# Why does Lightroom take up so much space and how do I save a catalog on my hard drive and not my mac

I need to save space on my MacBook. How do I have my catalog on my external hard drive instead and do I need to “export catalog” every time, also I feel like Lightroom saves MULTIPLE files of the same photo behind the scenes on my MacBook. Help!

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: almost 7 years ago
- Author title: Photographer 
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

I'm not totally sure what you're referring to when asking why lightroom takes up so much space. Are you talking about the software or the files or catalogs size? Because the software is about the same GB as Photoshop.

You can save a catalog anywhere you would like when you create a new catalog. The save dialog window pops up and as any other software you can navigate your computer where you would like to save the catalog.

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: almost 7 years ago
- Author title: Graphic Designer at Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson



### Comment 2

Locate the folder that contains the catalog and preview files. In Lightroom Classic, choose Edit > Catalog Settings (Windows) or Lightroom Classic > Catalog Settings (Mac OS).


In the Information area of the General panel, click Show to go to the catalog in the Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS).
Quit Lightroom Classic.


In the Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS), copy or move the catalog.lrcat, Previews.lrdata, and (if present) Smart Previews.lrdata files to the new location.

Double-click the .lrcat file in the new location to open it in Lightroom Classic.


(Optional) If Lightroom Classic can't find folders or photos in the copied or moved catalog, a Question Mark icon appears by folder names in the Folders panel and an Exclamation Point icon appears in photo thumbnails in the Grid view. To restore folder links, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a folder with a Question Mark icon and choose Find Missing Folder. To relink individual photos, see Locate missing photos.

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: almost 7 years ago
- Author title: Contract Art Director, Photographer, Videographer, Video Producer




## Related Product
[Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-photoshop-lightroom-classic/reviews)

## Related Category
[Photo Editing](https://www.g2.com/categories/photo-editing)

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