Speed Up Lightroom Classic on Windows 11

Increase Your Cache Size Easy Win

This is the single easiest optimization you can make. Adobe sets the default cache size to just 1GB to accommodate minimum-spec machines. For most photographers, this is way too small.

How to fix it:

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance
2. Find "Camera Raw Cache Settings"
3. Set Maximum Size to 30-50GB
4. Make sure the location is on an SSD

The Camera RAW cache stores processed image data so Lightroom doesn't have to re-render every time you revisit a photo in Develop. A larger cache means more images stay "warm" and ready.

Edit with Smart Previews Big Impact

Smart Previews are smaller, lossy DNG files that Lightroom can use instead of your full RAW files while editing. The result? A noticeably snappier Develop module.

Set it up:

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance
2. Check "Use Smart Previews instead of Originals for image editing"
3. Build Smart Previews on import (check the option in the Import dialog)

You can also build Smart Previews for existing images: select photos in Library, then Library > Previews > Build Smart Previews.

Configure Your GPU

Where to configure: Edit > Preferences > Performance > Use Graphics Processor

Options:

• Auto — Let Lightroom decide (works for most users)
• Custom — Manual control over Basic vs. Full acceleration
• Off — Disable GPU (only if troubleshooting issues)

Minimum requirements:

• DirectX 12 compatible GPU
• 2GB VRAM (4GB+ recommended for 4K displays)
• 8GB VRAM for full GPU acceleration

NVIDIA Configuration

1. Right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel
2. Manage 3D Settings → Program Settings
3. Add Lightroom.exe
4. Set to "High-performance NVIDIA processor"

AMD Configuration

1. Right-click desktop → AMD Software
2. Gaming → Graphics
3. Add Lightroom and set to "High Performance"

Disable Unnecessary NVIDIA Background Processes Win11

Some users report up to 50% performance improvement after disabling NVIDIA background services:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
2. Go to Startup apps tab
3. Disable NVIDIA-related items you don't need (battery boost, telemetry, etc.)
4. Restart

Reduce Windows Search Indexing Win11

Windows constantly indexes files for search, which can compete with Lightroom for disk I/O:

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Searching Windows
2. Under "Exclude folders from enhanced search," add your photo folders
3. Alternatively, use a lightweight search tool like "Everything" and disable Windows indexing entirely

If Lightroom Works in Safe Mode But Not Normally Advanced

This indicates third-party software interference. Do a clean boot:

1. Press Win+R, type msconfig, press Enter
2. Services tab → Check "Hide all Microsoft services" → Disable all
3. Startup tab → Open Task Manager → Disable all startup items
4. Restart and test Lightroom
5. Re-enable items one by one to find the culprit

Common offenders: RGB lighting software, audio enhancement tools, "gaming optimization" utilities.

Match Preview Size to Your Monitor

1. Go to Edit > Catalog Settings > File Handling
2. Set Standard Preview Size to match your monitor resolution (or slightly larger)
3. Set Preview Quality to Medium (High rarely provides visible benefit)

Building 1:1 previews takes time but makes zooming instant. Build them overnight for large imports:

Disable E-Cores on Intel Hybrid CPUs Advanced

If you're running a 12th gen Intel processor or newer (Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, etc.), your CPU has two types of cores: P-cores (Performance) and E-cores (Efficiency). Windows 11's thread scheduler tries to be smart about which tasks go where, but Lightroom doesn't always play nice with this hybrid architecture.

The result? Lightroom can feel inconsistent—sometimes snappy, sometimes sluggish—as threads bounce between fast and slow cores.

The fix: Disable E-cores entirely and let Lightroom use only your P-cores.

Option 1: BIOS (System-Wide)

1. Restart your PC and enter BIOS/UEFI (usually Del or F2 during boot)
2. Find your CPU configuration settings (location varies by motherboard)
3. Look for "E-cores" or "Efficient Cores" and disable them
4. Save and exit

Option 2: Task Manager (Quick & Temporary)

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
2. Go to Details tab, find Lightroom.exe
3. Right-click → Set affinity
4. Uncheck the E-cores (typically the higher-numbered CPUs)

This only lasts until you close Lightroom—you'll need to redo it each session.

Option 3: Process Lasso (Set It and Forget It)

Process Lasso lets you save CPU affinity rules permanently. Set Lightroom to only use P-cores once, and it applies automatically every time you launch. This is the best of both worlds—E-cores stay available for other apps, but Lightroom always gets your fastest cores.

This tweak forces all Lightroom threads onto your fastest cores, eliminating the inconsistency caused by hybrid scheduling. Many photographers with hybrid Intel CPUs report noticeably smoother slider response and faster culling after making this change.

Know Your Caches (And When to Clear Them) Important

Lightroom uses several different caches. When things get sluggish or weird, clearing the right one can fix it.

Camera RAW Cache

Stores processed RAW data so the Develop module doesn't have to re-render images from scratch. This is the cache you want to be large (30-50GB).

When to clear: Corrupted previews, color issues, or unexplained Develop module slowness.

How: Edit > Preferences > Performance > Purge Cache

Preview Cache (.lrpreviews file)

Contains Standard, 1:1, and Smart Previews for browsing in Library. Lives next to your catalog file and can grow massive over time.

When to clear: Catalog feels bloated, previews look wrong, or you want to reclaim disk space.

How: Library > Previews > Discard 1:1 Previews (safest). Or delete the .lrpreviews file entirely when Lightroom is closed—it'll rebuild what it needs.

Video Cache

Caches rendered video frames. Only matters if you work with video in Lightroom.

When to clear: Video playback issues or reclaiming space.

How: Edit > Preferences > Performance > Purge Video Cache

Reset Lightroom Preferences (Nuclear Option) Advanced

If Lightroom is misbehaving and nothing else works, you can reset all preferences back to factory defaults.

How to do it:

1. Close Lightroom completely
2. Hold Shift + Alt and launch Lightroom
3. Keep holding until you see the prompt
4. Click "Reset Preferences"

This wipes your custom settings—keyboard shortcuts, interface preferences, export presets locations, etc. Your catalog and photos are untouched.

This fixes a surprising number of weird issues: random crashes, UI glitches, tools not responding, and unexplained slowness that persists after other troubleshooting.

Stick to Stable Windows 11 Builds Important

If you're enrolled in the Windows Insider Program running Dev, Canary, or Beta builds—stop. These preview builds are for testing, not production work. They frequently introduce bugs, driver incompatibilities, and performance regressions that can tank Lightroom performance.

Known issues with Insider builds:

• Thread scheduling problems — Preview builds often have experimental changes to how Windows manages CPU threads, which can cause inconsistent performance and stuttering in Lightroom
• GPU driver conflicts — NVIDIA and AMD drivers are optimized for stable Windows releases; Insider builds can break GPU acceleration entirely
• Memory management bugs — Beta builds have been known to cause memory leaks and excessive RAM usage that compounds over time
• Background process issues — New Windows features in preview can spawn additional background tasks that compete with Lightroom for resources

Check your build:

1. Press Win+R, type winver, press Enter
2. Look at your Windows version

If you see "Dev Channel," "Canary Channel," or "Beta Channel" anywhere, you're on a preview build.

Switch back to stable:

1. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Windows Insider Program
2. Select "Stop getting preview builds"
3. You may need to wait for a stable release to catch up, or do a clean install

Your editing machine should be boring and stable. Save the bleeding-edge stuff for a test PC.