How to Back Up Lightroom Classic: Catalogs, Photos, and a Restore Check
To back up Lightroom Classic, protect the catalog and its associated data, the original image files, relevant sidecars, and any finished work you need to retain. Lightroom Classic's catalog backup does not back up the original photographs or all of the other files in your workflow.
Use the built-in catalog backup alongside an independent file-backup process, then try a recovery into a separate test location. Seeing thumbnails in a recovered catalog is not enough: the catalog may still be pointing to the working originals rather than the files you restored.
Map a Lightroom Classic backup by file role
This guide is for Lightroom Classic, with a local catalog and linked photographs. Do not apply it unchanged to the cloud-oriented Lightroom application. Record the installed application and version at the top of your backup worksheet so a future recovery starts with the right program.
| Item | What to protect | Verification question |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog | The working .lrcat and corresponding catalog data. | Can a recovery copy open with expected organization and edits? |
| Catalog companion data | The matching .lrcat-data when present and relevant. | Was it retained with the correct catalog rather than borrowed from another version? |
| Originals and edited master files | Every actual source folder, including externally stored originals and separately saved PSD/TIFF work. | Can the restored image files open at full size? |
| Sidecars | Associated XMP and, where created, ACR or other workflow companion files. | Does the backup include the whole related group? |
| Exports and custom workflow assets | Important deliverables, and the presets, templates, profiles, or plug-in details you rely on. | What must be restored or reinstalled to reproduce the intended output? |
Adobe's backup documentation separates catalog backups from the photographs and exports. Its catalog FAQ explains the matching .lrcat-data file, including data important to AI edits. A backup ZIP can contain it when it is present and nonempty; inspect your actual backup instead of assuming every ZIP has identical contents.
Build a location inventory before changing anything. A useful record includes the active catalog path, each original-image root folder, the export folder, and the destination of each backup. An external drive with today's working catalog and images is still a working drive, even if it is portable.
Create a catalog backup and inspect its destination
- Open the intended catalog. Confirm its name and a recent known import or edit. Record the catalog location.
- Open Catalog Settings. On macOS this is under Lightroom Classic; on Windows, Edit. Locate the backup controls. Recent versions include a Backups panel; older arrangements may put scheduling in General.
- Choose an appropriate schedule. For an immediate check, select the next-exit backup option where offered. Configure a continuing schedule separately; a one-time option is not a recurring plan.
- Quit and complete the backup. Confirm the destination in the backup dialog. Use the integrity-check option when available and allow the operation to finish.
- Inspect the result. Locate the new dated backup, confirm it is nonempty, and inspect the extracted contents in a separate test folder. Record the catalog and companion-data filenames.
This follows Adobe's catalog-backup workflow; control placement depends on the installed release. Integrity checking can help detect catalog problems. It does not verify the contents or backup coverage of every original photograph.
Store a recoverable copy away from the working disk, with another copy in a separate location according to the broader photo backup plan. A backup folder on the same physical drive offers a different level of protection from an independent destination. Do not confuse a different folder or partition with a different device.
Back up image folders and their related files separately
Configure your backup process to include every original-image location, not just the folder containing the catalog. Add finished master files and exports you could not easily recreate. If an image drive is disconnected when a backup runs, investigate whether its files were actually included rather than accepting a successful job message as proof of full coverage.
Preserve the folder relationships used by the catalog. Adobe explains that moving, renaming, or disconnecting originals can break their links. A folder structure recorded in the worksheet gives you a starting point for relinking during recovery.
Do not treat XMP as a replacement for the catalog. Adobe's sidecar documentation describes XMP and the additional ACR sidecars introduced in version 15.0. Depending on the edits and saved metadata, both may be present. Back up the actual related files and retain the catalog; an “XMP files only” rule can miss relevant data.
For a consistent manual file copy of application data, close Lightroom Classic first. Also follow the backup application's guidance for open files and snapshots. Adobe advises against Time Machine backup or restore operations while Classic is in use. Reopen the application after the relevant copy has finished.
Our external hard drive guide and SSD comparison can help with capacity and connection choices. Decide backup coverage, version retention, and recovery checks before treating a new drive as the solution.
Test a recovery without replacing the working catalog
Download the Lightroom Classic coverage and restore worksheet (.txt)
The following is a controlled recovery rehearsal. Use copies and a separate test folder. Keep the working catalog and original files intact; this is not an instruction to overwrite a live library or repair a damaged catalog.
- Choose one backup checkpoint. Record its date and the application version. Catalog and image backups may have different times; identify any imports or edits made between them.
- Extract a copy of the catalog backup. Keep its matching companion data alongside it. Preserve the untouched backup archive.
- Restore representative image groups. Put them in a separate test location, retaining associated sidecars. Include an older image, a recent import, and a known edited image; add an AI-edited example if used.
- Open the test catalog. Use File > Open Catalog for the copied catalog. Do not select the live catalog simply because its name is familiar.
- Check what it is referencing. A restored catalog can initially find the working originals. To test recovered image files, reconnect only the test catalog's relevant folders or images to the restored copies using the supported locate workflow.
- Inspect and export. Check expected collections or ratings, known edits, full-size image access, and a small export into the test destination. Record anything missing.
- Return to the working catalog deliberately. Record which catalog should open next and keep test outputs clearly named until the check is reviewed.
Adobe documents extracting and opening a catalog backup. Its missing-photo guide covers locating files and missing folders. If the catalog requires upgrading, work on the test copy and retain the original backup; newer catalogs cannot be opened in older Classic versions.
A successful sample is evidence about those samples and that recovery path. It is not a full integrity audit of the collection. Expand the check if a recent import, companion file, or drive location was missing.
Keep a small, usable recovery record
Record the last successful catalog backup, image-backup checkpoint, off-site copy, and restore check. Keep enough older versions to recover from a mistake discovered later, according to the available capacity and how much work you can afford to repeat. Do not delete all previous backups immediately after creating one new ZIP.
Recheck the plan when you add a drive, change the catalog location, install a major application update, or start using a new editing workflow. If someone else must recover the collection, the record should explain where the parts are, which application opens them, and how access is arranged without placing passwords in the worksheet.
Use the digital photo organization guide to keep source batches and finished output identifiable. Organization makes the backup easier to understand; the restore check establishes whether you can use it.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Back up the actual image folders separately, together with the other master files and outputs you need to retain.
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Retain the corresponding file when present and relevant. Adobe identifies important edit data there; inspect the backup contents and keep it with the matching catalog.
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Do not treat sidecars as a substitute for the catalog and originals. Depending on the version and edits, additional ACR sidecars can also exist. Preserve the actual related files.
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No. It may still point to the working originals. Rehearse opening restored image files and, in a test catalog only, reconnect relevant samples to those recovered copies.