When to delete your Lightroom catalog backups
As a photographer who uses Lightroom, you know how often it asks you if you want to back up your catalogs. Depending on how often you click “yes”. You might have a huge stack of backups on your drive taking up space. Do you need to keep all of them? Let’s find out!!
Lightroom Catalog Backups
When you make backup of your Lightroom catalog, essentially what Lightroom is doing is taking a snapshot of what your catalog looks like on that specific day and at that specific time. Any changes you make AFTER that backup is generated are not going to be reflected in that specific backup file.
How Lightroom Catalog files work
Essentially your Lightroom catalog file is simply a record or “catalog” of changes you are making to your photos when you edit. The catalog also keeps a record of where your RAW images are located. In the event your Lightroom Catalog file becomes corrupted for some reason you can use a backup instead to ensure your data isn’t lost. Depending on how often you use your Lightroom catalog however, does have an impact on how many backups you should keep and how many you can delete.
Should I Delete My Lightroom Catalog Backups?
Yes and No. If you have been in the habit of creating backups ever since you started using Lightroom 5 years ago and have never gone in to delete any, then YES. You probably have quite a few very obsolete backups that are just sitting on your hard drive taking up space. If your Lightroom catalog has changed a lot from three years ago, then you for sure don’t need that old backup! I would say a wise practice would be to create a backup of your Lightroom catalog after you deliver a session. Then you can delete older backups at that time since you will have the latest backup to fall back on if you need it.
When Should I Delete Old Backup Files?
The simple answer here is “whenever they aren’t needed anymore” but that means different things for different people. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and how much space on your hard drive or server you have available for storing these files long-term. Essentially you only need ONE backup of your Lightroom catalog mainly because you’ll be changing things in your catalog almost every time you open it. So in my opinion, you can essentially delete your backup once you make a new one!
Knowing when and how often to delete Lightroom backup catalogs can help keep your storage organized while also providing some peace of mind in knowing that your data is securely backed up and safe from potential disasters like computer crashes or viruses corrupting important information on your hard drive. In most cases, photographers should keep their older backup catalogs handy until they are sure they don't need them anymore but ultimately, it depends on personal preference as well as how much space is available on their hardware devices for storing those files safely long-term. With careful consideration and planning, deleting old Lightroom backup catalogs can help ensure that all of your data remains secure while also making sure that more recent versions are available if something unexpected were ever to happen with the primary file.