How to Move Lightroom to a New Computer: The Definitive 2025 Guide

My Moving Lightroom Classic Book

There is very little that rivals the excitement of unboxing a new computer. Whether you have invested in a high-performance Mac Studio or a custom-built PC rig, the promise of faster export times and fluid editing is intoxicating.

However, for photographers, that excitement is often quickly dampened by a looming cloud of anxiety: How do you move Lightroom to a new computer without losing everything?

It is a scenario I see play out far too often. An enthusiastic photographer, eager to edit on their new machine, copies their JPEG and RAW files over, installs Lightroom Classic, and hits "Import. Moments later, the realisation hits. The photos are there, but the soul of the library—years of edits, star ratings, collections, and painstaking keyword tagging—is gone.

In this article, I will dismantle myths surrounding migration and outline a precise, non-destructive workflow to keep your digital archive intact. The complete step-by-step guide can be downloaded and used as a reference during the migration.

Download Detailed Guide

The Anatomy of a Lightroom Disaster

To understand how to move successfully, we must first understand why the "intuitive" methods fail.

Lightroom Classic is not merely a file browser; it is a database manager. It does not store your photos inside the application. Instead, it maintains a sophisticated catalogue (the .lrcat file) that references where your photos live on your hard drive.

The "Fresh Import" Trap

The most common mistake enthusiasts make is treating a computer migration like a memory card import. If you copy your images to a new drive and "Import" them into a fresh installation of Lightroom on your new machine, the software sees them as brand-new files.

The result?

• Zero Edit History: You lose the ability to step back through your Develop history.

• No Collections: Your carefully curated sets are vanished.

• Missing AI Data: In the 2025 version of Lightroom, this is catastrophic. You will lose all Generative AI instructions and AI-powered masking data.

Pro Note: Never, under any circumstances, simply "Import" your old photo library into a new Catalog. It is the digital equivalent of burning your diary and buying a new notebook.

The XMP Myth

Experienced users often suggest, "Just save your metadata to XMP files." While this is good practice for redundancy, it is not a migration strategy. XMP sidecar files save your current development settings, but they do not save:

• 
  

• Virtual Copies

• Collection membership

• Flags (Pick/Reject)

• Develop History steps

• Stacking information

If you rely solely on XMP files, you are leaving half your workflow behind.

The 2025 Workflow: What You Actually Need to Move

Moving to a new computer in the era of AI-enhanced photography requires more precision than in previous years. It is no longer just about the .lrcat file.

To preserve your work, you must identify and migrate a specific file ecosystem.

1. The Catalog File (.lrcat)

This is the brain of your operation. It holds the database of every adjustment you have ever made.

2. The Helper Data (.lrcat-data)

Crucial for 2025: This file is often overlooked, but it is now essential. It contains your AI-powered masks and People recognition data. If you fail to copy this file, your complex "Select Subject" or "Generative Remove" edits may need to be recomputed or, worse, may be lost entirely.

3. The Previews (.lrdata)

While Lightroom can regenerate standard previews, moving your existing .lrdata folders (Smart Previews and Standard Previews) will prevent your new computer from churning for hours—or days—rebuilding them.

Windows Explorer showing the Lightroom Catalog files.

Step 1: The Great Clean-Up (Preparation)

Before you plug in an external drive, ensure your current Catalog is healthy. If Lightroom cannot find a file on your old computer (indicated by that dreaded ! or ? symbol), it indeed won't find it on the new one.

Relink Missing Files

Go to Library > Find All Missing Photos. This command is your diagnostic tool.

• Relink Drives First: If an entire external drive has been assigned a different letter (common on Windows), fix this first.

• Relink Folders Second: Always aim to relink the "Parent" folder (the top-level folder).

• Relink Images Last: If you fix the folder, the images usually fix themselves.

Tidy Your Folder Structure

If your photos are scattered across My Pictures, Desktop, and Downloads, you are asking for trouble. The most robust strategy is to consolidate your entire library under a single "Master" parent folder (e.g., Photography_Archive).

With a single parent folder, you only need to relink one folder on the new computer to restore thousands of images instantly.

Step 2: Let's Move Lightroom to a New Computer

I strongly recommend using a high-speed external SSD (Solid State Drive) rather than a traditional spinning HDD. The difference in transfer time for a 2TB library can be the difference between an hour and an entire afternoon.

What to Copy to the External Drive:

1. The Master Photo Folder: Containing all your raw images and subfolders.

2. The Catalog Folder: Containing the .lrcat, .lrcat-data, and preview files.

3. Presets and Plugins: These are stored deep in your User Library/AppData folders. You must manually locate and copy your specific CameraRaw and Lightroom settings folders to preserve your custom presets.

Use a portable SSD drive to save hours.

Step 3: The New Architecture

With your data safely on an external drive, it is time to set up the new machine.

Installation

Install the Creative Cloud Desktop App first, then install Lightroom Classic. Note: Do not confuse this with "Lightroom" (the cloud-based version).

The "Copy Back"

While you can run your Catalog from an external drive, for optimal performance—especially with the new AI Denoise features—you want your Catalog files on your fast internal drive.

1. Copy the Catalog Folder from the external drive to your Pictures folder on the new computer.

2. You can choose to move the Photos to the internal drive or leave them on the external SSD if you prefer to keep your internal storage free.

The Critical Moment: Opening the Catalog

Double-click your .lrcat file on the new computer. Lightroom will launch.

You may see question marks on your folders. Do not panic.

1. Right-click the top-level Parent Folder in the Library module.

2. Select Find Missing Folder.

3. Navigate to the location where you placed your photos (internal or external drive).

In one click, Lightroom will update the path for that folder and every subfolder beneath it. Your edits, your AI masks, and your history are back online.

Right-click on the Missing Folder and Select "Show Missing Folder."

Why You Need the Full Guide

The steps outlined above provide the framework for a successful move, but the devil is invariably in the details.

• What happens when you move from Windows to macOS? (The file paths change completely.)

• How do you ensure your third-party plugins (DxO, Topaz, Nik) survive the move?

• How do you safely assign a permanent drive letter (e.g., Q:) in Windows 11 to prevent future disconnects?

My book, Moving Lightroom to a New Computer, is not just a checklist; it is a safety net. It covers the nuances of specific operating systems (including macOS Sequoia and Windows 11) and provides granular, screenshot-rich walkthroughs for every potential error message you might encounter.

Download Detailed Guide

For those who treat their photography seriously, risking a library migration on a "best guess" is not an option.

Summary Checklist for a Safe Move

• [ ] Validation: Ensure the "Find All Missing Photos" count is zero.

• [ ] Consolidation: Move scattered folders into one Parent Folder.

• [ ] Backup: Create a final Catalog backup via File > Catalog Settings.

• [ ] Transfer: Copy .lrcat, .lrcat-data, .lrdata, and source images.

• [ ] Restoration: Place Catalog on internal drive, images on preferred storage.

• [ ] Connection: Use "Find Missing Folder" to update the library path.

By respecting the database's complexity rather than fighting it, you ensureyour new computer is a fresh start for your creativity, not a tombstone for your past work.