DaVinci Resolve Says Media Offline After You Moved the Files
Relink the project to the files in their new folder without rebuilding the edit.
Find the original media on your drive, then use Resolve’s Relink Media control from the Media Pool and point it at the folder containing those files. Verify a few clips in the timeline afterward. A Resolve project file alone does not contain your camera footage.
Check that the source files still exist
Open the folder where you moved or renamed the clips. Confirm a few exact filenames and that the drive is connected. Blackmagic’s beginner guide explains that Media Offline often means the link to an imported file was broken when the file moved; it does not mean your timeline edits disappeared.
- Keep the project open but avoid deleting offline clips.
- Confirm the new folder has the original footage, audio, and graphics.
- If an external drive is involved, check its connection and mounted location.
Relink through the Media Pool
Select the affected clips or bin in the Media Pool and use Relink Media. Browse to the new source folder. If Resolve asks to search subfolders, choose it when your media spans nested folders. Confirm that the clip thumbnails and timeline viewer recover before making another structural change.
Do not import duplicate clips into the timeline as a first fix. Relinking preserves the existing edit’s references.
Prevent the same break next time
Keep media in stable folders after import. For a project that must travel to another computer, use Resolve’s Project Archive workflow with media instead of assuming a small project file includes the video. Make a test restore before deleting any original folder.
If Resolve cannot match the files even after you choose the correct folder, compare one original filename and extension with the offline clip shown in the Media Pool. Renamed or converted clips may no longer be recognized as the same source. Restore the original names in a copy of the folder when possible, then relink again. Do not overwrite the only copy of the footage during this test.