How to manage that two PC's share the same catalog?

Very much thanks.  Now I understand why I can not do what I wanted to do and I have a plan: use the external drive to allow use on both computers, delete all the media files on the laptop with has limited HD space, backup intermittently somewhere (could be another external drive or use a removable internal drive on the PC.  Keep another backup in another location. 

Mark

Thanks Michael, 

I understand.  I was initially thinking of the external drive as being a way to sync the two catalogs on two computers, but understand the external drive is allowing mer to use the same catalog and media files on two computers by haveing the computers look to the external drive.  Is there a way to use Organizer to sync two computers, I could use the home network, so that if I delete a media file on the PC it will get deleted on the laptop?   I if keep a catalog on three devices should I use different names for the HD and computer catalogs, like PS Catalog Ext drive, PS Catalog PC, PS Catalog Laptop?

Thanks,!

Mark

"I want to use PS on two computers and I want each computer to have the catalog and photo files in case something happens to one of the computers. With the description of backup and restore and using external drive B for the catalog is the catalog and photo files stored on both computers AND the external drive? If I delete files from Computer A and want them deleted from Computer B will the external drive delete them from both the catalog and from the computer itself? Thanks, mb"

It's simple: the backup and restore process creates a working COPY of your media files and the catalog.

It does not delete anything from the original location.

You can work from the original or from the restored copy, but as soon as you edit something in a catalog, those edits are ignored by the other one. No syncing. Each catalog and files library starts its own life.

You still have the backup available to restore the situation in the original location or copy it to any other computer, drive or even master folder.

General workflow if you want to share as explained previously:

The original situation is kept on the original drive,

The external drive contains the copy and can be used from either computer by plugging it alternatively.

You can ignore or even delete the files and original catalog from the original drive to save space. You can restore another time from the backup folder in case of a crash on the original or destination computer.

The destination computer has no copy of the files and the catalog: it uses those on the external drive.

If you want to also have the catalog and files copied on the second computer, you can restore from the backup directly instead of, or additionally to the external drive.

The key reason to use an external drive is that you are always in sync when switching computers.

With an external drive, you need to back it up regularly on another external drive (or to either of your computers if you want and have enough space).

My question above also makes me wonder if I should have different names for three catalogs to make it easy to know which is which?  

Mark

Thanks for the great questions and answers.  I have similar goal with more questions.  I want to use PS on two computers and I want each computer to have the catalog and photo files in case something happens to one of the computers.  With the description of backup and restore and using external drive B for the catalog is the catalog and photo files stored on both computers AND the external drive?  If I delete files from Computer A and want them deleted from Computer B will the external drive delete them from both the catalog and from the computer itself?  Thanks, mb

To Sandy0001:

"I am trying to do the same thing. I have done backup from desktop to hard drive, restored to laptop from hard drive. Everything works fine. Now I am back on the desktop and I browse the hard drive for catalog and I find it. I use Manage Catalog and use Custom and click on catalog on hard drive. The only options now available to me are New or Convert and I am not sure what they do."

The other way to assign the new catalog as the current one for the organizer is:

- With the organizer closed, use the Windows explorer to find the restored catalog folder

- double click on the 'catalog.pseXXdb' which will open the organizer with the restored catalog

- next time you open the organizer, it will remember that choice and show the catalog in the 'custom' section of the catalog manager.

Note:

There is a bug in this forum which prevents going to the last post of the discussion and which made my two previous attemps to answer to be ignored. To continue the discussion, only click on the blue 'Answer' button under the first post of the discussion.

This is a Test reply that is not nested.

danielschellmus  wrote Photoshop elements Organiser 15 Windows 10 I have Photoshop elements installed on two different PC's When I start the organiser on PC2 it is obviously not the same as on PC1 (For instance I have to re-tag the same persons names) How can I manage that my two PC's share the same catalog I tried to instal my catalogs on the cloud (OneDrive) but apparently they are different How to arrange that? Thank you for the help. daniel

The only way to share between two computers is to store both your catalog folder and your image files folder tree on an external drive that you plug in alternatively to each computer.

The best way is to create a full backup of your catalog (from the catalog manager), preferably on an external drive. Then you plug in another external drive as the destination drive, and restore on that drive on a new master folder under the root folder. Be sure to set the external drive with the same drive letter in Windows. That could work with a single drive for the backup and the restore, but it's not ideal.