Adobe Lightroom is an integral program for photographers to use during editing. It has loads of tools and adjustments you can make to your images, but it is much easier to use than a more in-depth program like Photoshop. Still, because there are so many moving parts to Lightroom, the program has specific system requirements (for Mac and PC) to run properly.
There are minimum and recommended system requirements for both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC. You want to make sure your computer matches at least the minimum requirements so that you can work without issues or interruptions. Let’s take a look at the requirements to run Adobe’s Lightroom programs on both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Adobe Lightroom Classic Requirements
Lightroom Classic is, of course, the classic program many photographers use when it comes to Lightroom. It has been around for over a decade and has had many updates throughout the years, but it still maintains a simple and user-friendly interface.
The program requires a specific version of each operating system and a certain amount of RAM, disk space, monitor resolution, and GPU memory. While the program will function if the minimum requirements are met, it is best to maintain the recommended requirements for the best possible performance.
Requirements For Windows
| Component | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel®, AMD processor that has 64-bit support, and a 2 GHz or faster processor | |
| Operating System | Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1903 or more recent | |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
| Hard disk | ~2 GB of available space; additional space is required during installation and sync | ~3 GB of available space on an SSD |
| Monitor resolution | 1280 x 768 display | 1920 x 1080 display or higher |
| GPU | GPU with DirectX 12 support 2 GB GPU memory | GPU with DirectX 12 support 4 GB GPU memory |
| Internet | Internet connection is necessary for activation and registration. The connection also validates subscriptions and gives access to online services |
Requirements For Mac OS
| Component | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel processor that has 64-bit support or an M1 Apple Silicon processor | |
| Operating System | macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later | macOS Big Sur (version 11) macOS Catalina (version 10.15) |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
| Hard disk | ~2 GB of available space; additional space required during installation and sync | ~3 GB of available space on an SSD |
| Monitor resolution | 1280 x 768 display | 1920 x 1080 display or higher |
| GPU | GPU with Metal support 2 GB GPU memory | GPU with Metal support 4 GB GPU memory |
| Internet | Internet connection is necessary for activation and registration. The connection also validates subscriptions and gives access to online services |
Adobe Lightroom CC Requirements
Lightroom CC is the newer version of Lightroom, which came out in 2015. It maintains the same tools and functions as Adobe Classic, with a slightly different interface. While some photographers still prefer to use Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC offers full cloud compatibility, which others may prefer.
Requirements For Windows
| Component | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel®, AMD, or ARM processor that has 64-bit support and a 2 GHz or faster processor | |
| Operating System | Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1903 or later | |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
| Hard disk | ~2 GB of available space; additional space required during installation and sync | ~3 GB of available space on an SSD |
| Monitor resolution | 1280 x 768 display | 1920 x 1080 display or more |
| GPU | GPU with DirectX 12 support 2 GB GPU memory | GPU with DirectX 12 support 4 GB GPU memory |
| Internet | Internet connection is necessary for activation and registration. The connection also validates subscriptions and gives access to online services |
Requirements For Mac OS
| Component | Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel processor that has 64-bit support or an M1 Apple Silicon processor | |
| Operating System | macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later | macOS Big Sur (version 11) macOS Catalina (version 10.15) |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB or more |
| Hard disk | ~2 GB of available space; additional space required during installation and sync | ~3 GB of available space on an SSD |
| Monitor resolution | 1280 x 768 display | 1920 x 1080 display or higher |
| GPU | GPU with Metal support 2 GB GPU memory | GPU with Metal support 4 GB GPU memory |
| Internet | Internet connection is necessary for activation and registration. The connection also validates subscriptions and gives access to online services |
How To Check Your Computer Specs
Each operating system offers a way to check your computer specs. This will help you understand whether or not your system is currently meeting the minimum and recommended system requirements to use Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC.
To check your computer specs on PC, head to the Windows Start Menu icon on the bottom left and click.
To check your CPU, RAM, and Processor, search for Settings.
Click on the System tab and scroll down to open About.
To view your GPU, click the Start Menu and search for Device Manager.
Click the drop-down arrow next to Display Adapters, and you will see your GPU there.
Finally, right-click the Windows Start Menu and click Disk Management to view how much storage you have left on your device.
To view system information on a Mac, head to the Apple icon at the top left and select About This Mac.
In the Overview tab, you can see the model of the computer you have, the processor, the memory, and the graphics information.
In the Displays tab, you can view more information about the display specs.
In the Storage tab, you can view the space left on your disk.
Do Lightroom And Photoshop Have The Same System Requirements?
No, Lightroom and Photoshop are very different programs with different capabilities. While there is some overlap, Photoshop is much more advanced and offers more in-depth tools and adjustments for your images.Â
For this reason, while the rest of the system requirements are the same for Photoshop and Lightroom, there are differences in the Photoshop requirements, including a minimum of 4GB of disk space, with 16GB recommended. This is much more than Lightroom’s minimum (2GB) and recommended (3GB) requirements.
The difference makes sense when you consider all of the different features Photoshop offers, particularly the ability to add and edit different layers in a single project. Lightroom doesn’t work with layers, so the program doesn’t require quite as much free disk space. If you’re moving between the two programs, you’ll want to ensure you have the space available to run Photoshop, not just Lightroom.
