Where Does Lightroom Classic Store Presets and Backups?
Lightroom Classic keeps user presets in Adobe\Lightroom under AppData (or Application Support on Mac), with catalog backups in Pictures\Lightroom\Backups by date.
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Presets and catalog backups live in different places, which is why this post exists apart from the catalog location one. User presets sit in the Adobe Lightroom folders under AppData or Application Support, sorted by preset type. Catalog backups sit in date stamped folders under Pictures Lightroom Backups.
The Store Presets With Catalog option moves presets next to the .lrcat instead, handy for single catalog workflows. Backups deserve their own attention: Lightroom writes a fresh dated copy each run, and old ones accumulate until you prune or relocate them to another drive.
Where Adobe Lightroom Classic stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Adobe\Lightroom
Develop Presets and other preset folders per type. Jump here from Preferences Presets tab. With Store Presets With Catalog enabled, look beside the .lrcat in Lightroom Settings instead.
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom
Same layout as Windows for preset types. Catalog backups default to ~/Pictures/Lightroom/Backups with date stamped subfolders. Change the backup spot in Catalog Settings.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my presets folder fast?
Open Preferences, Presets tab, and click Show Lightroom Develop Presets to jump straight there. Or right click any preset in Develop and pick Show in Explorer or Finder. Both beat navigating AppData by hand.
Can presets live with the catalog instead?
Yes, enable Store Presets With This Catalog in Preferences. Presets then live in Lightroom Settings beside the .lrcat and travel with it. The tradeoff is presets no longer share across catalogs, which surprises multi catalog users.
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