Lightroom Presets Missing After a macOS Update: Recover or Reconnect XMP?
TL;DR:
If your Lightroom presets are missing after a macOS update but the XMP files are still visible in Finder, back up the files and fix the Lightroom Classic configuration paths rather than running data recovery.
● Verify the CameraRaw/Settings location and the store presets with this catalog setting to resolve visibility issues for existing files.
● Redownload or resync missing vendor presets directly if they are the only files affected.
● Run Recoverit File Recovery to scan the drive only if custom XMP files are truly absent from storage, stopping unnecessary disk writes and saving any recovered copies to a different destination.
Ask AI for a summary
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini
Claude
Grok
If Finder still shows your XMP preset files, do not run data recovery yet. In this r/Lightroom case, the presets disappeared after a macOS update even though the XMP files were still present and Lightroom reported them as already imported. That points to a location, visibility, or Lightroom configuration problem rather than deletion.
Protect the Presets, Then Fix the Lightroom Path
First copy the existing XMP files to a safe folder. Then use Adobe’s current Lightroom Classic file-location guidance to verify the CameraRaw/Settings location and any “store presets with this catalog” setup that changes where Lightroom looks.
Decision Check
- XMP files exist and open as normal files: troubleshoot Lightroom location/import/visibility. No disk scan is needed.
- Only vendor presets are missing: redownload or resync them when possible.
- Your custom XMP files are truly absent from storage: stop unnecessary writes to that disk and consider local file recovery.
When Recoverit Actually Fits
Only after Finder confirms that the custom preset files themselves are gone does Recoverit File Recovery become relevant. Scan the drive that originally stored the presets and save any recovered copies to a different destination.