Why is my .lrcat file in OneDrive?

[Singingstone48]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I have a new PC running WIN10 and a Creative Cloud subscription for Photoshop and Lightroom. When I open Lightroom it creates the .lrcat file in C:\Users\Steve\OneDrive\Pictures\Lightroom. Everything I have ever read about Lightroom Classic says the .lrcat file should be in C:\Users\Steve\Pictures\Lightroom.

How can I get this changed? OneDrive has only 5 Gb of space and then wants to charge me for more backup space! Microsoft is doing this and I don't know how to get it to STOP.

 

[Jim Wilde]

This may possibly explain it, though posting the question on a dedicated Windows10 forum may be a better option: Turn On or Off OneDrive PC Folder Backup Protection in Windows 10

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Lightroom only creates a new catalog once. If it created the catalog in C:\Users\Steve\OneDrive\Pictures\Lightroom, then simply move it to C:\Users\Steve\Pictures\Lightroom. Launch Lightroom once by double clicking on the catalog file in the new location. From now on Lightroom should know that this is the catalog to use and not create anything in OneDrive anymore. You can check the catalog it uses in the preferences.

 

[clee01l]

I think several versions back Microsoft introduced OneDrive as the default location for all critical files. OneDrive stores one copy locally (C:\Users\Steve\OneDrive\...) and another copy is stored in the Microsoft cloud. While in may have been an effort to prevent users from losing critical data, it could also have been a ploy to sell more cloud storage.

 

[Jim Wilde]

While in may have been an effort to prevent users from losing critical data, it could also have been a ploy to sell more cloud storage.

A bit of both, I suspect. By putting the users Documents and Pictures folders inside OneDrive, so that all docs and images stored inside those default libraries are automatically synced to the MS Cloud, it in theory provides a useful level of protection against ransomware (assuming the user doesn't create offline/offsite backups). I think that was the official reason, but of course the more data that the user stores in their default user libraries, the more cloud space they'll use.....