Optimizing Catalog to Save Storage & Increase Performance

[zaksuhar]

I'm working on a MacBook Pro 2017 that is super laggy. What is a recommendation to optimize against this and increase performance? Can I store the catalog on an external hard drive? Should I store catalogs in sub folders as I create them? Any help and and detailed instructions (or even hopping on a screen share) on how to set up any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

[Rob_Cullen]

Your post suggests you are not using Lightroom (this is a 'Lightroom-ecosystem' forum), but instead are using Lightroom-Classic, or an old version of Lr (perpetual).

So post a screen-clip of the report from MENU: Help > System Info...

Then you may get a suitable answer.

[zaksuhar]

Hi Rob, this is indeed for Lightroom. Thanks!

[Rob_Cullen]

Can I store the catalog on an external hard drive?

"Lightroom" - No.

Should I store catalogs in sub folders as I create them?

No.

The Lightroom Catalog is stored in the Cloud. You can only have the ONE Cloud Catalog. A Copy of the catalog can reside on your computer to allow editing of images when offline.

And which Lightroom is that?

Lightroom (Perpetual v1-6)

Lightroom- Desktop (v5.0)

Lightroom-Classic v11.0.1

Lightroom-Mobile (iOS or Android)

Lightroom-Web

For Lightroom-CLASSIC (and Lr Perpetual versions) find some info here-

Performance - The Complete Series on Optimizing Lightroom's Speed | The Lightroom Queen

[GoldingD]

Please post your System Information as Lightroom Classic (LrC) reports it. In LrC click on Help, then System Info, then Copy. Paste that information into a reply. Please present all information from first line down to and including Plug-in Info. Info after Plug-in info can be cut as that is just so much dead space to us non-Techs.