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# Import MP4 and MOV into Lightworks: Check the Actual Media
- URL: https://lightworksguide.net/editing/import-media/
- Published: 2026-09-29T14:51:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T09:23:55.000Z
- Author: Lucas Bennett
- Tags: editing

To import an MP4 or MOV into Lightworks, [open Import and select the file](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net), choose whether to link it or copy it into project media storage, set a destination bin, and click Import. Wait for the background work to finish, then check the completed clip in the Source viewer. Browsing a folder or seeing a preview is not the same as completing an import.

The filename tells you little about a problem file. MP4 and MOV can contain different video and audio streams, so one working MP4 is no guarantee that another will behave the same way. Import one representative file first, keep the original unchanged, and expand to the rest only after picture, sound, duration, and sync are usable.

## Select one file in the Import panel

The controls here follow the [Importing Media guide updated on 16 October 2026](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Match the names and shortcuts to your installed build and layout. Record the Lightworks version and operating system if you are diagnosing a failure; the [version label appears at the bottom of the Project Browser](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net).

1. **Put the file somewhere you can keep it.** Preserve the original and its existing name. For ordinary standalone MP4 or MOV files, choose a representative file from the material you intend to edit. If it came from a structured camera card, keep the complete card folder tree; that exception is covered below.
2. **Open Import in the intended project.** Use F1 or Ctrl+I on Windows/Linux, or F1 or Cmd+I on macOS, when those assignments match your setup. The [documented alternatives are Import in the footer of a bin or the Content Manager](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net), or right-clicking inside a bin and choosing Import. Opening it from a bin preselects that bin, but check the destination before starting.
3. **Browse under This Computer.** Find the actual file on its local, external, or network drive and select it. Inspect its name, Format, frame rate, and status in the file list. Select the file itself for this first pass: the guide says selecting a folder imports its contents, including subfolders.
4. **Review the method and destination.** Import type sets how the media is handled, while Add to bin decides how the clips are organised. Choose both deliberately using the next section, then start the job.

If the list is empty, first check the folder, file selection, and drive access. If the file appears but is red, follow the rejection branch below. Repeatedly selecting a whole library adds work without explaining why one item is missing.

## Choose Link, Copy, and the destination bin

The [two documented import methods handle media location differently](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Both leave the source original untouched. The working clip still needs reachable media: either the linked original or the copy in project media storage.

| Method                | What it does                                        | Choose it when                                                            | What to check                                                                                              |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Create Link To Media  | References the file where it is; nothing is copied. | The file will stay on accessible editing storage.                         | Its path and drive remain available. Moving the file or disconnecting the drive can make the clip offline. |
| Copy Media To Project | Copies the file into the project's media storage.   | The source card, USB stick, or other location will leave the workstation. | The configured destination has enough space, copying finishes, and the project copy remains accessible.    |

Use Copy for material on a drive that must be unplugged, and Link for media already organised on permanent editing storage. That choice decides where the working file lives; it does not give you a safe backup. If several media drives are configured, the [Destination drive import option selects where copied and automatically converted media goes](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net); a bin name does not choose that physical drive.

Set [Add to bin to an existing bin or New Bin](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). New Bin reveals a name box; a descriptive name such as `Interview originals` makes this import easy to find. A bin organises project clip references. It does not move linked originals into a matching folder on disk or turn them into an archive.

![Import type offers Link or Copy; Add to bin separately sets clip organisation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/import-media-body1-redo-v2.webp)

Choose file handling with Import type. Add to bin organises the clips; it does not move or back up their media.

Some files need conversion during import. In this documented interface, [those files show Transcode automatically and the method cannot be changed](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). It applies only to those files and is not a third method you must select for every MP4 or MOV.

The older [import tutorial uses Libraries, Local Files, Places, Create Link, Copy Local, and a selectable Transcode option](https://lwks.com/guides/importing-and-managing-media/?ref=lightworksguide.net). If your installation matches that layout, follow its matching route. Keep it separate from the newer Import panel instructions; combining the labels can send you looking for a control your build does not have.

## Finish the import and check the Source clip

1. **Click Import with the intended file selected.** Confirm Import type and Add to bin first. The [job runs in the background and can include follow-on copying or transcoding](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Closing the Import panel does not mean the job has finished.
2. **Read the job status.** Open the Tasks page in the project's settings panel. The [Tasks display reports progress and Tasks Log records completed work](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/batch-export-and-background-tasks?ref=lightworksguide.net). If you aborted a batch, read its results: failed and never-reached items are distinct. Do not call that partial batch complete or immediately repeat the entire folder.
3. **Find the completed clip.** Look in the chosen bin and confirm its name. The [Reveal imports in option also controls the Recent or search-results view](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net), separately from Add to bin. If the clip shows up in an unexpected view, the physical file has not necessarily vanished.
4. **Open it in the Source viewer.** Locate the completed item in the Content Manager and [double-click the clip to open its Source viewer](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/quick-start-create-your-first-edit?ref=lightworksguide.net). Check picture and sound at the beginning, later in the recording, and near its end. Compare the duration with the intended recording. For dialogue, use visible speech or another clear sync event at more than one point; sync that is right at the first point can still slip later in the clip.
5. **Read the clip's properties.** Set the [Info panel to Source and open Metadata](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/clip-information-and-metadata?ref=lightworksguide.net). Check source format and codec, dimensions, native frame rate, audio-channel layout, and duration. Make sure the panel follows this imported clip rather than a sequence or another source.
6. **Reopen after the work has finished.** Let background tasks finish before leaving the project, then reopen it and confirm the clip still has usable picture and sound. Keep linked media at its original path; keep managed copied media available too. A remembered thumbnail is not a substitute for playing the source.

If native import works, you can keep that native workflow. Apply the same method deliberately to the remaining files, and review any differently flagged items before including them. A sample from one camera or recording mode cannot speak for every file in a mixed folder.

Drag and drop is useful once the method is understood. The [current default import method is used for dropped files](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net), and an Import type choice is remembered as that default. Dropping a clip into a bin therefore does not, by itself, mean a physical copy was made.

## Read rejection, conversion, and playback separately

The [documented import-list colours separate ready files, required conversion, and rejected files](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Use that actual status and the Format information to choose the next check.

- **Normal text: ready to import.** Complete the job and inspect the imported Source clip. Readiness is not proof that picture, sound, duration, and sync meet your needs.
- **Yellow: importable through conversion.** Let the documented automatic conversion finish, then compare the resulting clip with the preserved source. Check picture, sound, duration, and sync before relying on the rest of that batch.
- **Red: cannot be imported in this setup.** The guide identifies unsupported format, an unlicensed codec, or an incompatible frame rate as possible conditions. Keep the exact message, Format and rate information, build, and platform. If the message identifies a licence condition, compare it with the [licence type shown by the Project Browser's top-right avatar](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/application-preferences?ref=lightworksguide.net) before assuming which tier is active. Red does not identify which cause applies merely because the filename ends in MP4.
- **Completed import with missing picture or sound.** Confirm the correct Source item, available media, and completed work, then inspect its separate streams. A contained stream may need a different supported media route even though the container was recognised.
- **Clip becomes offline after a drive leaves.** Reconnect the linked media's drive and restore access before diagnosing codecs. If files moved, use the [media-offline recovery guide](https://lightworksguide.net/fix/media-offline/) for the relink task.

![Normal, yellow and red import-list rows identify readiness, conversion and rejection](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/import-media-body2-redo-v1.webp)

Normal text is ready, yellow requires conversion and red is rejected; inspect the exact file and message.

If a file misbehaves outside Lightworks too, compare that exact file in another suitable player and inspect its stream information. A failure in one player does not mean the file is corrupt, and clean playback elsewhere does not confirm Lightworks compatibility. Keep the original while you identify the stage where the problem appears.

A missing waveform is also different from missing sound. The [audio waveform and level analysis happens after import](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net), so give the analysis time and listen to the completed Source clip. If it is actually silent, do not treat a delayed waveform as an explanation.

## Inspect the streams inside an MP4 or MOV

MP4 and MOV identify containers; the video and audio inside need separate attention. Compare the actual file's properties with the [documented platform and licence limits on codec availability](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). An export-format list is not an import compatibility verdict for a particular file. Renaming `.mov` to `.mp4` does not convert the contained streams.

For an imported clip, Source Metadata gives the native properties listed above. It documents audio-channel count and layout, but does not promise a detailed audio-codec or sample-rate report there. If import failed, or you need those details, use an appropriate media-information tool already available to you.

![Source Metadata shows frame rate, video format and compression as separate properties](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/import-media-body3-redo-v3.webp)

Check the intended Source item’s native properties. Use a separate stream inspector when you need details this panel does not report.

If you already have ffprobe, its [documented stream, container, and JSON output options](https://ffmpeg.org/ffprobe.html?ref=lightworksguide.net#Main-options) provide a concrete inspection route:

```
ffprobe -show_streams -show_format -output_format json "input.mp4"
```

Replace `input.mp4` with the actual local file path, retaining quotation marks around a path containing spaces. Use the MOV file's path when that is the input. Read each video and audio stream separately, then the container section.

For example, a report might describe H.264 video at `1920 × 1080` and `29.97 fps`, plus stereo AAC audio at `48 kHz`. Those are hypothetical values, not a compatibility guarantee. The video codec tells you which picture format needs checking; the audio codec and channels identify the sound that should be present; dimensions, rate, and duration help identify the intended file and explain timing differences. An MP4 with another stream combination needs its own assessment.

If a successful inspection of the exact file lists no audio stream, that is different from an audio stream being listed but failing to play in Lightworks. If inspection fails, leave the cause unresolved: the [ffprobe manual distinguishes failure to open or recognise the input](https://ffmpeg.org/ffprobe.html?ref=lightworksguide.net#Description). Check the path and access and keep the error. A failed probe alone does not prove an unsupported Lightworks codec.

When external conversion is necessary, choose a documented route for the actual problematic streams and required quality. Keep the original and write the converted output under a different name. Import and check one converted file before doing the rest; compare picture, sound, dimensions, duration, and sync. Neither a changed extension nor an importable output proves the conversion preserved everything you need.

## Check progressive sync drift in phone or screen footage

This branch applies when an imported clip has picture and sound but they drift progressively apart. The [technical guide identifies variable frame rate in phone and screen recordings as a possible cause](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-formats-and-technical-settings?ref=lightworksguide.net) against a fixed-rate timeline. That does not make every phone file incompatible, or make VFR the explanation for every sync fault.

Preserve your current project and note the existing setting. In the documented project settings panel, go to [Video, then Formats, and check Apply VFR correction](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/project-settings-reference?ref=lightworksguide.net). Where your build offers this option and the footage fits the documented condition, use it for that timing problem, then compare a clear sync event near the beginning with one later in the clip again. The technical guide recommends checking this setting first when imported phone footage drifts.

If the timing still differs, keep the original and the observed start-versus-later difference with the stream information, build, and setting used. Seek a media-specific diagnosis rather than converting the whole folder at once. A pair of nominal frame-rate values alone does not establish VFR, and this setting is not a remedy for a missing audio stream, a red import rejection, or an unlicensed codec.

## Keep originals beyond the import

A completed import, a project copy, and a populated bin do not replace an independent backup. The [import guide says camera originals should exist in at least one other place](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Keep that separate copy available before erasing or reusing the original storage.

For structured camera cards, [copy the complete folder tree because spanned clips and metadata depend on it](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Work from that preserved tree rather than pulling out only a few MP4 or MOV files. Finish the import and verify the clips play before reformatting the card, while keeping the independent original-media backup.

Before proceeding with a batch, you should be able to identify the exact imported file, the method used, where its working media lives, its destination bin, and the completed job. Its Source picture, sound, duration, and sync should be usable and remain available after reopening. Those observations give you a reason to continue; a preview, filename, or successful first frame alone does not.