.LRLIBRARY File Extension

Adobe Lightroom Library

Developer Adobe Systems
Popularity
4.2  |  5 Votes
 

What is an LRLIBRARY file?

An LRLIBRARY file is a photo library used by Adobe Lightroom, a photo editing and management application. It stores copies of images that users import into Lightroom and data that the app references to organize and manage the imported images, which helps reduce loading times (similar to a cache). Lightroom automatically creates the LRLIBRARY file, named Lightroom Library.lrlibrary, and saves it in the user's Pictures folder when the user installs the application.

More Information

Screenshot of a .lrlibrary file in Adobe Lightroom 8
LRLIBRARY file open in Adobe Lightroom 8

Inside the LRLIBRARY file, photos are stored in the originals folder and organized by the date they were captured. This structure helps Lightroom quickly locate and display imported images. The LRLIBRARY file also contains supporting data, such as .MCAT catalog files and other metadata files, which Lightroom uses to track edits, tags, albums, and other organizational details.

LRLIBRARY file storage locations

Lightroom saves LRLIBRARY files in the following locations by default:

Windows - C:\​Users\​[user name]\​Pictures\​Lightroom

macOS - /​Users/​[user name]/​Pictures/​Lightroom

You can change the storage location of LRLIBRARY files by selecting Preferences → Local Storage or Cache in Lightroom.

How to open an LRLIBRARY file

You can open an LRLIBRARY file with Adobe Lightroom. To do so, double-click the file (with Lightroom installed) or right-click the file and select Open With → Adobe Lightroom.

Since LRLIBRARY files are macOS packages, you can right-click an LRLIBRARY file and select Show Package Contents to view the package's directories and files with Apple Finder.

You can manually explore the contents of an LRLIBRARY file using Windows File Explorer. For example, you can open an LRLIBRARY file with File Explorer to view the directories and reclaim the images it contains.

Open over 400 file formats with File Viewer Plus.Free Download

Programs that open or reference LRLIBRARY files

Windows
Free Trial
Mac
Free Trial

Verified by FileInfo.com

The FileInfo.com team has independently researched the Adobe Lightroom Library file format and Mac and Windows apps listed on this page. Our goal is 100% accuracy and we only publish information about file types that we have verified.

If you would like to suggest any additions or updates to this page, please let us know.