.  I can sync them one folder at a time, but that doesn't bring over the metadata, only the CR2 files (and obviously negates the idea of having a backed up catalog and would take forever).  They are not "missing" (no question mark present on files), because the original folders / files have not been moved.  I know that the comment earlier in this thread about using SQL to repair the files has already been done.

[dj_paige]

So, no backups, and the catalog you are using has no metadata, I think you are out of luck, I think you have no other choice but the import all the photos again and re-create the edits and metadata.

[mdkayser]

I do have back ups.  I back up every time I close out of LR.  While the original drive died, my husband works IT and was able to run repairs and get back most of the data.  Some of the CR2 files that were in process and were on the desktop were lost or corrupt, but he was able to save a lot, including the LR back-ups, 1:1 previews, etc from the original drive, which is all separate from the drive where all my images (CR2 files) are kept.  He repaired the drive then saved the data to a new drive, bought additional new drives, rebuilt the computer, and reloaded everything.  When trying to import the catalog backups however, that's where the problems came.  He has been able to run some fixes, so we are much better now than we were before, but we were hoping for some additional support.  He likely has a clean backup of the crashed drive from before the crash that is several months old, so if that is the best we can do, then we try that route.

[dj_paige]

I can't read the words on the screen in your screen capture.

You state you have backups (plural). You need to open each one by double-clicking on it until you find one that shows non-zero files in the folders, that's probably the catalog (or one of the catalogs) that you want.

[pete8888]

Hi,

I have the same issue. I can open my catalog from the 1 backup I have and see it all there but when I try to back it up it says it can't, tries to repair it when I re-open it and then says it cannot, that the catalog is corrupt and won't open the catalog. If I delete the corrupt catalog and put a fresh copy into the Lightroom folder, it will open it again and then it happens again. Can you help me fix this?

[KASWhite]

PLEASE HELP!!! I'm in the midst of trying to finish up coursework for my program & it needs to be in by Monday. Unfortunately, I'm having the exact same problem with Lightroom: a corrupt catalogue that cannot repair itself. I've also done a LOT of work, and don't have a recent back up. Adobe is closed until Monday, by which time I will fail my projects. Please help!!!

[pete8888]

you might try this data recovery software. It worked for me

Easeus Software Recovery

http://www.easeus.com/

[naomie70809565]

I had all my files on a external hardrive that I was working off of. I even backed up to the same drive. I know not to smart - because I dropped my drive and had it shipped out to get repaired. All of the files seem to be on this new drive that they replaced. However, when I open up lightroom I'm getting a window that says {Unexpected error opening catalog.} I know that my old files where on my old drive called "UNDERDOG" now this new drive "SUPERMAN" isn't letting me open up the backup files or catalogues from it. Is this a naming issue that I am dealing with? Why isn't this working for me? I hope the files aren't corrupted. Also I noticed in my Lightroom folder that was on my external does not have preview files it only has the main catalog and the backups.

[conniem60430281]

It happened to me too! I just photographed my first wedding. I was about 90% finished with the editing and this happened. My last backup is from a year ago. I really don't want to lose 20+ hours of editing from this shoot. Help!

I have found a way to copy a backup into the corrupted Lightroom catalog, but I am really trying to find a way to save my edits from this wedding, if possible. Also, I have plenty of space on my external hard drive.

[Debbie703]

Unfortunately I do not have a recent back up at all.

[clpvt]

I have this same problem with a corrupt LR6 catalog on an iMac using Sierra 10.12.6.  I do have a backup and have replaced the corrupt catalog with a backup.  However, this is the third time in a month that I've had a corrupt catalog.  Any ideas about what's wrong?