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Why the Lightroom lrcat-data File Belongs with Your Catalog Backup

By ImgHeal · Updated

You copied the catalog and the photos, but Lightroom warns about another file beside the catalog. That companion can contain important edit information, so investigate before recreating adjustments or dismissing the warning.

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Record the exact companion warning

Read the filename and catalog identity in Lightroom's message. Distinguish the catalog, its lrcat-data companion, previews, and actual original photographs instead of treating every nearby file as disposable cache. Adobe documents the companion's role in additional edit information, including certain AI edits. The absence of this file is therefore different from a missing image folder or an outdated preview that merely needs refreshing.

Look for the matching catalog set

Search your own retained project and backup locations for the corresponding catalog companion. Keep filenames and source dates together so you do not pair an unrelated similarly named file with the wrong catalog. Follow Adobe's documented instructions, including quitting the application before placing a matching companion beside its catalog. Work on a copied recovery set while keeping the currently usable project intact.

Check a known affected edit

Choose a photograph whose catalog-based edit depends on the information under discussion. Compare it with a previously retained export if one exists, and inspect whether the expected mask or adjustment remains usable. A successful catalog opening is not enough by itself. Do not describe a recomputed result as identical to the original edit unless you have compared the actual output; a new calculation can require a fresh visual review.

Include companions in future recovery instructions

Update the project inventory to say which catalog files need to travel together and where their backups are stored. Keep a rendered viewing export for important completed restorations as well as the editable setup. That export preserves a useful appearance even if future software cannot reproduce every adjustment. Record any missing companion and the decisions made during recovery rather than silently presenting a newly rebuilt edit as the original project state.

Check before you finish

  • Read the full missing-companion filename.
  • Keep matching catalog files together in a copied recovery set.
  • Compare a known edit rather than just opening the catalog.

Sources and further reading

Questions about this restoration task

Can I substitute a companion from a different catalog with a similar name?

Do not assume they match. Use the corresponding retained project or documented recovery process, and preserve the warning and file identities while investigating.

Continue with a related guide

Try a restoration on a copy of your photo

Keep the original scan. Upload a separate digital copy, review ImgHeal’s generated result, and decide whether it suits your needs.

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