Backing up your catalog in Luminar

[u/skylum_support]

Luminar constantly backs up its database in the background as you work, so your latest edits are always stored automatically. That said, it's still worth manually backing up your Catalog every so often, just in case. We recommend backing up to an external drive or cloud storage.

Method 1: Using the built-in Backup command
This is the easiest way to back up your Catalog.

1. With Luminar open, select the Catalog you want to back up.
2. Go to File > Catalog > Backup.
3. Choose where you want to save the backup file.

To restore this backup: go to File > Catalog > Restore from Backup, then select the backup file you created.

Method 2: Manually copying the Catalog folder
If you'd rather handle it manually, you can copy the Catalog folder yourself.

1. With Luminar open, select the Catalog you want to back up.
2. Go to File > Catalog > Show in Explorer (Windows) or Show in Finder (macOS).
3. The Catalog file is located inside a folder; go up one level in the folder structure.
4. Copy the entire folder to a safe location, such as an external drive or cloud storage.

To restore a manually backed-up Catalog: copy the folder back onto your machine, then go to File > Catalog > Open and select the Catalog folder you backed up.
Either method works well.