Apple plans to introduce its new Mac operating system, OS Catalina, in late September. While Adobe is working to make the latest version of Lightroom Classic compatible with Catalina, there are serious issues with using old versions of Lightroom that will not be fixed. Namely, if you install OS Catalina, you will no longer be able to uninstall, reinstall, or activate old versions of Lightroom, since the installers for these are 32-bit applications, and Catalina only supports 64-bit applications. (These issues also apply to old versions of Photoshop.)
While you should initially be able to use Lightroom 5, 6 and CC 2015 on Catalina if you have installed that version of Lightroom prior to updating to Catalina, if you then encounter an issue with Lightroom that requires uninstalling and reinstalling the software to resolve it, or if your hard drive fails and recovering requires reinstalling software, you won’t be able to.
In addition, you may encounter video playback issues with older versions of Lightroom, and it’s possible that other issues will be identified once Catalina is out and users put older versions of Lightroom to the test.
Therefore, if you want to continue to safely use your old version of Lightroom, DO NOT UPGRADE TO Mac OS CATALINA when it becomes available.
If you decide to ignore this advice and upgrade to Catalina anyway, before you do so, if you have Lightroom 6 be sure to update it to 6.14, and if you have CC 2015, to 2015.14 (by installing the Lightroom 6 version available on this Adobe Lightroom Downloads page, as you’ll no longer be able to on Catalina.
Finally, if you purchase a new computer that runs Catalina, you won’t be able to install old versions of Lightroom on it – at that point you’ll either need to subscribe to one of Adobe’s subscription plans or move on to a competitor.
Here’s a statement from Jeff Tranberry of Adobe on these compatibility issues.
If you’re interested in subscribing to Adobe’s Photography Plan so that you can use the latest Lightroom Classic (which is the newer version of Lightroom 6 available by subscription only), here’s where you’d subscribe, and here is my video tutorial on how to do the upgrade. If you’re struggling with Lightroom and/or you value having all your photos automatically available to you everywhere, this might also be the time to consider switching to the simplified cloud-based Lightroom application. Next month I plan to hold a free webinar, “Which Should I Use, Lightroom Classic or the Cloud-Based Lightroom?” – to hear about the details when they are available, be sure to sign up for my newsletter below!
I want to keep Lightroom and Photoshop in the newest edition. Where I have a problem is I don’t want to upgrade Acrobat, Indesign CS6, Microsoft Word and possibly other programs I own but won’t work on Catalina. To upgrade these programs it will require me making monthly payments. OK so now I don’t upgrade to Catalina because of the mentioned older programs. Adobe wants me to keep paying monthly even though I won’t get any further upgrades. Looks to me like Adobe is holding me hostage. Is Apple getting money from software companies because this will eventually create additional income for them as their new upgrades will only work on Catalina? This will be a huge expense for people owning sever high end software programs.
I agree that you’re in a bind, Jim,. That said, I’m not sure what you would have Adobe do – CS6 is a seven year old set of programs. I think Apple’s more at fault for killing 32-bit support, but I personally would rather Apple do that and put their resources towards the next generation of apps and features rather than continuing to support a 32 bit environment. Just my opinion. ;-)
Unless I missed something, Adobe have not said that future 64-bit updates will only run on Catalina. They have only said that Catalina will not run older 32-bit programs. Since Mojave will run 32-bit and 64-bit programs sticking at that release should allow Jim to continue as he is unless/until something else forces him to upgrade to Catalina (or later). He will continue to be able to update Lightroom/Photoshop with his CC subscription as he does now.
Whoops, you’re right, Dave – the latest versions of Lightroom and Photoshop will run on Mojave, so he can just stick with Mojave.
Hi Laura, Thank you for this information which I had been told a little while ago by other photography friends. I have been considering moving to the cloud-based application, however am not totally sure of the steps I need to take to protect my photos etc. I have been making Smart Previews and moving the RAW photos off my Hard Drive, but still have 18/19 to do! Do you have a video which would explain these steps? I have Lightroom 6.14 standalone. Kind Regards Judy
Hi Judy,
This video explains how to work with Lightroom’s smart previews.
That’s fine for an efficient way to work with Lightroom Classic when your computer is a laptop (or a desktop if you just don’t want the external drive with your photos on it plugged in), but it is not preparing you in any way for moving to the simplified cloud-based Lightroom. This video explains how to migrate your Classic images to the cloud-based Lightroom.
If you do go to the cloud-based Lightroom, while the master versions of your photos will be stored in the cloud, I also recommend storing a copy of all of them locally – that is done in Preferences>Local Storage. That way you’re not totally reliant on Adobe to back them up for you – you can back them up yourself.
Laura:
Thanks for the warning on this. I feel like I am being pushed into a corner because I’m an occasional amateur user, have LR 6.14 Desktop, and do not want to entrust my files storage to anyone but myself and Carbonite (as a backup). In fact, I feel like I am being made out to be an old fogey for not “progressing” to The Cloud.
I will probably keep my LR on my current computer and hold on as long as I can. Maybe even get another, more modern 64-bit to do the usual day-to-day. You may at some point be holding a webinar for a forced migration of files to an Adobe/Mac Great Plan for those of us who share this situation.
Good grief, Charlie Brown!
Hi Ronald, you can subscribe to the Photography Plan and use Lightroom Classic – with this your images continue to be stored only on your local computer/hard drives. (You can CHOOSE to sync collections of images (or rather, smart previews of them) to the cloud and to your mobile devices and Lightroom web, but that’s entirely optional with Classic.)
This article addresses other questions/confusion about Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription plans.
Your statement “While you should initially be able to use Lightroom 5, 6 and CC 2015 on Catalina if you have installed that version of Lightroom prior to updating to Catalina…” suggests that these apps are already 64-bit, but is that so? My understanding is that 32-bit apps simply won’t run in Catalina.
The Mac Lightroom apps have been 64 bit since at least Lightroom 3 – it’s just the installers that continued to be 32 bit.
Thanks — wasn’t surprised that LR6 was (mostly) 64-bit, but sure was that LR3’s the same!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the info-I have a 2009 IMAC with “El Capitan” version 10.11.6 & using Lightroom 4. I am planning to upgrade the IMAC in the near future. If I switch to the subscription plan for LR & Photoshop after buying new computer, will I be able to easily save all my current Lightroom information or what would you recommend, thanks!
Hi Laura,
Adobe said there would be an update to Lightroom before the Catalina release. Right now, the current Lightroom & Photoshop work fine on Betas 7 & 8 of Catalina (on my test laptop) and I’m itching to install Catalina on my desktop (main photog machine). Lr & Ps seem to run 2x faster on Catalina. I know Apple made a separate partition for macOS, but I didn’t expect that much improvement!
Do you have any suggestions at this point?
TIA,
Chris
Hi Chris, I’d wait for the Adobe update. I don’t have any information to suggest that it isn’t safe to update now to Catalina and use LR Classic, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Hi Laura,
I have Lightroom classic and Photoshop CC subscription on my mac running Mojave 10.14.6. My subscription ends in Dec..and I now wish to install my old Lightroom 6 before upgrading to Catalina. Is there any problems I should be aware of before doing this. (I would be running Lightroom classic until the subscription ends) Also am thinking of installing my old copy of Photoshop 5.
Can you please advise.
Mary
I’m sorry for my delay in responding, Mary. Here’s an article on reverting to an earlier version (such as Lightroom 6) – it does list the limitations. In addition, as this “Mac Users of Lightroom 6 …: Don’t Install Catalina” article explains, you will always be at risk of being locked out of Lightroom 6 – you won’t be able to uninstall and reinstall to fix a glitch or move to a new computer, and you won’t be able to sign back in again if you get signed out.
-I have a 2009 IMAC with “El Capitan” version 10.11.6 & using Lightroom 4. I am planning to upgrade the IMAC in the near future. If I switch to the subscription plan for LR & Photoshop after buying new computer, will I be able to easily save all my current Lightroom information or what would you recommend, thanks!
Sorry I didn’t see this, Emma. If you haven’t already upgraded to Lightroom Classic, watch my video tutorial on how to do it. All your info will be saved.
OK thanks Laura, does buying a new IMAC with a newer operating system that doesn’t support Lightroom 4 affect this procedure ( would it be necessary to install LR 4 on the new computer first?)
Mike M, no need to reinstall LR 4. On your old machine, go to Lightroom>Catalog Settings, and write down the location of your catalog folder and the file name of the lrcat file. Copy the entire folder to your new computer, then when you install Classic, if it asks you what catalog you want to upgrade, choose the one you transferred; if it doesn’t, then when Classic opens (empty), go to File>Open Catalog and choose the lrcat file and it will upgrade it.
Thanks Laura, just ordered new IMAC & these tips will be a big help when I make the transition to subscription model from LR 4!
YW, Mike. That’s quite a jump, from Lightroom 4 to Lightroom (Classic) 9. You can learn all the new features in my Lightroom 5, 6 and Classic CC: The Fundamentals & Beyond V. 8 and Lightroom 5, 6 and Classic CC: Producing Great Output V. 8 video series!
Hi Laura, I have upgraded to Catalina without knowing of all the issues. Now I find when I want to develop a photo LR says ‘can not open file’ and there are no exclamation marks or question marks on any of the photos.Please help
Hi Piet, sorry I didn’t respond sooner. Did you resolve this? If not, check the file permissions section of this article – I have updated it.
A little late with this bit of news on Catalina. I upgraded several months ago.
I’m sorry you’re reading it late, Mike, but I published this and communicated it to newsletter subscribers two months before Catalina was released to the public.
Well, this is exciting!
I, too, upgraded to Catalina. I receive your excellent Newsletters but an office reno & re-organization later I see my mistake.
I have a MacBook Air and what I’ve noticed is that all my photos are still there (I have them backed up to a MyPassport external drive) but when I add new ones Lightroom recognizes ALL photos, even old ones, on the SD card as new ones.
Moving forward I am ready to join the future, or should I say “get my head in the cloud”
What would you suggest is the best way moving forward? Would your Webinar cover this situation?
I am at a stage where I could re-add all my photos (never got rid of an SD card or overwrote it!) If I needed to.
You are my guru and I look forward to your advice, please!
Thank you!
Anna
Sorry your question slipped by me, Anna. I’m assuming you’re writing about LR Classic. It would recognize previously-imported photos as new and re-import them if during the first import you renamed the files. If you are organizing your images as you import into date folders, then at the top of the grid in the Import dialog, click on Destination Folders, go to the dates you’ve already imported, select the files from those dates (click on the first, shift-click on the last), then uncheck one to uncheck all selected so they don’t get imported again.
Hi, I have both computers still going. My Lightroom 6 on my Mohave and My new Catalina. Would I be able to (purchase of course) download the new version of Lightroom 9.2 on my Mohave and move my catalog over to that on my old computer. Then download again (because you can download at least 2 ) lightroom 9.2 on my Catalina and migrate my catalog over from the the old computer to the new computer?
Sorry I didn’t see your question! You’ve probably sorted this out, but it’s simple because you are willing to move to LR Classic rather than staying with LR 6: If it’s the new computer that you want LR on, just copy your LR 6 catalog folder to it, then install LR Classic and then go to File>Open Catalog and choose the LR 6 one – it will make a copy of it and upgrade it.
I have had aMac pro for 13 years until therewas a problem with the video carf. Afriend lent me a 12 year old Imac and asked the experts (sicC in a mac shop about runninf a leter mac version, and heard the usual ” very difficult” etc.
Well I never give up and I bought an apple 10.10.5 installer, partitioned the hard drive, and I switch between both , and all works OK. An american friend was helpful, but he has varied myscheme, by istalling Parells on os 11, and itwill runn my other OS, 10.6.8 with no problem. Also all my work is on an external drive of 2 Terabytes, with 4 parrtitions, so a transfer to another competer should be easy.
Through the 25 years of Macs, one acquires a lot of software, and haave no intention of getting 5 new scanners and a load of new units.
Hope this interests you guys. As regards the Cloud, , its is cheaper to buy another hard drive for storage!
Hello, i have a macbook pro running monterey and my classic LR was working and not it won’t open, just flashes and shuts down. I allowed permissions in files and folders and restarted and still nothing. Is there any way to pull some photos out AND keep using it? trying not to have a monthly fee :(