lightroom photos and google drive: what works and what doesn't
by sumit paul · last updated
you can keep lightroom classic photos on google drive, but not the catalog. adobe's catalog faq says catalogs can't be stored on a network, and lightroom classic won't open one it sees on a network volume, so keep the catalog on your mac's own disk or a local external drive. the raw originals can live on another volume, including a google drive folder in finder, as long as you import them with add and build smart previews for when they're out of reach.
the rule: catalog local, originals anywhere
| what | where it should live | why |
|---|---|---|
catalog (.lrcat) and its previews | your mac or a local external drive | adobe doesn't support catalogs on network volumes; lightroom writes to it constantly |
| raw originals | local, external, or a cloud drive in finder | lightroom only reads them; edits live in the catalog |
| smart previews | next to the catalog | let you edit when the originals aren't available |
| catalog backups | google drive is fine | a closed backup isn't being written to |
| finished exports | google drive | easy to share and view anywhere |
the reason for the rule is corruption. the catalog is a database that lightroom writes to on every edit. a sync client uploading it mid-write, or two macs opening it at once, can damage it. people on adobe's forums who put catalogs in google drive for desktop report lightroom refusing to launch with a "network volume" error.
option 1: originals in google drive for desktop
- install google drive for desktop. drive appears under locations in finder.
- copy your raw folders into google drive and let them upload.
- in lightroom classic, choose file › import photos and video, pick the folder in google drive, and select add at the top (not copy or move), so the files stay where they are.
- under file handling, tick build smart previews.
the catch is stream mode. when lightroom reads a raw file to build previews, drive for desktop downloads the whole file and keeps it. import a 300 GB shoot and you can end up with most of it back on your mac. mirror mode keeps everything local by design. so drive for desktop works best for archives you rarely touch: import once, build smart previews, then clear drive's cache to get the space back.
option 2: originals on a streaming drive
a streaming drive presents the cloud as a disk and fetches only the parts of a file an app reads. feather drive does this for google drive and dropbox. lightroom still has to read each raw file once to build previews, but feather drive doesn't keep a full copy: what it read sits in a small cache with a size limit you set, and get info on the files shows zero bytes on disk. raw photos are one of the things it's built for.
- download feather drive, connect google drive, and switch on the file system extension: system settings › general › login items & extensions › file system extensions › feather drive.
- copy your raw folders into the feather drive folder in finder.
- keep the catalog on your mac, import from the feather drive folder with add, and build smart previews.
know the limits before you move a photo archive. it needs macos 26 or later and covers google drive and dropbox only. it only sees files you put in it (google's drive.file permission), so photos already elsewhere in your drive won't show up until you copy them in. opening files needs an internet connection, so build smart previews if you edit on the go. it's a paid app with a 3-day free trial. and like any cloud folder, it's for originals, never the catalog.
edit when you're offline: smart previews
smart previews are compact, editable versions of your raw files stored with the catalog. if the originals are on a cloud drive and you're on a plane, lightroom classic edits the smart previews and applies the changes to the originals when they're reachable again. without them, cloud-stored photos show as missing and you can only look at the standard previews. for full-resolution exports and detailed retouching, lightroom needs the originals.
export finished photos to google drive
for sharing, export rather than syncing the library:
- select photos and choose file › export.
- under export location, choose a specific folder and pick a folder inside google drive (or the feather drive folder).
- pick jpeg and a size that suits the use, then export.
google drive previews jpegs in the browser and on phones, so clients can see the photos without lightroom.
back up the catalog to google drive
lightroom classic can back up the catalog when you quit (set it under catalog settings › general). point the backup at a folder on your mac, then copy the backup into google drive. that gives you an off-site copy without the live catalog ever sitting in a sync folder.
what about lightroom (not classic)?
adobe's cloud-based lightroom stores your originals in adobe's cloud and syncs them across devices. if that's what you want, it does it natively and works on phones and tablets, which no google drive setup will match. it doesn't use google drive as its storage; you'd only export to drive from it.
related
- how to open raw photos from dropbox without filling your mac's ssd
- how to open any file from the cloud on a mac without downloading it
- external ssd vs cloud storage on a mac
- does google drive take up space on a mac?
- how to get more storage on your mac without buying a new one
common questions
can i put my lightroom classic catalog on google drive?
don't. adobe's catalog faq says catalogs can't be stored on a network, and lightroom classic refuses to open a catalog it sees as on a network volume. keep the catalog on your mac's disk or a local external drive, and copy backups to google drive.
can lightroom classic photos be stored on google drive?
yes. adobe allows photos on a network, and a catalog can point at originals on another volume. import them with add so they stay where they are, and build smart previews so you can edit when the originals aren't reachable.
does lightroom (the cloud version) work with google drive?
not as storage. lightroom, as opposed to lightroom classic, keeps your originals in adobe's own cloud. you can export finished photos and save them to google drive.
what are smart previews?
smaller, editable versions of your raw files that lightroom classic stores next to the catalog. you can develop photos from them when the originals are offline, and lightroom applies the edits to the originals when they're back.
how do i back up a lightroom catalog to google drive?
set lightroom classic to back up the catalog to a folder on your mac, then copy that backup folder into google drive. close lightroom first so the catalog isn't being written while it syncs.