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How to Use XMP Files in Adobe Lightroom (Sidecars & Presets Explained)

Published June 10, 2025

If you've ever exported settings from Lightroom or downloaded a preset pack, you've probably seen .xmpfiles. They look small and mysterious, but they're actually one of the most useful file types in a photographer's workflow. Here's everything you need to know.

What is an XMP file?

XMP stands for Extensible Metadata Platform. It's an open standard created by Adobe for storing metadata and editing instructions alongside your original files. In Lightroom, XMP files come in two flavors: sidecars and presets.

A sidecar XMPis a companion file that sits next to your RAW file and stores all the develop settings you've applied — exposure, white balance, color grading, everything. Lightroom calls these "metadata." The key thing to understand is that your original RAW file is never modified. The XMP sidecar is just a set of instructions that Lightroom reads and applies on top.

A preset XMPis a reusable set of develop settings saved independently of any photo. When you apply a preset, Lightroom copies those settings onto whichever photo you're editing. Preset files live in your Lightroom presets folder, not next to your RAW files.

How to use a sidecar XMP file in Lightroom Classic

If someone sends you an XMP sidecar — or you've generated one with a tool like GetXMP — here's how to apply it:

  1. Place the .xmp file in the same folder as your RAW file. The filenames must match exactly. For example: DSC01234.ARW and DSC01234.xmp must be in the same directory.
  2. Open Lightroom Classic and navigate to that folder in the Library module.
  3. Select the photo, then go to Metadata → Read Metadata from File.
  4. Lightroom reads the sidecar and applies all the develop settings automatically.

If you imported the photo before adding the sidecar, you may need to right-click the photo and choose "Update DNG Preview & Metadata" or simply re-select Read Metadata from File.

How to install a preset XMP file in Lightroom Classic

  1. Open Lightroom Classic and go to the Develop module.
  2. In the Presets panel on the left, right-click any preset group and select "Import Presets…"
  3. Navigate to your .xmp preset file and select it.
  4. The preset appears in your Presets panel under the group it was assigned to.

How to install a preset in Lightroom (cloud version)

  1. Go to File → Import Profiles & Presets in the menu bar.
  2. Select your .xmp file.
  3. Find the preset under the Presets section in the Edit panel on the right.

What develop settings are stored in an XMP file?

A Lightroom XMP file can store virtually every setting in the Develop module, including:

  • Basic panel: Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Clarity, Vibrance, Saturation
  • Tone Curve: custom point curve or parametric curve, per channel (RGB, Red, Green, Blue)
  • HSL / Color panel: Hue, Saturation, and Luminance adjustments for all eight color ranges
  • Color Grading: shadow, midtone, and highlight color wheels
  • Detail: Noise Reduction and Sharpening values
  • Lens Corrections: Chromatic Aberration, Vignetting
  • Transform: geometry corrections
  • White Balance: Temperature and Tint

When you use a tool like GetXMP to generate an XMP from a photo, it's setting values across all these parameters to match the look it analyzed.

Process Version matters

Lightroom has gone through several "Process Versions" — PV2010, PV2012, and now PV2012 with the current slider ranges. XMP files include a ProcessVersion tag that tells Lightroom which version of the develop engine to use. Most modern presets and sidecars use PV2012 (value 11.0in the XMP). If you open an old preset and the sliders look off, it's likely a process version mismatch — Lightroom will usually offer to update it automatically.

Can I edit an XMP file manually?

Yes. XMP files are plain XML text files. You can open them in any text editor and change values directly. This is useful for fine-tuning a generated preset or batch-adjusting a value across multiple sidecars. Just be careful with the formatting — if you break the XML structure, Lightroom will ignore the file.

Why use XMP instead of Lightroom's built-in presets (.lrtemplate)?

Adobe moved to XMP as the universal format for presets in Lightroom Classic 7.3 and Lightroom CC 2.0 (released 2018). The older .lrtemplate format still works in Classic but cannot be used in the cloud version. XMP presets work everywhere — Classic, cloud, mobile, and even in Adobe Camera Raw inside Photoshop. Always use XMP when sharing presets.