LRCAT File

What are LRCAT files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a LRCAT file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your LRCAT files.

What is a LRCAT file?

A .LRCAT file is an Adobe Lightroom Catalog file.

An Adobe Lightroom Catalog file with extension .lrcat is a database file produced by Adobe Lightroom Classic. It serves as the central record of the photos you've imported: where they are stored, how you've edited or organized them, what metadata you've added (ratings, keywords, etc.), and what collections or albums they belong to. It does not contain the actual image files themselves. Its purpose is to track and manage photos, edits, and organizational choices without modifying the original image files.

Lightroom Classic creates .lrcat files whenever a new catalog is made, such as when you launch it for the first time, or when you export a selection of photos as a new catalog. Alongside .lrcat, Lightroom Classic often keeps related files like previews (.lrdata), smart previews, and - starting in version 11 - a companion file with extension .lrcat-data which stores additional data such as AI masks or edits. Moving, backing up, or restoring a catalog correctly means preserving both .lrcat and its associated files.

The .lrcat file is implemented using a SQLite database. It begins with the ASCII header "SQLite format 3" at byte offset zero. Inside are SQL tables and indexes with names such as AGLIBRARYCOLLECTIONCONTENT, ADOBE_ADDITIONALMETADATA, AGLIBRARYKEYWORDIMAGE, and AGFOLDERCONTENT among others, which support searching, organizing, and storing metadata edits.

How to open LRCAT files

We have identified one LRCAT opener that is compatible with this specific type of LRCAT file.

Programs that open Adobe Lightroom Catalog files

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of LRCAT files. Remember, different programs may use LRCAT files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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