Unable to import catalog from an older version of LR

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
August 10, 2020
2 replies
462 views

I have a number of catalogs that were already exported from an even older version of Lightroom on a iMac that has since died.

purchased a new laptop and the exported catalogs live on an external drive. When I try to import using latest LR it gives the "something went wrong. The Lightroom classic catalog seems to be an exported catalog or has been copied".

if I try it on the non exported version I get the following error: Unsupported catalog version. This version of Lightroom cannot migrate the selected catalog.

I no longer have access to the older version of Light Room. How can I resolve this issue?

any help appreciated

Thx

This topic has been closed for replies.

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

It seems you a trying to migrate some older Lightroom (Classic) catalogs to the cloud. It that really what you want?

There are two 'Lightroom' versions: ‘Lightroom Classic’ (the Lightroom version that has been around for about 15 years, and is now at version 9.3) and just ‘Lightroom’ (now at version 3.3), also known as ‘Lightroom desktop’ or ‘Lightroom cloud’. This is the new application that stores images and edits in the cloud. Lightroom is not the successor of Lightroom Classic! Both are current, aimed at a different audience.

If you do want to switch to Lightroom and want to migrate older catalogs, then install (a trial copy of) Lightroom Classic and open these catalogs. Lightroom Classic will upgrade them. The upgraded copies can then be migrated.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

M

maxs6888464Author

Participant

Thank you for your response. I guess I did not realize there were 2 versions...

so in answering your question yes I used to have a version (presumably classic) residing on my old desktop iMac. Now I am using cloud services so I am on the other version.

I now am downloading classic. Will report back.

🙂