How to Create space on Mac internal hard drive in Lightroom

[victorr68262222]

I find as I use lightroom my internal harddrive loses space.  I don't use it to save imports.  What files can I move to an external drive and still have lightroom find them when it needs them?

[JP Hess · Accepted solution]

Your internal hard drive will lose space if that is where you are importing your images. Also, the catalog will increase in size. You can move all of your images to an external hard drive as long as you do it in the right way. Your images are not "in" Lightroom, so they can be stored on any hard drive that is connected to your computer. What version of Lightroom are you using?

[victorr68262222]

Thanks. However I import to an external drive but I suspect that my catalogue grows on the internal drive and I create smart previews. How fast can a catalogue grow and do the smart previews go onto my internal drive regardless where I send the imported photos. If so, can I move the catalog to an external drive as well as the smart previews?

[victorr68262222]

I am using Lightroom CC 2015.5

[JP Hess]

The catalog can be moved to the external hard drive, as can the Smart previews. Why are you using Smart previews? One of the main benefits of using them is so that you can edit the images when the master images are not connected. If the master images and the Smart previews are both on the external hard drive, what benefit do you plan on getting from using the Smart previews?

[victorr68262222]

Makes sense. How do I move the catalog so lightroom knows how to find it? How do I delete the smart previews?

I appreciate very much your help. Thank you!

Victor

[JP Hess]

All that is necessary is to move or copy the catalog to the external hard drive. I would suggest copying the preview folder as well, although that isn't really necessary because Lightroom will just regenerate the previews. After you have copied the catalog to the external hard drive and put it in whatever folder you choose then all you have to do is double-click on it in its new location. As long as your images are still in their same location, that's all there is to it. When you have smart previews, there should be a menu option giving you the choice to delete those smart previews.