What Is an LRCAT File and How to Recover Deleted LRCAT Files?

Does this scenario sound familiar? If yes, then it may appear that you're in big trouble. Well, you're not.

Adobe Lightroom is the go-to tool for photo editors. The ease and convenience that this platform has to offer caters to better management of photos. After all, every photo editor must have a properly organized catalog of photos where they can view and edit the files accordingly.

Irrespective of whatever reason, deletion of files from Lightroom Catalog can seem very frustrating. In fact, not only photos, but sometimes a complete catalog can get lost. In this case, you will have to figure out the ways on how to recover deleted LRCAT files so that you don't struggle much.

This blog is your complete guide on easy steps for understanding what is Lightroom catalog LRCAT format and how to recover them in case of deletion or loss.

Part 1: What Is LRCAT File Format?

You may be wondering what is Lightroom catalog LRCAT format. LRCAT file formats are recognized by Adobe Lightroom Classic. These files are organized in a proper manner using the digital catalog within Adobe Lightroom Classic. You may select the photo that you want to edit. All these photos in the Lightroom Classic Catalog are saved with the .LRCAT extension. You will be able to use these files only if you have Adobe Lightroom Classic in your system.

LRCAT files have all sorts of information for the photos that you're importing in the Lightroom Catalog. Therefore, crucial information like edit history and file location will be stored at all points ensuring complete safety. Using this file format, you'll be able to avoid the risk of overwriting any files within the storage. Moreover, every change will be tracked as per the LRCAT-DATA file. As a result, you get the benefit of non-destructive picture editing.

Part 2: Reasons Why LRCAT Files Can Get Deleted

Lightroom catalog LRCAT photos and files need to be stored properly on your device. However, for a variety of reasons, it can often get deleted. Some of the common reasons for the LRCAT files getting deleted are as follows:

• Accidental deletion by users: Accidental deletion is one of the most common reasons why files can get deleted. You may want to delete one particular file but due to some system error, you may end up deleting all the files, even the LRCAT files.
• Hardware failure or system crash: You need to be extremely mindful while working with LRCAT files. It is advisable to take a backup of all the files while working. If possible, try taking a real-time backup. If the system crashes or there's any hardware failure in the device, it will be turned off.
• Corruption due to improper shutdown or software malfunction: If you do not turn off your system safely, it will not save the files. For example, if the system is forced to shut down, while the software is still running, the software will not save the current files. As a result, you may end up losing the LRCAT photos and files in your system.

Part 3: How to Recover Deleted Lightroom Files?

Lightroom photos are not forever gone from your system. You still have the option to recover those photos and files. Thanks to the different in-built systems in your phone, saving these deleted files is no longer a hassle.

Here are some of the common ways through which you can recover deleted new LRCAT files:

Way 1. Recover Deleted Files Using Data Recovery Software: Recoverit Data Recovery Software

One of the first and the most reliable methods to recover deleted Lightroom files is to use data recovery software. What else can be a better recovery software than Wondershare Recoverit. Wondershare Recoverit can help in recovering deleted and lost files across multiple formats, even LRCAT. Therefore, you should not have any trouble using this platform to recover the files.

Once the software is downloaded and installed Wondershare Recoverit in your system, you may follow the steps given below to recover deleted Lightroom Catalog LRCAT files:

Step 1: Launch Wondershare Recoverit in your system. Under the Hard Drives and Locations section, choose the Hard Drive location from where the file is to be restored.

Step 2: Hit the scan button for the software to begin scanning every folder. The software will thoroughly scan every folder to figure out which one contains the deleted files. Be patient during the scanning process as the time duration will depend on the size of the files in the folder.

Step 3: After the files have been scanned, all the deleted files will be made available on the screen. Take a preview of all the files and click on the Recover button for the files that you want to recover. Now, choose a location (different from the previous ones) where you want to save the files and finally hit the Save button to save the photos.

Visit the location and verify if the files have been restored and recovered successfully.

Way 2. Restore Deleted Files from the Recycle Bin

As soon as the LRCAT files are deleted from your computer, they are transferred into the Recycle Bin. In the Recycle Bin, these files are stored up to a specific number of days before being permanently deleted. This is a type of temporary storage to ensure that you're able to recover the files in case anything goes wrong.

You may follow the steps given below to recover deleted Lightroom Catalog LRCAT files using Recycle Bin:

Step 1: On your desktop, open the Recycle Bin from the Start menu.

Step 2: Navigate through the window and check out the files that you want to recover.

Step 3: Once you have found the LRCAT files, right-click on it and select Restore from the drop-down available options.

The file will get transferred to its original destination. Go to the original location and check if the file has been successfully restored. Then, you can start using it as per your preference.

Way 3. Retrieve Deleted Files from Lightroom Catalog Backups

Lightroom Classic brings in the benefit of creating regular backups of the files you have been working on. Therefore, using this built-in backup feature, you'll be able to retrieve the files in no time. However, you will first have to locate the files in Lightroom Catalog Backups so that you can initiate the data recovery process.

You can follow the steps given below to retrieve the LRCAT from the Lightroom Catalog Backups:

Step 1: The file is probably saved in Lightroom Catalog Backups in your folder. Once you have located the file, try to extract the backup. Open the Lightroom Classic app from your system and then select Open Catalog under the File section.

Step 2: Go through all the details to find out where the catalog files have been backed up.

Step 3: Choose the backed-up .lrcat or .lrcat-data files. then, hit the Open button to open the backup files.

If the backup file is available, you can also create a copy of it to the original catalog file location and paste it. You will have to keep a track of how often Lightroom takes a backup of the files. Depending on that, you can also set the backup frequency.

The backup frequency can be set from the General tab under the Catalog Settings. You will have to visit the Settings of Lightroom Classic to edit the backup catalog. Once done, you can move ahead and set how often you want the backup to be performed from the drop-down menu.

Way 4. Recover Deleted LRCAT files via File History

If none of the functions of the method help in recovering the LRCAT files, you may try using the built-in system of Windows- File History. This built-in backup feature is extremely efficient and available for Windows 7 and above. If you enable this in your system, it will automatically create a backup of all the files.

File History, apart from creating a backup of the files will also save the older versions. Therefore, if a particular point of the file is to be restored, you'll be able to do it in no time. You must keep the File History feature enabled in your system so that you can have a backup of the files. However, if it is not enabled, you won't be able to recover the files.

You can retrieve the copy of data from the backup-enabled folder. Therefore, you will have access to all the lost files in no time. Below are the steps you'll have to follow to recover deleted new LRCAT files using File History:

Step 1: Open the Control Panel on your PC. Navigate to System and Security and then choose File History.

Step 2: Under the File History option, click on the Restore personal files option.

Step 3: Navigate to the path/location where the deleted LRCAT files were probably stored. Then, click on the green Recover button and initiate the file recovery process.

The files upon recovery will be available in its original location. You can visit that section and get all the documents.

Conclusion

Your LRCAT files are one of the major files of your system. Therefore, it is important that you store them properly. Nonetheless, you must note that there are certain risks involved and the files can get deleted easily. However, as long as you follow proper recovery methods, you should not be able to face any problems. Apart from the built-in tools, you may also use a third-party tool like Wondershare Recoverit to ease your problem. Wondershare Recoverit is fast and has a high success rate ensuring that you can get the files restored in your system in no time.