What causes "Lightroom Catalog Corrupted"?

Power loss or a crash while Lightroom was writing to the catalog Drive failure or disconnecting the drive that holds the catalog Catalog stored in a cloud-synced folder (Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud) that isn't database-aware Damaged .lrcat-data file (stores AI masks, Denoise and Remove data)

How do I fix "Lightroom Catalog Corrupted"?

1. Let Lightroom try to repair it: Open the catalog and accept Lightroom's offer to repair if it appears In Classic 15.5 and later, accept the startup prompt to repair the .lrcat-data file; Lightroom backs up the old data first 2. Restore your latest catalog backup: Find the backups: by default a Backups folder next to the catalog or in Pictures; Catalog Settings > General shows backup settings Unzip the newest backup (double-click on Mac, right-click > Extract All on Windows) Move the damaged .lrcat (and .lrcat-data) out of the catalog folder, e.g. to the Desktop Leave the previews files in place so they don't need rebuilding Copy the backup .lrcat and .lrcat-data into the catalog folder and double-click the .lrcat to open it 3. Prevent it from happening again: Set Catalog Settings > General > Back up catalog to run every time Lightroom exits Keep backups on a different physical drive from the catalog Keep the catalog out of cloud-synced folders Check 'Test integrity before backing up' and 'Optimize catalog after backing up' in the backup dialog

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Lightroom Catalog Corrupted

Workaround available Mac, Windows Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

When Lightroom says the catalog is corrupt and can't be repaired, the reliable fix is restoring the latest automatic backup: unzip it, swap it in for the damaged .lrcat (and .lrcat-data) and open it. Classic 15.5+ also checks the .lrcat-data file at startup and offers to repair it.

Most likely fix: Let Lightroom try to repair it.

Symptoms

Lightroom Classic reports that the catalog is corrupt or cannot be opened, crashes when loading the catalog, or edits and collections suddenly disappear.

Why it happens

Power loss or a crash while Lightroom was writing to the catalog
Drive failure or disconnecting the drive that holds the catalog
Catalog stored in a cloud-synced folder (Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud) that isn't database-aware
Damaged .lrcat-data file (stores AI masks, Denoise and Remove data)

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Let Lightroom try to repair it
1. Open the catalog and accept Lightroom's offer to repair if it appears
2. In Classic 15.5 and later, accept the startup prompt to repair the .lrcat-data file; Lightroom backs up the old data first
2. Restore your latest catalog backup
1. Find the backups: by default a Backups folder next to the catalog or in Pictures; Catalog Settings > General shows backup settings
2. Unzip the newest backup (double-click on Mac, right-click > Extract All on Windows)
3. Move the damaged .lrcat (and .lrcat-data) out of the catalog folder, e.g. to the Desktop
4. Leave the previews files in place so they don't need rebuilding
5. Copy the backup .lrcat and .lrcat-data into the catalog folder and double-click the .lrcat to open it
3. Prevent it from happening again
1. Set Catalog Settings > General > Back up catalog to run every time Lightroom exits
2. Keep backups on a different physical drive from the catalog
3. Keep the catalog out of cloud-synced folders
4. Check 'Test integrity before backing up' and 'Optimize catalog after backing up' in the backup dialog

This guide also covers

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lightroom catalog cannot be opened
lightroom catalog corrupted fix
restore lightroom catalog backup

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