How to Install Presets for Lightroom: Phone and Computer (2026)

In this article, I will show you step by step how to install presets for Lightroom on your phone and computer. Whether you download free or paid presets, you will always receive them as XMP and DNG files. So let's start by explaining the difference between these formats:

XMP - Raw presets that you can import and apply to your photos. 

DNG - Photos with applied presets that you then have to manually save as presets on your device. 

Lightroom on desktop has long supported importing XMP, but unfortunately, to install presets on the phone, you had to import DNG files and save them manually.

In the latest version of Lightroom, you can also install XMP presets on your phone. So before you start, make sure you have the latest version of the Lightroom app.

Let's get to the point. The process is simple and takes no more than 2 minutes. We have described everything in detail so you know exactly what to do. 

Installing Presets on Phones (Android and iOS)

Installing XMP files (Recommended)

1. Download presets to your phone. For this guide, I will use free presets from our website. 
   
   
2. Presets in .zip format will be saved in the "downloads" folder. Go to that folder. 
   
   
3. Click on the downloaded file and extract it. Just click and confirm. This way you will access the folder contents. 
   
   
4. Go to the Lightroom app and select the photo you want to edit. Then choose "presets" from the bottom panel.
   
   
5. In the top right corner of the screen, press the "three dots" and click "import presets." 
   
   
6. Find the previously extracted folder in the "downloads" folder and select the compressed file labeled "XMP." 
   
   
7. Done! The presets have been imported! 

Installing DNG files 

1. Download presets to your phone. For this guide, I will use free presets from our website.
   
   
2. Presets in .zip format will be saved in the "downloads" folder. Go to that folder. 
   
   
3. Click on the downloaded file and extract it. Just click and confirm. This way you will access the folder contents. 
   
   
4. Go to the Lightroom app. Make sure you are in the "Lightroom" tab and in the top left corner of the screen select "all photos."
   
   
5. You will see the available albums. At the bottom, press "Create New" and name the presets you want to install. 
   
   
6. Go to the newly created album and in the bottom right corner press the add photos button. Choose the option to add from files. 
   
   
7. Locate the extracted preset package in the "Downloads" folder, click it, and go to the "DNG" folder. Select all photos and import them into Lightroom. 
   
   
8. Now click on the first photo and from the panel at the bottom select "Presets", then in the top right corner of the screen press the three dots and choose "Create preset".
   
   
9. Name it, for example, "Lagoon 1". Repeat this process for each photo in the folder, naming them consecutively "Lagoon 2", "Lagoon 3", and so on. 
   
   
10. Done! You have imported photos and created your own presets from them. 

Installing presets on the computer

Installing XMP files

1. Download the presets to your computer. For this guide, I will use free presets from our website. 
   
   
2. In the "Downloads" folder, find the downloaded package and double-click to extract the files. An additional folder with the same name will appear, which you can access. Inside, you will find two folders - DNG and XMP. Do not open these files. 
   
   
3. Go to Lightroom on your computer and select the photo you want to edit. Choose the "Presets" tab and click the "three dots" button. Then select "Import presets". 
   
   
4. Find the folder you just extracted, open it, and select the XMP folder. 
   
   
5. Done! The XMP presets have been imported!

Installing DNG files

1. Download the presets to your computer. For this guide, I will use free presets from our website. 
   
   
2. In the "Downloads" folder, find the downloaded package and double-click to extract the files. An additional folder with the same name will appear, which you can access. Inside, you will find two folders - DNG and XMP. Do not open these files. 
   
   
3. On the left side, there is the albums section. Create a new album and name it the same as the preset pack. 
   
   
4. Go to the folder you previously extracted and open the "DNG" folder. Inside, you should find photos that you drag into the Lightroom album.
   
   
5. Click on the first photo, go to the "Presets" section, and click on the "three dots". Select "Create default settings" and save the preset, for example, as "Lagoon 1". 
   
   
6. Click on the next photo and repeat the process, naming the preset "Lagoon 2". Repeat for each preset. 
   
   
7. Done! You have imported the photos you saved as presets. 

It is worth remembering that no matter which installation method you choose, your presets will be saved on all devices. So if you install presets on your computer, they will also be visible on your phone after a few minutes.