You bought a preset pack, the files downloaded, and now you are staring at a folder wondering what to do. Installing presets is simple once you know where they live. Here is the process for both Lightroom versions.

First, unzip your download

Preset packs arrive as a .zip file. Unzip it first. Inside you will find files ending in .xmp (the modern format) or, in older packs, .lrtemplate. Keep these somewhere you can find them.

Lightroom Classic (desktop)

  1. Open Lightroom Classic and switch to the Develop module.
  2. On the left panel, find the Presets section. Click the + at its top and choose Import Presets.
  3. Navigate to your unzipped .xmp files, select them all, and click Import.
  4. Your new presets appear in a folder in the Presets panel. Click any photo, then click a preset to apply it.

Lightroom (the newer cloud app, desktop)

  1. Open a photo in the Edit view.
  2. Click the Presets button at the bottom of the edit panel.
  3. Click the three-dot menu and choose Import Presets, then select your .xmp files.

Lightroom Mobile (free app)

The mobile app reads the same .xmp files:

  1. Save the .xmp files to your phone's Files app.
  2. In Lightroom mobile, open any photo, tap Presets, then the three-dot menu, then Import Presets.
  3. Select the files and they sync into your preset list.

If you don't see them

Make sure you imported the .xmp files themselves, not the still-zipped folder. If older .lrtemplate files will not import into a newer app, install them in Lightroom Classic first; it converts them automatically. After that, applying a polished look is one tap away.