The newest Mac operating system, macOS 10.15 Catalina, went live today. The big question is, do Lightroom and Lightroom Classic work?
It’s a good question, especially since Apple announced that Catalina will no longer support 32-bit applications. In this post we will look at the different Lightroom versions and how they are affected, also any related aspects that may affect your decision to upgrade to Catalina.
Catalina has been used by quite a number of testers as a beta version, but there may be additional issues that haven’t been found yet. We’ll keep this blog updated as any additional problems are found.
Lightroom Desktop (the cloud-based version)
There’s one current known issue in the latest Lightroom Desktop (cloud) release when running on Catalina:
- Apple Photos migration to Lightroom Desktop fails. When you select File > Migrate From… > Apple Photos Library migration fails with “Migration was not successful” dialog. Adobe is working with Apple to correct.
- FIXED – There was a Volume Disconnected error on Catalina when using earlier versions, but updating to the latest version (3.0) fixes this issue.
Lightroom Classic
There are known issues in the latest Lightroom Classic releases when running on Catalina:
- Canon Tethering was broken on macOS 10.15.2, but has been corrected in macOS 10.15.3.
- If Lightroom says File Not Found when you try to access files that you can see from Finder, you may have accidentally declined permissions. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy tab > Files and Folders and make sure that Lightroom has permission to access the desktop and other folders, like this:
- The Nikon SDK needs updating for Catalina. Workaround – turn the camera on before invoking the Start Tethered Capture command.
- When you try to use eyedropper from the color swatch in Graduated Filter or Radial Filter, the System Recording dialog appears asking for permission. This is a one-time dialog asking you to grant access to the application. Once you allow access, you will able to pick color from that application and the dialog will not appear again. However, if you deny access, you will only be able to pick color from within Lightroom Classic.
- Some people are reporting issues sending photos to the trash/bin from within Lightroom, although again, details remain very sketchy.
- There are problems with ExFAT formatted drives. Copy the data off and reformat as HFS or APFS to use with Lightroom & Photoshop, at least for now.
- FIXED in 9.1 – Hidden volumes (such as 3x Macintosh HD) show up in the Import dialog Source panel.
- FIXED in 9.1 – Lightroom crashes when scrolling the import dialog when viewing a connected iPhone. The workaround currently is to copy the images to the local disk before import.
- FIXED in 9.1 – In the Devices section at the top of the Import dialog’s Source panel, the memory card name is blank.
- FIXED in 9.1 – If you select the memory card/camera in the Devices section at the top of the Source panel, there are no thumbnail previews. The solution is to click the disclosure triangle next to the card at the bottom of the Source panel and navigate to the folder containing the photo. The exact folder name will vary depending on the camera manufacturer, and some cards don’t show these extra DCIM folders.
- FIXED in 9.1 – In the Import dialog, the Add and Move options are disabled for some external drives.
Adobe does not support earlier versions of Classic on Catalina and recommends either staying with your existing operating system or updating to 9.0. Due to the number of Import dialog bugs, we’d recommend delaying your Catalina upgrade, at least until Apple fixes some of the issues.
Lightroom Plug-ins
- We are receiving reports that the Focus Points plug-in no longer works in Catalina.
- LRMogrify/2 fails when using Export with Previous
Lens Profile Creator
- The Lens Profile Creator won’t currently work as it’s 32-bit, but Adobe is investigating updating to a 64-bit version.
Lightroom 6 (last version was 6.14)
Lightroom 6.14 itself is 64-bit, but the installer and licensing code are 32-bit. If it’s already installed, Lightroom 6.14 may continue to work, but you won’t be able to install, uninstall or reactivate it. For these reasons, Adobe does not recommend using it on Catalina and it is not supported on Catalina.
If you’re still on Lightroom 6 or earlier, you have two options: You can stay on macOS Mojave (10.14) or earlier and Lightroom will continue to work as it does at the moment. If you want to update to Catalina safely (without the worry of it not working if you need to reinstall) then it’s time to subscribe to the Photography Plan. Lightroom Classic still runs on your computer, just like Lightroom 6, but it’s just paid on subscription instead of a one-off cost. Here are the changes since Lightroom 6.
Lightroom 2-5
These appear to run on Catalina, however like Lightroom 6, it is not possible to reinstall or uninstall them. It is not recommended to upgrade to Catalina if you intend to stay on one of these older versions. Please note these versions are no longer supported by Adobe.
Lightroom 1
In our testing, Lightroom 1 will not run on Catalina.
Other Adobe Applications
There are also some known issues for Photoshop. For the latest official information see this statement by Adobe.
How easy is it to upgrade to Lightroom Classic from Lightroom 6 or earlier?
If you’ve decided to upgrade from an old Lightroom version to Lightroom Classic, it’s very straightforward. Here’s how:
- Sign up for the subscription from Adobe.
- Install the Creative Cloud app, which lives in the system tray (Windows) / menubar (Mac) and manages your app installation and updates.
- Click to install Lightroom Classic.
- Lightroom asks for permission to upgrade your catalog format, just like older upgrades (e.g. LR5 > LR6). You say yes, and you’re up and running!
- Don’t forget to update your desktop or taskbar/dock shortcut so you don’t keep opening your old Lightroom version. You might want to zip up/compress your old LR6 catalog, or move it to your backup drive so you don’t accidentally open it.
Related accessories
Wacom tablets
Wacom have now released a driver that supports Catalina (6.3.37) replacing the previous one that had been developed with a beta version of Catalina.
Shuttle Pro
There are no reports of issues with the Contour Shuttle drivers.
Other peripherals to check
- Printer drivers
- Scanner drivers
- Backup software compatibility (for example Chronosync has just been updated with version 4.9.5 and is compatible as at October 10th)
As we gather more feedback we’ll continue to update this blog.
For extensive information on Lightroom Classic, see Adobe Lightroom Classic – The Missing FAQ.
If you have the Photography Plan, then as well as Classic you have access to the Lightroom cloud ecosystem including the mobile apps and web interface. For more information on these apps, see Adobe Lightroom – Edit Like a Pro.
Note: purchase of these books includes the first year’s Classic or cloud-based Premium Membership (depending on the book purchased), giving access to download the latest eBook (each time Adobe updates the software), email assistance for the applicable Lightroom version if you hit a problem, and other bonuses.
We also have a special bundle offer for the two books. This includes Premium Membership for the first year as described above for the whole Lightroom family!
FYI – if you purchsed Lightroom 4 in the Mac App Store, it downloads, installs, and runs well in Catalina. Only caveat is that the outdated map viewer is no longer functional.
So that is the actual Version 4. I was not aware you could get it at the App store. You must have purchased it a while ago.
Ah yes, it was on the App Store for a little while around then, and that licensing/installer code would be different. Thanks for sharing. Let us know if you find anything else that doesn’t work.
So, since Adobe has the licensing/installer code to allow proper install of previous LR versions on Catalina, why doesn’t Adobe make it available to all? I’m fine with LR6. It’s really a sad move from Adobe to force us migrate to CC despite LR6 being 64 bits already.
Lightroom 4 was released over 7 years ago, with, it seems, a modified version available at the time on the App store. The issue with mainstream versions of Perpetual is both the license and installation code.
No one is being forced to migrate anywhere – Apple decided (unlike Microsoft) to change the new OS to 64-bit only. Stay with the previous OS and the older versions of Lightroom and it all works fine.
Yeah, as Paul says, it’s Apple that made this decision, not Adobe. It’s standard practice for companies to only update software that’s currently for sale. Many older programs are made obsolete by Apple’s decision, but if you don’t want to upgrade, then you can stay on Mojave and your old software will carry on working.
Unfortunately, it’s not always so clear cut. In time there will be other apps that I need that will only run on Catalina.
I too feel this is disingenuous of Adobe in ignoring the huge user base of LR6. I am only a casual amateur user and I for one will not be coerced in this manner and will move to a new app. I may not be as good as LR but I guarantee I will feel in control of my finances.
While there are still some people using Lightroom 6 (not nearly as many as you think!), the reality is it’s old outdated software. It’s 4 1/2 years since it was released, and nearly 2 years since it was last updated.
Most older apps require paid upgrades to run properly on Catalina, and in the case of Lightroom, that upgraded version is the latest version of Lightroom Classic.
If you have no plans to update to Lightroom Classic, then planning your move to a different app is very sensible. You don’t have to rush into anything, as there’s no urgency to upgrade to Catalina in the foreseeable future.
LR6 may be old and outdated but still extremely useful and does all that I require. I appreciate more intensive users may benefit from updated software – ‘may’ being the operative word here. I did try a subscription from Adobe but it just felt expensive for my use. I do hold with some subscription models if they provide real value (i.e. Setapp) I just don’t think that Adobe does.
The problem in moving to a different app is the learning curve and the loss of your expert tutelage!
I feel the same. LR6 does more than I need for my simple photography and I don’t need or want to upgrade to a more expensive and more involved software. Nor do I have any desire to pay a monthly fee for things I won’t use…like Photoshop or LR’s additional features.
From what I’ve seen on several forums, LR6 seems to work on Catalina if it’s already being used. If so, I’m fine.
That’s absolutely fine, just consider what you’d do if it became deactivated accidentally, as you wouldn’t be able reactivate it.
I agree subscription software works out expencive, I have a macbook with Catalina on it and and all my adobe software doesn’t work. My Imac has Mojave on it and everything works fine.
I am thinking of trying Capture One I believe it is quicker and you can buy it without subscription.
I’m still confused. I’m running the latest version of Lr Classic but when I check for 32 bit applications I see about 6 from Adobe, mostly AAM and lic_util
Those are likely leftover from previous installations of other programs, such as earlier versions of Lightroom, Photoshop, Elements, Adobe Reader, etc.
Hi. Probably some dumb questions, sorry.
I currently have a version of Lightroom 6.14 and I plan to upgrade to the Photography plan of Lightroom with 1TB of storage. My images are stored on an external HDD. I have a MacBook pro 2018 – it’s got a 2TB SSD. Eventually I will upgrade from Mojave to Catalina.
I still have some old Adobe software hanging around on my disk, a legacy from a previous MacBook. These are all 32 bit, so far as I can see. Should I uninstall all my current Lightroom / Adobe applications before I upgrade to the Lightroom Photography plan? Or can I install over the top? What would happen to my catalog / images. I’ll back up the images first, of course.
Hi Richard
Not dumb questions at all, best to check before doing something to your photo collection!
So, the Photography Plan (as distinct from the Lightroom Plan, where everything is held in the Cloud instead of the Desktop) runs like you are used to in 6.14 – a catalog and local folders for photos. When you install, it takes your catalog and upgrades it to the latest format. It doesn’t get rid of anything, not even the old 6.14 version of Lightroom. So you can install effectively over the top quite safely.
We always recommend a good backup plan anyway (hardware can play up unexpectedly or we can manage to delete something we didn’t mean to) and we’d just suggest make sure all backups are done first for peace of mind. Here’s a comprehensive blog we did on what to make sure to backup:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/backup-lightroom-files/
A fair bit has been updated since 6.14, listed here:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/whats-new-lightroom-classic-since-version-6/
We wish you success!
Hi Paul
Many thanks for your help! I greatly appreciate it.
Better safe than sorry, that’s for sure. Digital imaging is great – but I always worry about a crash which is why I feel it’s better to have several backups. I still have my negatives / transparencies from analog days – one of these days I suppose I should scan them, if I ever find the time…
Has anybody tried LR in a virtual machine (running Mojave) running on Catalina? That’s my current plan. I’ll pay Parallels ~$50 per year, or maybe every two years, to run *all* my 32 bit apps and Adobe can get lost (in edit, I replaced my original words with “lost”).
If Adobe were ever to make good on their promise and offer a perpetually licensed version of the current version of Lightroom again, I’d be all over it faster than you can say “take my money”. But, given their policy of lying to their customers about plans to continue selling a perpetual license, I won’t be buying any Adobe product, ever again.
In theory, it should work. I often run a second macOS VM for testing purposes.
I eventually got round to trying it: in my case LR5.7 running under Mojave 10.14.6 using Parallels desktop version 15.1.4. I just copied LR from /Applications into the VM and it worked perfectly — asked me did I have a license or would I like 30 days trial. Screen resolution was like the non-VM version (not true with earlier versions of Parallels) and everything “just worked”. The only downside, the permanently licensed version of Parallels (Home) only allows 8GB for a VM. It worked for me but if your LR workflow is memory intensive it might slow down. AFAIK the pro version of Parallels, which does allow more than 8GB, is subscription only.
Hi Victoria,
with reference to November SW updates, did Adobe fix the Catalina compatibility issues?
Best
Guido
There are some fixed, but of course the final build of Catalina came out only a couple of weeks previous to Lightroom Classic 9, so expect more fixes not just by Adobe but other software authors too (notably Plug-ins) and, of course, from Apple with various Catalina issues.
Thanks Paul for your reply.
If I may, I have two more questions.
First: my Mac is very “clean”. No plugins and no SW but Adobe and MS Office. Apparently, the only 32 bit installed programs are a handful of Adobe piece of software. They look like installer and uninstaller, registration and updates notifier programs that presumably are old and useless after CC updates. Am I right?
Second: I would appreciate very much if you can share you experience with Catalina on your test machine and after you eventually will upgrade your main system.
Thank you so much for your advice.
Guido
Hi Guido
That sounds correct. We both have Catalina installed on our MBP’s and it looks good. On our Production computers, we’ll be waiting on various updates (for example I can’t work effectively without my Wacom) ensuring all is stable. For me that means any Catalina updates (there’s already been one) and probably the first dot release from Adobe. There’s no pressing need for us at the moment to update to Catalina, especially as we have additional machines running it that we can test things on. We’ll post updates on the blog as we become more aware.
Wacom’s 6.3.37 driver adds support for Apple’s production version of their operating system, Mac OS 10.15 Catalina.
https://www.wacom.com/en-us/support?guideTitle=Is-there-a-driver-for-Mac-OS-10.15-Catalina%3F&guideId=015-916
Thank you Guido, great that Wacom now have an approved driver!
Eizo is due to release a Catalina compatible Color Navigator 7 in December (calibration software).
https://www.eizo-apac.com/blog/support-catalina-compatibility
No need to hurry.
Since upgrading my iMac to Catalina and upgrading Lightroom, files do NOT appear in my trash after I select the usual options to put them there. I keep my photo files on an external SSD but this has never been an issue prior to the upgrades. I’m concerned about space… I want my less-than-ideal photos totally deleted from my system! It has not been an issue to delete other files (Word etc.) since upgrading.
See the link above to an Adobe thread where this is being investigated. Any additional details you can add to the Adobe thread may help in working out what is happening.
Hi, I just updated to Catalina and the latest LR classic. When I switch to a different app and then back to lightroom, the sidebars are black and I cannot get them to appear unless I restart LR.
Also, upon restart of LR, I get a notification telling me that my presets have successfully converted, which is fine but it happens every time I open LR..
Personally I would never delay upgrading to Apple’s latest Operating System because Adobe failed to do what they needed to do. They had months to get it right. I think they forgot who was the biggest dog in town! 🙂 Now they have to play catch up, which from the posts above is painful for their users.
But having said that, I have not run into any compatibility issues and I was an early adopter to Catalina. I also use LightRoom Classic with both plugins Aurora 2019 and Luminar 4, again, no issues. I do not use the web version of LightRoom at this time, I have played around with it but I see no benefit, for me at least. I am sure others are OK with it. It is always nice to have choices.
I did notice that it took about 3 days for Catalina to settle in and another couple of days for it to fully settle in. But once through that period, all is good with LightRoom, Photoshop etc.
Lastly I would like to thank the lightRoom Queen for all she does. She has helped me out of difficult situations in the past.
You are a true Queen!
Programming for beta operating is like trying to shoot a moving target. Stuff changes in the operating system at the last minute which can break their fixes, however carefully they’ve tried to keep up. It’s happened to lots of developers because there were such big changes in Catalina, so I’m really pleased you’re not hitting any of the incompatibilities. There’s always bugs and incompatibilities in .0 operating systems, so I can’t recommend upgrading until the dust has settled.
I just bought a new MacBook Pro with Catalina and migrated all of my files from my old MacBook Pro.. I was able to download Lightroom Classic, however, I’m getting a message saying “we need to upgrade your catalog for use with Lightroom Classic. Lightroom Classic will create a new catalog file in the destination listed below. The Previews will also be moved to this location and converted for use in Lightroom Classic.
Here’s what concerns me: This operation cannot be undone and the new catalog will not be compatible with previous versions of Lightroom Classic.
What does this mean? Will I not be able to access my old libraries?
I have been working on this for the last two hours with Adobe support who had me delete all of my old Adobe files under Library – Application Support and Preferences. I can’t seem to get an answer.
Hi Robin
All explained on this post:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-upgrade-catalog/
I subscribe to Creative Cloud and my LR updated automatically to v.9.0 a few days ago. Since my Mac is on Mojave, that’s fine (so far). My wife’s iMac is older and is permanently on Sierra so is stuck on LR 8.4.1.
Now, we can’t share catalogs due to the incompatibility between v9 and previous version catalogs.
This is important because she’s an artist and I photograph her work, make minor edits to correct colors to match the piece, then export the catalog and re-import to hers so she can submit her work electronically. As of yesterday, we can no longer do that. It makes me absolutely furious at Adobe for (apparently) forcing me to urgently and unexpectedly spend $1,000+ on a new Mac for her when her admittedly older Mac works perfectly for her purposes.
If anybody has any suggestions, I’d sure appreciate it.
Wayne Freeman
They’ve maintained support for 3 operating system versions at a time for a long time. The current minimum, High Sierra, supports computers that are nearly 10 old, which seems fairly reasonable.
A quick Google suggests that the minimum system requirements for High Sierra may be the same as Sierra, so you may be able to update the operating system on your wife’s computer for another year’s use. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969
Alternatively, you could roll your computer back to LR 8.4.1 until your wife is ready to upgrade.
Hi, I have only used LR-CC for last couple years bc in 2017 i accidentally asked LR classic on old desktop to “find” a folder with 70k pix on an external hdd and it was in synch-freeze hell since then. I bought new mac laptop 2 weeks ago (with catalina 10.15.1 installed), used time machine from old desktop to set up computer, installed new LR 9.1 classic (took 5 attempts but finally installed) and then the new LR-classic again tried synching all 70k, but froze about halway thru. now each time i reopen (including restarts) it says synching exactly 31,042 photos, but it does not advance after several hours. I have tried 10x to remove the folder with the 70k “missing” photos but it doesnt remove, & i cant seem to import any pix to classic either. I just about to give up on LR classic altogether and may try to uninstall, but i am worried about accidentally deleting my LR cloud photos by accident (i use that app on ipad a lot and it is fine even on the new computer), and i would also like to give one last try to salvage this before quitting LR classic forever and just using the LR-cc (i called adobe but was on hold for 90 mins then gave up). Any advice on how to stop the huge synch and actaully delete/remove that one giant missing folder pointing to a non-connected drive? You are my last hope! thank you!
Sync Freeze Hell? That’s a new one! Sync can refer to lots of different things, so is that syncing with the cloud, or synchronize folder, or synchronize metadata, or synchronize Develop settings.
I’m sure you’ve rebooted at least once or twice since 2017, so that would have stopped any find folder actions. Missing photos could explain why cloud sync is having trouble with 31k photos, if I’m reading that correctly.
I think we’re going to need a bit more information than we can manage by blog comment, but post on the forum (link on the menu) and we’ll see if we can get you sorted out.
I have LR6 and need to keep it running, because I like it for image processing and used the book module.
It will be great to have it running under 64bit Catalina and going forward. Including the install , delete and “upgrade “.
Cloud version is not a solution for me.
With 32bit installer and licensing code, you cannot install Lr6 on Catalina, it has to have been already installed when upgrading from Mojave. Lightroom Classic is the logical replacement (which includes the book module and images are not cloud based)
Is LR 6 then will work on Catalina?
Is changing installer to 64bit all Adobe needs to do to enable us to use it going forward ?
I will most likely not going to Classic, if i have to, i will try to adopt to Capture One. I started with LR1, and very much like it all the way to LR6. Sad.
Not at all. Lightroom 6 was released almost 5 years ago and replaced replaced in October 2017. A number of things no longer work on it as other companies have moved forward with newer technology (Map module as one example)
Catalina has only just been released and therefore ongoing (and current) software will be designed to work with it. But to back-engineer old software wouldn’t be logical, especially with there being so many improvements with the later software.
The change with Lightroom 6 is simple compatibility with the later Operating System. Use an OS from the Lightroom 6 era and it’ll run fine.
not to argue your thoughts, but will be happy to upgrade to LR”7″ running on the computer, not in cloud, or have a way to run 6 on new OSX, as on OSX mojave. Do not need monthly subscriptions. We need to move to new OSX on our computers. is LR6 itself is 64bit ?
Serge, everything Paul has said is correct. If LR6 is already installed and activated, it will run on Catalina but with bugs. If you need to install, uninstall or activate, you can’t, so we don’t recommend it. Older operating systems still get security updates for a couple of years, so if you want to stay with Lightroom 6, stay with Mojave. If you want to upgrade to a Catalina, you’ll need the latest Lightroom version, which is only sold on subscription. You may not like the subscription, but those are the choices available to you, unless you wish to move to other software, which is of course also an option.
One other option that’s just crossed my mind. You could purchase Parallels and a Windows license, in order to run Lightroom 6 on Windows in a virtual machine.
This post fixed my issue. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much. My stress level is back down to a 2 from a 10!
Hi everyone, I just upgraded my Mac to Catalina and now when I try to open Lightroom, it says it will damage my computer and I should move it to the trash. I know people here are talking about having issues with LR 6. I’ve got you all beat! I’m still using Lightroom 3! I’m a hobby photographer and I haven’t needed anything above what LR3 was offering me. Not enough to justify paying to upgrade anyway. I’ve recently purchased Photoshop Elements and Premier 2020 and based on my usage, don’t want a monthly subscription. Anyone know how to resurrect my old dinosaur of LR3? If there are no options to download Lightroom, what happens to all my photos that were in my catalogs? Will my edits still be applied?
All help is appreciated!
It won’t damage your computer, so if you can get it to open, go for it. That said, it is a dinosaur. If you’re going to use Elements, I would recommend installing the Lightroom Classic trial and let it upgrade the catalog. When the trial expires, Lightroom will go into a limited mode that still allows you to access the photos along with all of their organization. Develop module won’t work in limited mode, but you can write the metadata to the files so if you need to edit them, you can do so in Elements instead.
Thanks for the advice Victoria. I played around a bit last night and I was able to change my permissions and allow my Mac to open Lightroom. I can see my catalogs and looks like the develop module still works…however, I can’t import new photos. Would I be best to export all my photos with the edits I’ve currently made? It’d be a ton of work and I’m not excited by the prospect but I’ve also spent countless hours editing in LR (basically the last 9 years LOL). If I’m never planning on joining Adobe’s monthly plan I don’t feel comfortable leaving my photos tied to LR. Any thoughts on this?
Also, how would I go about writing the metadata to the files in the trial so I can edit in Elements? Thanks again!
You could check Catalina’s Security prefs for import, Lightroom 3 wouldn’t know to ask for permission. You could export the photos, but it’s probably overkill at this point if you’re sticking with Adobe in some form. Write metadata to files is under the Metadata menu, just select all first.
Hello – any news on when to update to Catalina if running up to date Classic?
As far as Lightroom goes, you’re fine to update. I’m still seeing some weird issues with Wacom tablet drivers.
Will my existing Lightroom 6 work on the most updated PC operating system and will it continue to work on PCs going forward? If so, is it possible to transfer everything on my MAC hard drive to a PC?
My Lightroom 6 may be “old”, but it is all I want or need. I will not be forced into a subscription when I purchased a “perpetual” Lightroom 6 program.
Honestly… it’s a long shot. Lightroom 6 was 2015, a lot has changed since then. That’s a long time ago. There’s a chance you can get it to work but we can’t make any promises, sorry.