By Amanda Padgett on | No Comments
Renaming the Lightroom Catalog is not something you will find yourself doing very often, but it's important to know how to do it correctly when you need to do it. This concise tutorial will guide you through the essential steps, so make sure to take your time and follow each step carefully.
Critical Reminder: DO NOT rename your catalog files while Lightroom is open.
For a visual guide, check out our short video tutorial at the bottom of this post, which demonstrates how to change the Lightroom catalog name.
To rename your Lightroom catalog, the first thing you need to do is locate it (the catalog). Preferably you should do this while Lightroom is closed. The first place to check is in your Pictures folder, because that is where Lightroom creates a folder for the catalog back up BY DEFAULT.
If you don't find your Lightroom catalog in your Pictures folder, then open your Lightroom and follow these steps:
Once the Catalog Settings menu opens, click on the 'General' tab, if it opens on one of the other tabs. Look at the 'Location' for the file path to your catalog files. If you still don't see it there, click on 'Show' and your computer's folders will open to that location
Important Note: You are ONLY using this to help you find your Lightroom catalog file location. Do NOT change the names in this view because Lightroom is still open. You can keep your computer folder menu open, but close Lightroom before proceeding.
Important: If you had Lightroom open to find your catalog, then you need to close it. Do NOT rename the files while Lightroom is open.
Once you have access to your files, AND you have closed your Lightroom program, you can now rename the catalog and related files. This can be done by right-clicking on the file and choosing rename (there are other ways to rename, but this one is the easiest for others to replicate).
Files that need to be renamed:
You can name the files whatever you like, however 'Previews' and 'Smart Previews' should be at the end of those files' names, and the names much match.
The next time you start Lightroom it will say it cannot locate the catalog. Do not be alarmed; this is normal. Follow these steps (and shown in screen shots below):
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