# Can I safely delete the Lightroom 3 Catalog Previews.lrdata folder?



## Sgt_Strider

Sorry if this has been answered before, but I need to know now. I'm running out of room on my SSD. The Lightroom 3 Catalog Previews.lrdata folder is taking up 1'.4GB of space and now I have about 1.5GB of space left on my SSD. I could sure use more space and would ease my fear of data corruption if there's very little empty space left. So is it safe to delete that folder? I discarded all of my 1:1 previews, but I barely recovered much empty space. I think this is the next step, but I'm waiting for a response. Thx!


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## Mark Sirota

You can delete them, but LR will recreate them as needed. You might lower your preview quality in Catalog Settings first, so they'll take less space next time. It may generate fewer of them too, if you never look at the oldest stuff in the catalog...


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## clee01l

You can delete it, but LR will recreate it over time. So the space recovery is temporary and minimal. Perhaps it is time to invest in a larger 2nd HD. If the SSD is your primary OS HD. It is a place to store the Catalog (and associated previews). It does not need to be the repository for your master image files. If you get a second HD and attach it locally either on the MB bus or via USB or SATA, you can store the catalog as well as the previews on this second HD. 
(FWIW, my master image files are over 25'GB and my Previews folder is over 5'GB.


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## Sgt_Strider

[quote author=clee'1l link=topic=1'552.msg71'85#msg71'85 date=128'238466]
You can delete it, but LR will recreate it over time. So the space recovery is temporary and minimal. Perhaps it is time to invest in a larger 2nd HD. If the SSD is your primary OS HD. It is a place to store the Catalog (and associated previews). It does not need to be the repository for your master image files. If you get a second HD and attach it locally either on the MB bus or via USB or SATA, you can store the catalog as well as the previews on this second HD. 
(FWIW, my master image files are over 25'GB and my Previews folder is over 5'GB.
[/quote]

I'm using a SSD and HDD setup. My HDD is a 2 TB hard drive with about 1.2 TB of space left. How do I set LR3 to store the Lightroom 3 Catalog Previews.lrdata in the HDD? Is it possible to move all LR3 data including the catalog and previews off the SSD into the HDD? I do want to keep LR3 itself on the SSD for speed.


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## clee01l

I could better answer your question if you would be so kind to fill out your profile. When I know what Operation system you use, I can better answer your questions. I can only guess to tell you where to look for your catalog on the SSD. The Catalog"{YourCatalogName}.lrcat" resides in a folder along with a folder named "{YourCatalogName} Previews.lrdata" I suspect it is in your "Pictures" (My Pictures) folder unless you created it somewhere else initially. With LR closed, take the folders containing the Catalog"{YourCatalogName}.lrcat" and the folder named "{YourCatalogName} Previews.lrdata" and move it to your chosen new location. Then whe you open LR you will need to open the catalog in the new location by navigating to it and clicking on it.

If you want to move your master files, open LR and add a parent folder in the Folder panel that is on the HD that you want to move to. Once done, then in LR drag the parent folder from the old location to the new parent.


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## b_gossweiler

[quote author=Sgt_Strider link=topic=1'552.msg711'2#msg711'2 date=128'263576]
I'm using a SSD and HDD setup. My HDD is a 2 TB hard drive with about 1.2 TB of space left. How do I set LR3 to store the Lightroom 3 Catalog Previews.lrdata in the HDD? Is it possible to move all LR3 data including the catalog and previews off the SSD into the HDD? I do want to keep LR3 itself on the SSD for speed.
[/quote]

One additional note to what Cletus has said:

You cannot separate your previews folder from your catalog file, meaning that if you want to move your previews to the HDD, you will have to move your catalog as well.

This implies that there won't be too much of LR left to remain on the SSD (the LR software itself is - besides at startup - not critical for access/performance). What you could have on the SSD (if not the catalog and its previews) is the ACR cache, which is accessed during Develop.

Beat


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## Sgt_Strider

[quote author=b_gossweiler link=topic=1'552.msg71112#msg71112 date=128'268536]
[quote author=Sgt_Strider link=topic=1'552.msg711'2#msg711'2 date=128'263576]
I'm using a SSD and HDD setup. My HDD is a 2 TB hard drive with about 1.2 TB of space left. How do I set LR3 to store the Lightroom 3 Catalog Previews.lrdata in the HDD? Is it possible to move all LR3 data including the catalog and previews off the SSD into the HDD? I do want to keep LR3 itself on the SSD for speed.
[/quote]

One additional note to what Cletus has said:

You cannot separate your previews folder from your catalog file, meaning that if you want to move your previews to the HDD, you will have to move your catalog as well.

This implies that there won't be too much of LR left to remain on the SSD (the LR software itself is - besides at startup - not critical for access/performance). What you could have on the SSD (if not the catalog and its previews) is the ACR cache, which is accessed during Develop.

Beat
[/quote]

Thanks for the information (to Cletus as well!). How do I move the catalog into my HDD then? I don't want to buy a new SSD right now. Intel won't be introducing their next generation SSD until Q4 2'1'. I won't upgrade until then. In the mean time I guess I can live with having the catalog and previews on the HDD and there's plenty of space for that. Does LR have the ability to move the previews and catalog, which is in a folder to the HDD?


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## Mark Sirota

Shut down LR, then just move the catalog (_&lt;catalog&gt;_.lrcat) and previews (_&lt;catalog&gt;_ Previews.lrdata) to a folder on the other drive, then double-click the catalog to open.


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## Sgt_Strider

[quote author=Mark Sirota link=topic=1'552.msg71189#msg71189 date=128'4'98'8]
Shut down LR, then just move the catalog (_&lt;catalog&gt;_.lrcat) and previews (_&lt;catalog&gt;_ Previews.lrdata) to a folder on the other drive, then double-click the catalog to open.
[/quote]

Thx! That did the trick, but isn't there a way to do this from within LR?


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## Mark Sirota

Not exactly. You could select everything and export it as a new catalog, I suppose...


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