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jeffreyp91318676
jeffreyp91318676
Known Participant
June 14, 2018
Answered

Lightroom Library.lrlibrary and Mobile Downloads.lrdata File sizes

  • June 14, 2018
  • 7 replies
  • 8608 views

I've searched the online docs and forums for this issue and I find similar discussions/replies, but not exactly my issue.  I use LR Classic CC Lightroom CC.

I have about 43GB of files in the CC cloud, but this Lightrooom Library.lrlibrary file is 90 + GB on my Macbook's HD.  I looked at the settings for the photo cache and it was set to 25% with no local storage.  I reduced that to 10%.  Shouldn't this .lrlibrary file shrink down?  Why is the local file twice the size of my cloud storage? Is there anyway to reduce this fie size?

I also have a file called mobile Downloads.lrdata that is 30 + GB.  I have some folders in Classic that appear to be mobile downloads, but not anywhere near 30 + GB.  Why is this file so big?  Is there anyway to reduce this file size?

Sorry if this has been answered before, but I cannot find any answers suitable to my situation.

Any thoughts you may have are greatly appreciated.

      This topic has been closed for replies.
      Correct answer 99jon

      The default cache in LRCC 1.3 is managed intelligently (as long as store a copy locally is not enabled) but it can sometimes take a while for files to drop out, after import or migration.

      But you can clear the originals manually once you are happy that everything is backed up in the cloud.

      Go to your Pictures folder and right-click (control-click) on Lightroom Library.lrlibrary and choose “Show Package Contents”

      You should find a folder with a long string of letters & numbers. Navigate to the folder with originals and you should see files in dated sub-folders.

      It is safe to trash everything in Originals.

      7 replies

      D
      default8c4f8iof6eln
      Participant
      November 22, 2021

      THANK YOU THANK YOU - Just spent the last hour browsing in other forums and you've been the only one with an answer that is so simple and actually works! Happy to have 100GB of storage back, never seen before!

      Geetarism
      Geetarism
      Participant
      April 8, 2021

      Thanks so much for this. Just got back half my HD back!!

      K
      Katrin Eismann
      Participating Frequently
      January 21, 2021

      I was having the same issues and appreciate LEGEND answer - I checked the original folders and noticed that mine were files I had deleted. So just in 2020 that was almost 20Gb of unneeded files. Thanks - this saved me a lot of HD space!

       

      J
      JessalinElliott
      Participant
      June 19, 2020

      Is there a way to avoid saving more originals to my disk space? Or do I need to remember to delete the originals on occasion? I don't have any of the preferences selected to save items on my computer.

      99jon
      99jon
      Legend
      June 19, 2020

      Originals should drop out automatically although this sometimes happens more slowly than expected. After importing new photos I generally delete the contents of the originals folder once cloud sync is complete and I’ve finished all my editing, notably checking focus and sharpness etc.

      Ecuarican
      Ecuarican
      Participating Frequently
      April 6, 2020

      I have the shared locally box unchecked. Is there a different way that it may have been storing locally that I am not aware of?

      99jon
      99jon
      Legend
      April 7, 2020

      In that case I’m not sure why you are seeing any errors. You can check what originals are stored in the cloud by logging-in using a web browser.

      https://lightroom.adobe.com/

      A
      ariannaoferlinstar
      Participant
      February 27, 2020

      THANK YOU!!

      99jon
      99jonCorrect answer
      Legend
      June 14, 2018

      The default cache in LRCC 1.3 is managed intelligently (as long as store a copy locally is not enabled) but it can sometimes take a while for files to drop out, after import or migration.

      But you can clear the originals manually once you are happy that everything is backed up in the cloud.

      Go to your Pictures folder and right-click (control-click) on Lightroom Library.lrlibrary and choose “Show Package Contents”

      You should find a folder with a long string of letters & numbers. Navigate to the folder with originals and you should see files in dated sub-folders.

      It is safe to trash everything in Originals.

        jeffreyp91318676
        jeffreyp91318676Author
        Known Participant
        June 14, 2018

        So this is excellent and worked as advertised.  My very crowded hard drive thanks you.

        Do you know if I can do the same thing to the mobile Downloads.lrdata file?

        If you know, will the .lrlibrary file perform more intelligently now?

        Thanks very much for the excellent answer!

        Jeff

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