[IMPORTANT – Adobe is discontinuing public direct download links for older software. Instead, you can now download legacy installers here through their website, or get the latest Creative Cloud installers here. For more details and complete information, see our new explainer post here.]
Yes – the final Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 is just out and now shipping! Pretty much on the timeframe we forecast, you can download a free trial today… And the new product will work side-by-side with any previous releases of Lightroom you may own. If you have an earlier version installed on your system(s), Lightroom 5 will ask if you’d like to upgrade your catalog and copy everything over.
After a 50% price drop for LR4, the price for Lightroom 5 standalone continues to be US$149 for the full version, and $79 to upgrade from any previous release (LR1, LR2, LR3, or LR4)… Students and teachers can get the full education edition for $79.
If you’ve joined the Creative Cloud, then the full release of Lightroom 5 is already available for you to download and use now as part of your membership – it comes automatically and at no additional cost.
Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2025 direct download links and free trials.
Also, if you happened to purchase Lightroom 4 within the past 30 days, then if you like you can return it under Adobe’s Refund Policy and order Lightroom 5 instead. It’s not an official “grace period,” but it works.
Lightroom 5 is designed for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Mac OS v10.7 or v10.8 (see full system requirements). LR5 is sold as multiplatform software, meaning it can be installed on either Mac OS X or Windows and will deliver the same features and functions on both. And similar to Adobe CC, you may be able to install Lightroom on up to two computers, subject to the terms of the software license agreement.
[ Not ready for the complete Creative Cloud? Get Photoshop + Lightroom for $10/month ]
What’s New in Lightroom 5? Compare vs. LR4
Here’s the quick hit list of what’s new – for more details check out the Photoshop Blog or the “LR5 Top 5” video further below:
- Performance improvements – Lightroom 5 user interactivity is quicker and faster.
- Smart Previews – Edit and showcase your images while offline from the originals.
- Advanced Healing Brush – Heal or clone using brush strokes of any shape or form.
- Radial Filter – Apply any of LR’s local adjustment attributes with a circular mask.
- Upright Tool – Automatically level horizons, straighten buildings, & correct askew lines.
- New Visualize Spots Tool – Highlights sensor dust spots for easy removal.
- Slideshows with Videos and Still Images – Bring images, video clips & music together.
- Improved Photo Book Creation – Customize with templates, captions, and more.
- PNG File Support
- True Full Screen Mode
- LAB Color Readout
- Publish Work Directly to Behance
- User Configurable Grid Overlays
- And more – Almost 50 additional features and JDIs.
What’s different in the final release compared to the recent LR5 beta version? The product team cites two additional feature updates, plus “Over 400 bugs found and fixed! (Thank you Lightroom 5 beta customers!)”
Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!
Adobe Lightroom 5 Direct Download Links
More Direct Download Links |
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CC 2025 |
CC 2019 |
Lightroom 6/CC |
Acrobat DC 2024 |
Captivate 2019 |
Elements 2023 |
Here are the direct links to instantly download the Lightroom 5 free trials for both PC and Mac, without any download manager or assistant… The trial version is fully-functional for 30 days, and can be converted for ongoing use (without needing to reinstall) by entering a valid purchased serial number. You can also download the LR5 trials via a free Creative Cloud membership.
Product languages available today include English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Chinese.
So without further ado, here are the Lightroom 5 direct links for version 5.7.1, the last/final release:
- Lightroom 5 for Windows (957 MB) – Direct download link – All languages
- Lightroom 5 for Mac OS (531 MB) – Direct download link – All languages
On Windows it’s a universal installer that includes and supports both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
Learn How to Use Lightroom 5 for Free
For starters, there’s a terrific new Lightroom 5 book you can download – completely free!
Below also is a great video review from Creative Evangelist Terry White to help get you started… In addition, Julieanne Kost has over 3 hours of free training that takes you in-depth with the new features, workflows, and enhancements that are included with the release of Lightroom 5.
Next Steps
- Check out Adobe’s official Lightroom 5 press release
- Read the Frequently Asked Questions about LR5
- Join Creative Cloud including Lightroom 5 at no extra charge
- Compare the differences between Lightroom vs. Photoshop
- Download free Adobe books (choose over 30 titles)
- Don’t need full Cloud? Get PS + LR for $9.99/month
Do you have any questions about Lightroom 5 or the new Adobe CC release? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!
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SO, I have a question. I had previously downloaded a free trial of Lightroom 4. But I didn’t purchase because of finances and a friend who turned me on to Lightroom advised me to wait anyway because Lightroom 5 was coming out soon.
So, now I am also reading about this Creative Cloud. Is this mandatory to sign up for to be able to use LR5? If so, why would I do this instead of simply purchasing Photoshop?
Hi Heather, thanks for your comment… Here are all the answers, written for someone who had similar questions.
I heard that the trial version of Lightroom 5 doesn’t have the 64-bit version and will only install the 32-bit one. Is this correct? Also what’s the difference between the trial downloaded from your link and the one from Adobe CC member page? I’ve downloaded from the latter and the size is over 810 MB, unlike the one posted here, and it only installed the 32-bit version of Lightroom.
Hello John, thanks for your good questions. Per the Lightroom 5 system requirements, a 64-bit system is required on Mac OS but not on Windows. With Windows 7 and above, you can run it on either a 32-bit or 64-bit machine.
And there is no difference between the Lightroom trial download and the full version download – so not sure where you heard that… The software is the same in both cases, it’s just the activation which is different. And you should always be able to activate a LR trial to the full version without having to reinstall the product.
With both the links here above, as well as with the Creative Cloud direct links, the file sizes for the LR5 download on Windows is over 800 MB. That’s much bigger than for the Mac because on Windows it’s a universal installer that always includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The proper one should be installed depending on what your machine is.
Finally, what’s the difference between the LR5 links above and the Creative Cloud links for LR5? Well, the answer is straightforward: Here your (standalone) trial copy of Lightroom 5 would be activated permanently by a purchased serial number, whereas with the Creative Cloud the software is activated by the Adobe login for your membership… You would choose which download to use depending on the model you want to go with.
Nevertheless, if needed, Adobe says you can still convert the traditional release of Lightroom 5 to a Creative Cloud licensed version, without needing to uninstall it.
Hope that clears it all up!
Hello! I am so excited to try Lightroom and will be buying it in the future. I already have Photoshop and now want to try Lightroom first with a free trial… I have tried through multiple avenues to download the free trial, but each time I click on the “download now” yellow button, nothing happens.
PLEASE help, I really would love to try Lightroom! (I have allowed pop-ups for the website)
Thank you so much!
Sorry you’re having difficulties Shannon – have you tried with a different web browser, another computer, or different Internet connection? (Use a wired connection if you can, because Wi-Fi can be slower and unreliable.)
When downloading their software, Adobe also recommends temporarily turning off any surfing restrictions you might have running – like site or cookie blocking, filtering, firewalls or antivirus software.
Hopefully one of these suggestions will help you get it going!
Thank-you so much for your help. Yes, I needed to use a different browser other than Internet Explorer and have now downloaded the trial version of Lightroom.
Great, glad to hear it Shannon! And thanks for letting us know.
I am interested in purchasing Lightroom 5; do you offer discounts for this software for educators as well as students?
It will be used mainly for personal/school use. Thank you
Welcome Jeanne,
Yes, definitely there is a student/teacher version of Lightroom 5 available at a major discount – see the academic product and pricing.
So then your next question might be:
What Are the Limitations of the Adobe Student & Teacher Editions?
Hope this helps!
@ProDesignTools
Thank you!
Hello
I have LR 4.6 & a Nikon D7000, D7100,& D500 if I shoot raw, can I do conversions with LR 4 or do I need LR 5 or LR 6 ? can you explain the difference & benefits? I don’t do much post stuff, mostly crop but would like to clean things up, NR & sharpen. I print 16 x 20 or larger. I don’t have internet access. any recommendations? thanks, Bobby
Greetings Bobby, you can use this online chart to find out which version of Adobe Camera Raw supports your camera model.
If you’re trying to use a newer camera with older editing software that doesn’t support it, then the solution that Adobe offers in these cases is to use the DNG Converter utility. This will provide ongoing camera compatibility for previous versions of all Photoshop & Lightroom products.
What does that mean? Well, you can use the free Adobe DNG Converter Tool for support of any recent camera in older programs like yours. You will need to convert your raw files to DNG, and then Lightroom (or Photoshop) can then import those DNG files instead.
If you get the current/latest version of Lightroom instead (like with the $9.99 the CC Photography bundle), then that camera support will be integrated right inside the programs themselves and you don’t have to do anything additional.
I have all of the Adobe CS6 (PS, ID, AI, Br, DW, etc) and Lightroom 5. My Mac is telling me that soon I won’t be able to use them because they are 32-bit and All of my incoming Apple updates are 64-bit. Is this true? Is there an update to help with this? I really don’t want to go to CC if I can avoid it.
Not sure. Theoretically, if you don’t change your computer and you don’t change your macOS and you don’t change your Adobe software, then presumably you should continue to be able to use everything as it was… But you have to stay where you are, which can be challenging as technology inevitably moves on and older things sometimes stop working.
Here’s an important update for you on the availability of Lightroom direct download links:
Adobe Limits Software Version Downloads, Including Some Direct Links
Help, anyone. I run an after school photography program in our daycare. We were loading our old LR 5.7.1 into a new computer and when we went to update the LR 5 from our disc with the LR 5.7.1 exe we saved from the old computer we found it was corrupted. Can anyone help us find the upgrade app or a link to the upgrade? School starts in less than a week. Failing that is there a phone number that will reach a human at Adobe who can help? We’ve just had a day of phone roulette. Thanks a bunch.
Actually the direct download links given above are for Lightroom version 5.7.1 – and will either update an older version of LR5 or will install the entire 5.7.1 application anew on any computer.
Hi again. Thank you very much for helping us out. When I saw that link for LR5, I assumed that would be the same version as the one on our disc from Adobe. For the life of me, I don’t understand why people don’t just show the https link in full and say “here’s what you need.” We found so many instances online where people start out like us asking about a link for LR5.7.1 and eventually say that they found the download but never give a hint as to where or how. Is it because of some legal issue that the actual web address can’t be shown?
If you hover your mouse over the links above, you’ll see the filename is for Lightroom 5.7.1. The version is also mentioned in the article text.
The release on your disc is the original Lightroom 5.0. Adobe only shipped the initial versions on discs because the updates were always changing.