Preference and other file locations

• The file locations given here are defaults. Some of these can be changed to a custom location depending on settings changes made in Lightroom.
• While troubleshooting, when possible, rename files instead of deleting them.
• If possible, backup catalogs on a different hard disk or volume from the disk where your catalog is located. For more information on backing up in Lightroom, read Backing up the catalog in Lightroom Help and watch Backing up your catalog on Adobe TV. 

• The Lightroom application file is named Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.app and is in the //Applications/ folder.
• The preference setting file is com.adobe.Lightroom4.plist and is in //Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/.
• The //Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom/ folder contains the following files:
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog.lrcat: the Lightroom database file
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog Previews.lrdata: contains preview data for your photos
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog.lrcat.lock: prevents overwriting the catalog while it is in use
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog.lrcat-journal: crash recovery file

• Catalog backups are saved to //Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom/[catalog name]/Backups/
• Saved and imported presets and templates have filenames ending in .lrtemplate and are in //Users/[user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/ folder.
• Registration data (serial number) is in //Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Lightroom 4.0 Registration

Important: Apple made the user library folder (//User/Library/) hidden by default with the release of Mac OS X 10.7. If you require access to files in the hidden Library folder to perform Adobe-related troubleshooting, see How to access hidden user library files.

• The Lightroom application is named Lightroom.exe and in the C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4\ folder. 
• The preference setting file is Lightroom 4 Preferences.agprefs, in C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Preferences\.
• The C:\Users\[user name]\Pictures\Lightroom\ folder contains:
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog.lrcat: the Lightroom database file
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog Previews.lrdata folder: which contains additional folders for preview files and data
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog.lrcat.lock: prevents overwriting the catalog while it is in use
  • Lightroom 4 Catalog.lrgat-journal: crash recovery file

• Catalog backups are saved to C:\Users\[user name]\Pictures\Lightroom\Backups\. 
• Saved and imported presets and templates have filenames ending in .lrtemplate and are located in C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\. 
• Registration data (serial number) is located in the C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Lightroom\Lightroom 4.0 Registration.lrreg file. Lightroom 4 reads the Lightroom 3.0, 2.0, or 1.0 registration registry entry when it validates upgrade serial numbers. If you install an upgrade version of Lightroom 4 and it does not find a file for either Lightroom 3.0, 2.0, or 1.0, it prompts you to enter the previous version serial number.