Adobe has created such wonderful efficiencies in templates that it is almost a crime not to use them. Considering the amount of time in creating and perfecting them, especially when it comes to Printing templates, backing up the templates is not only a MUST, it is the top item on your regular daily routine before morning coffee and breakfast. Failing to backup your Lightroom templates will only cause enormous pain one day when they are corrupt or deleted. The only item more important would be backing up images and catalogs.

To backup your Lightroom templates, find your template directory and copy the contents to another hard drive or a usb drive. Using the same location you backup your catalog and images is a good idea as well.

The template directories are typically found as listed below:

Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom\

Macintosh
Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/

NOTE: In Windows XP, the Application Data directory is usually hidden. You must enable “show hidden folders” in the folder options of the windows explorer before you can browse to that directory.

Backing up this entire base directory will get all of your Develop templates, Custom Text templates, Printing templates and all the other templates you have created. It will also backup your Web Galleries that you have downloaded and installed and the Web Gallery templates you have created to give your web site it’s look and feel.

This is extremely important, do not forget to do it regularly!