How to Move Lightroom Classic and CC to a New Computer
You just got a new computer and want to move your entire photo editing setup to the new one.
I see you dreading it already!
No worries, it’s simple.
Here are the key steps to transfer your Lightroom Classic catalog, image files, and all your editing work the easy way:
For Lightroom Classic
Before You Start
First, back up your current Lightroom catalog and photo files.
This ensures you don't lose anything if something goes wrong during the transfer.
On Your Old Computer
Open Lightroom and go to Edit > Catalog Settings. Note the location of your current catalog file (.lrcat).
Copy or move this catalog file and the "Previews" folder to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
On Your New Computer
Install the latest Lightroom Classic version from your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
Launch Lightroom and go to File > Open Catalog. Select the catalog file you copied over.
Lightroom will open your existing catalog with all photos, edits, and history.
Go to Edit > Catalog Settings again. Update locations for the Camera Raw Cache and other folders to point to your new computer's hard drive.
Copy or move all your photo files from the old computer to the same folder structure on the new computer.
Lightroom should now locate all the image files using the catalog's recorded locations.
If any are still missing, you can manually update their location in Lightroom.
For Lightroom CC (Cloud Version)
Install the Lightroom CC app on your new computer.
Sign in with your Adobe ID.
Lightroom CC will automatically sync and download all your cloud-stored photos and edits.
Since Lightroom CC stores your images and edits on Adobe's cloud servers, the transfer process simply involves installing the app and letting it re-download your entire library.
Migrating Local Lightroom CC Library
If you have a locally stored Lightroom CC library without cloud sync:
Quit Lightroom CC on the new computer.
Locate the Lightroom CC storage folder (e.g. ~/Pictures/Lightroom Library).
Connect the old drive with your previous Lightroom library.
Copy the entire "Lightroom Library" folder from the old drive to the new computer's Pictures folder.
Open Lightroom CC - it should detect and load the copied local library.
Verify the Local Storage location points to the copied library folder.
Your local photo library, catalogs, and edits will now be accessible.
Final Tips
Keep your old computer set up until you've verified everything is working perfectly on the new one.
Transfer Lightroom settings, presets, and backups too for a complete migration.
If moving between Mac and Windows, make sure external drives are formatted properly.
Take it slow and double-check each step.
With some care, you can have Lightroom Classic up and running smoothly on your new computer in no time.
I hope that helps.
-Hakan.
