How to Rename Your Lightroom Catalog

How to Rename a Lightroom Catalog

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 quick 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.

Step 1. Find the Lightroom Catalog Location

To rename your Lightroom catalog, the first thing you need to do is find its location.  Ideally, you should do this while Lightroom is closed.  The first place to check is in your Pictures Folder because Lightroom typically creates a folder for catalog backups there BY DEFAULT.

If you can't find your Lightroom catalog in the Pictures folder, follow these steps:

For PC Users:

1. Open Lightroom.
2. Click on 'Edit' in the top menu.
3. Select 'Catalog Settings'.

For Mac Users:

1. Open Lightroom.
2. Click on "Lightroom" in the top corner of the screen.
3. Select "Catalog Settings."

Once the Catalog Settings menu opens, click on the "General" tab if it doesn't open there automatically.  Look at the "Location" to find the file path to your catalog.  If you still don't see it there, click on "Show" to open the folder containing your catalog files.

Important Note: Use this method solely to locate your Lightroom catalog file.  Do not rename any files while Lightroom is open.  You can keep the folder open but make sure to close Lightroom before proceeding.

Step 2. Close Lightroom

Important: If you had Lightroom open to locate your catalog, you must close it now.  DO NOT attempt to rename any files while Lightroom is open.

Step 3. Rename the Lightroom Catalog File

Once you have located your files, AND CLOSED LIGHTROOM, you can proceed with renaming the catalog and related files.  The simplest method is to right-click on each file and select "Rename."

Files that need to be renamed:

1. Lightroom Catalog.lrcat
2. Lightroom Catalog Previews.lrdata
3. Lightroom Catalog Smart Previews.lrdata (if you don't have a smart previews file, don't worry; that just means you haven't ever created any smart previews).

You can rename the files to whatever you like; however, "Previews" and "Smart Previews" should be at the end of those file names, and the names MUST MATCH.

Step 4. Locate the Renamed Lightroom Catalog on Start-Up

When you start Lightroom after renaming your catalog, it won't be able to locate the catalog.  Don't worry; this is expected.  Follow these steps to reconnect Lightroom to your renamed catalog:

1. Click on "Choose a Different Catalog".
2. In the next menu that appears, click "Choose a Different Catalog" again.
3. A new Finder/Folders window will open. Navigate to your newly renamed catalog.
4. Once you have found your renamed catalog, click "Choose".

How to Rename Your Lightroom Catalog - Video Tutorial

If you're a visual learner, be sure to watch our short video tutorial below:

More Helpful Lightroom Catalog Tutorials

• What is a Lightroom Catalog?
• How to Backup Your Lightroom Catalog
• How to Merge Lightroom Catalogs

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