Lightroom CC How to move Library to new computer?

[JamesMay82]

Hi Guys,

I've done a fresh install on my Mac and have my Lightroom cc photos stored on an external. When I try to load these up and point CC to my storage location it creates another folder within that called "Lightroom CC" and proceeds to download all my photos again. I don't want it to do this because I already have them stored on this external drive. I just want CC to see them already there and to stop downloading them again.

Any ideas?

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Is it as simple as using the open new library dialogue? I went through this at the beginning of the year, but can't remember what I did using Lightroom Classic though. That was when I moved to a Windows gaming laptop, then a more powerful 4K editing Windows desktop, then another yet more powerful Windows desktop, and then finally to my current maxed out 2010 MacPro that is about 2.7% slower than the latest and greatest Ryzen beast I had built!

 

[JamesMay82]

I think, my mistake is that I've not saved the original CC library file so its trying to start new and download my photos again? Still, I would of thought it could scan my originals folder on the external drive and match it to what's in the cloud storage instead of re downloading. its 290 gigs so will take ages to download

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

I think, my mistake is that I've not saved the original CC library file so its trying to start new and download my photos again? Still, I would of thought it could scan my originals folder on the external drive and match it to what's in the cloud storage instead of re downloading. its 290 gigs so will take ages to download

Oh no! So do you not have the .lrcat file to just double click on? if not, it might indeed need to download the whole lot again. I deliberately don't use the CC version because I want absolute control of my libraries on various internal and external drives.

 

[JamesMay82]

Oh no! So do you not have the .lrcat file to just double click on? if not, it might indeed need to download the whole lot again. I deliberately don't use the CC version because I want absolute control of my libraries on various internal and external drives.

Damn! Yeah it seems that way! Can’t believe I didn’t save the catalogue file. I only moved to CC because I preferred the interface with it having a more modern look etc

oh well let the downloading commence I guess! I bet it will take about 3 days or more

 

[JamesMay82]

Or I suppose I could just keep adding the files to my existing external manually for back up and just let lightroom keep things in the cloud 🤔

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

Damn! Yeah it seems that way! Can’t believe I didn’t save the catalogue file. I only moved to CC because I preferred the interface with it having a more modern look etc

oh well let the downloading commence I guess! I bet it will take about 3 days or more

I always keep mine together with the actual images, just on the root of that drive, after going through a similar agony a few years back.