Multiple unknown catalogue files (.lrcat) in Lightroom folder?

[buurmanfoto]

Hi all.

I have been doing some optimization and freeing up storage on my MacBook Pro and came across something strange in my Lightroom catalogue folder.

There are over 60 of these files. All the .lrcat files are roughly 400MB and the .lrcat-journal files are between 200kb and 6MB. These files are not my active library (according to LR catalogue settings). There is a separate backup folder with weekly backup files).

The strange thing is that the files keep getting updated/edited (according to the finder file info). Since I use only 2 catalogues (private and business) I can't understand why there would be more.

I really haven't got a clue what these files are. Haven't found anything online either. I hope someone here could tell what these files are, if I can delete them and how to prevent them from being created again (if they are useless).

[dj_paige]

And yet, you haven't shown us this finder file info that you say is meaningful in this situation. Please show it to us.

It is entirely possible that you are accidentally opening one of these catalog files. How do you launch Lightroom?

[buurmanfoto]

Good point. Here you go. 2 examples of the Finder info for 2 of the files. I have just been working within 1 catalogue (which is called 'Lightroom Catalog BF'). Which I do daily btw. I really haven't got a clue why these files would be created every few days.

Backup's are created as they should in a separate folder.

[dj_paige]

Since I don't recognize the language used, what about these screen captures indicates that these files have been recently created? Does it show the actual operating system information for the date created or date modified?

The date in the file name would indicate that these might be actual Lightroom backups, being created in a different folder than the one you want them to be created into. Have you checked the folder that you claim backups are being created into in order to make sure that there are backups being created into this folder in the recent time period?

[buurmanfoto]

I did check the backup folder, which does have a weekly backup file.

These weird files don't have a weekly interval. I don't know how or why they would be created.

[Just Shoot Me]

What version of LR are you using. Please be specific. Go to Help then About Adobe PS LR or Sys info and post the exact version number.

[buurmanfoto]

Hi. Below a Adobe Sys Info screenshot. (Sorry it's in dutch)

[Just Shoot Me]

Since you are using the CC/6 version the backups would be in a ZIP file format.

Are you somehow creating a new catalog every time you open LR? Because that is what it looks like. Do you have some type of backup, cloning, software installed and running on your system as there are several files with the same date, 5 files dated 2017-05-23, and different time stamps. 4 of them with a time stamp within 6 minute.  Like something is creating a backup copy every time the catalog changes.

Open the LR Catalog settings on the general tab and select "When LR next exits" in the Backup part then close LR to bring up the backup dialog and check the folder being used.

[buurmanfoto]

Backups are indeed in .zip format.

It's 11:30 pm, so I'll check the next backup tomorrow.

And I am using 2 types of sync software (Western Digital Sync for a backup to my NAS and Stack for an online backup). Could that be causing issues some way? I would think that that type of software just copies and doesn't create new folders. And that software is almost constantly running so that doesn't explain the intervals these files are created.

[Just Shoot Me]

Well in on of the screen shots you posted there was a reference to "STACK".

That is what is creating these extra file. It first creates a backup of the catalog then Uploads that backup to the clouds.

Check with Stack to see if these backups can be deleted.

[buurmanfoto]

I'll try turning off the Stack sync of the LR folder. See what happens. The stack reference in the screenshot is because it is in the Stack folder. Just like Dropbox or Google Drive.

[buurmanfoto]

I turned of the Stack synchronization and moved al the weird files to a different location, so I have a clean directory. Sadly the files are automatically returning. See attached screenshot. Also notice the weird dates like 19-2-2017.

And it all happened without any action in Lightroom.

So I am forced to think it is not the Stack software, but maybe the Western Digital Sync software.

[Just Shoot Me]

It has got to be that backup cloud software that is doing this. There is no feature in LR that could cause multiple catalogs to be created without user input.

[buurmanfoto]

I am quite sure now it is the Western Digital software. It keeps different versions of the back upped files, like time machine. The old versions have the same file name references as the .lrcat files in the folder.

Still think it is weird that those files get synced back to Mac and there is no way to turn it off.

[buurmanfoto]

I just tried another backup and that works fine. It creates a .zip backup file in the separate backup folder.