Emergency · DaVinci Resolve project media
DaVinci Resolve Media Offline: find the source before recovery
What should I do when DaVinci Resolve shows Media Offline?
Short answer
First find out which kind of offline it is: a broken path, an unavailable drive, a codec Resolve cannot decode, or a truly missing file. Check the clip attributes and file path in the Media Pool, reconnect drives and relink the source folder. Start raw recovery only when the file exists on no storage.
The situation
A timeline is present but Resolve cannot read or locate one or more clips.
Resolve prints the same red frame for four unrelated situations, so the useful first move is to narrow down which one applies. The clip attributes in the Media Pool name the file and the path Resolve wants, and that is where the distinction becomes visible.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Media Offline covers a broken path after a folder was renamed, a drive that is not mounted, a codec this Resolve edition cannot decode, such as certain camera formats on the free version, and a file that has genuinely been deleted. The timeline, the grades and the node trees survive all four.
Media Offline can mean a broken path, unavailable drive, unsupported decode path, or a genuinely missing file.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Open the Media Pool, switch to list view and read the File Path and Format columns for every offline clip.
- 2
Mount all drives, then right-click the media folder in the Media Pool and use Relink Media pointing at the folder that now holds the clips.
- 3
For clips that stay offline although the file is present, test the codec by importing the file into a fresh project.
- 4
Only for files that exist on no drive, scan the original recording card read-only and export the clips to the media drive.
Do not delete offline clips from the Media Pool and do not start a fresh project to escape the problem. Removing a clip also removes the stored file path, the reel name and the timecode, and those three are what make a later search for the source possible.
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 codec Resolve refuses is a licensing or installation question and no scanner changes it. File Recovery Hero reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 cards and uncompressed images on macOS and Windows, and it does not repair a clip whose container is incomplete.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Scroll the whole timeline at a low zoom level and look for remaining red sections, then play the sequence once. Clip attributes should show the correct duration and frame rate, and a recovered file should carry the same reel name and timecode that the offline entry recorded.
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 DaVinci Resolve project media be recovered in this situation?+
Resolve prints the same red frame for four unrelated situations, so the useful first move is to narrow down which one applies. The clip attributes in the Media Pool name the file and the path Resolve wants, and that is where the distinction becomes visible. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not delete offline clips from the Media Pool and do not start a fresh project to escape the problem.
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?+
Scroll the whole timeline at a low zoom level and look for remaining red sections, then play the sequence once.