Skip to main content
D
daerp
Inspiring
November 25, 2017
Answered

Can I move my Lightroom Library.lrlibrary to an external drive?

  • November 25, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 3574 views

I've discovered that Lightroom CC (after migration of my 'classic' catalog, put a catalog Lightroom Library.lrlibrary in my user/Pictures folder. It is more than 25 Gb and I really don't want it sitting on my laptop. I've copied it to an external drive. So, can I safely delete it from my laptop Pictures folder? Does Lightroom CC need to know where that catalog is? What's it for? I can't see how to set a location for this catalog in LR CC's preferences.

      This topic has been closed for replies.
      Correct answer Victoria Bampton LR Queen

      No, at this point in time, you can move the originals to another drive but the Lightroom Library has to be on the boot drive. Hopefully that'll become smarter in future. You might be able to get around it using a symlink, but that would be very unofficial.

      1 reply

      Victoria Bampton LR Queen
      Community Expert
      Victoria Bampton LR QueenCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      November 26, 2017

      No, at this point in time, you can move the originals to another drive but the Lightroom Library has to be on the boot drive. Hopefully that'll become smarter in future. You might be able to get around it using a symlink, but that would be very unofficial.

      Victoria - The Lightroom Queen
      T
      Turkat
      Participating Frequently
      April 5, 2020

      Any progress on this option?  I have Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.2 installed from the Mac App store.  I never had Lightroom Classic that I had to mitigate.  But, the Lightroom Library.lrlibrary is still taking up 16GB on my boot drive.  If I try to rename or move then my Albums names are visable but there are no photos.

       

      I spoke with Tech Chat on Adobe who said I should not require that file.  When I informed them about above they left to do research for 20 minutes then abruptly ended the chat 😞

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices