Before you proceed, please read the recommended article below:
What is the difference between a 'referenced' and 'managed' Catalog?
This article includes the following sections:
- Case 1. Moving a Catalog with a managed file option (images imported inside a Catalog)
- Case 2. Moving a Catalog with a referenced file option (images are referenced to the location where they are stored)
- Case 3. Moving a Catalog to another OS (macOS to Windows or Windows to macOS)
Case 1. Moving a Catalog with a managed file option (images imported inside a Catalog)
For managed Catalogs, it is necessary to checkmark the Inside Catalog option in the Destination field of the Import window when importing images. That way, the images would be physically stored inside a Catalog. It means that you can relocate your Catalog and keep everything safe.
Managed Catalogs are portable so they can be moved between computers/workstations easily.
NOTE: Managed Catalogs can be several GB in size depending on the number of source images stored.
Moving a Catalog to another device
To move a managed Catalog, just drag it to the selected location on the external drive and then to the target computer if needed.
Before opening a Catalog in Capture One on the target computer, make sure that it is compatible with that software version and upgrade it if needed as per the instructions. To open a Catalog, go to the main menu File -> Open -> select [Catalog Name].cocatalog file.
If you relocate a managed Catalog to the external drive but continue working on the same computer, you have to quit Capture One, then re-launch it pressing the Option/Alt key. You will then see the list of recent Catalogs/Sessions, the option to create a New Catalog/Session, or browse a file. Select the latter option and navigate to the [Catalog Name].cocatalog file.
Moving a Catalog to another location on the same workstation
In this case, you can also easily move a Catalog to another location on the same workstation. However, you will also have to relaunch Capture One, hold the Option/Alt key, select Browse..., and navigate to the [Catalog Name].cocatalog file.
Case 2. Moving a Catalog with a referenced file option (images are referenced to the location where they are stored)
Moving a Catalog to another device
Make sure that you will have access to the source images when moving to another computer. If source files are stored on a network drive, then you can keep them there. In case your source images are located on the current computer, make sure to transfer them to the target workstation or external drive.
1. Make a backup copy of the Catalog database and select the location for saving the backup file.
2. Drag the selected .cocatalog file to the selected location on the external drive and then to the target computer if needed.
3. Make sure that the source images are also accessible from the target computer.
4. Launch Capture One on the target computer and hold the Option/Alt key.
5. In the Recents window, select Browse... and navigate to the [Catalog Name].cocatalog file.
6. In case you moved the source images, you will see the "?" sign on the thumbnails, which indicates that those are offline. To fix this, select the thumbnails with the question mark, then right-click and choose Locate from the menu.
Moving a Catalog to another location on the same workstation
1. Make a backup copy of the Catalog database and select the location for saving the backup file.
2. Drag the selected .cocatalog file to another location.
3. Re-launch Capture One holding the Option/Alt key.
4. In the Recents window, select Browse..., and navigate to the [Catalog Name].cocatalog file.
Case 3. Moving a Catalog to another OS (macOS to Windows or Windows to macOS)
The same general principles apply if you want to move your document to another OS. The only possible difference is that you might need to locate offline referenced files due to differences in the root/disk name.