Production workflow · Capture One workflow
Capture One: original path points to the wrong volume
How do I fix an old drive path in Capture One before recovery?
Short answer
First reconnect the drive and relink instead of recovering: right-click the offline folder in Capture One's Library, choose Locate and point it to the same folder on the renamed volume. Check filenames and capture dates before continuing. Only when the originals are missing from every mounted drive is a read-only recovery scan the next step.
The situation
Capture One expects a drive name, letter or folder that no longer matches the mounted storage.
The stored path is a piece of text, and it breaks the moment the volume behind it changes name or letter. Capture One compares that text with what is mounted now; when they differ it reports the image as missing, even though every byte of the raw file is still in place.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Volume identifiers change more often than people expect. Windows hands a card reader whichever drive letter is free, macOS appends a number when a second volume carries the same name, and a card formatted in camera comes back with a generic label. A folder renamed after the shoot has the same effect on every image inside it.
Absolute paths can break even while the file remains intact elsewhere. For Capture One, this matters because Capture One can keep references or helper media without containing a complete independent original
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Write down the path Capture One expects, then list every volume currently mounted with its exact name and letter before you change any of them.
- 2
Mount the drive that held the originals and, if it was renamed, either restore the old name or note the new one for the relink.
- 3
Use Locate on the offline folder and point it at the matching folder on the mounted volume, letting Capture One reconnect the rest by name.
- 4
Confirm a few reconnected images open at full size, then scan the card read-only only if some files are genuinely absent from every drive.
Do not re-import the folder as a new set of images and do not delete the offline entries first. A second import duplicates the session and detaches the adjustments already made, while deleting entries discards the stored paths that show where the originals used to live.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
A path problem is not a data-loss problem, and no recovery scan fixes it; relinking happens inside Capture One. File Recovery Hero becomes relevant only when the files themselves are gone from an exFAT, NTFS or FAT16/FAT32 volume that still reads reliably.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The relink worked when the offline badge disappears from the whole folder rather than a single image, the adjustments you made earlier are still attached, and filenames and capture times match what the camera recorded. Open the largest file to confirm it reads from start to end.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can Capture One workflow be recovered in this situation?+
The stored path is a piece of text, and it breaks the moment the volume behind it changes name or letter. Capture One compares that text with what is mounted now; when they differ it reports the image as missing, even though every byte of the raw file is still in place. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not re-import the folder as a new set of images and do not delete the offline entries first.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
The relink worked when the offline badge disappears from the whole folder rather than a single image, the adjustments you made earlier are still attached, and filenames and capture times match what the camera recorded.