> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lightworksguide.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Lightworks Media Offline: Find and Reconnect Your Files
- URL: https://lightworksguide.net/fix/media-offline/
- Published: 2026-09-29T14:51:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T09:24:06.000Z
- Author: Lucas Bennett
- Tags: fix

If Lightworks shows Media Offline, first find out whether the original file is unavailable, has moved, or has actually been deleted. Reconnect known storage or restore the known original path before changing links. If the correct file now lives elsewhere, Relink can reconnect the existing clip while keeping its edit decisions. [Offline clips retain their edit information](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net); the warning alone does not mean your sequence has been erased.

The important distinction is between the clip in your project and the media on disk. Recover the file connection to the clip already used in the edit. Importing another copy may give you an online clip to view, but that alone does not show the existing timeline references have been repaired.

## Protect the edit and available files

Leave the offline clips, bins and sequences in place while diagnosing the problem. Do not delete them, clear media, or reorganise more folders to make the warning disappear. A relink to the wrong take can look successful while changing what the edit shows.

Make a separate project archive before changing references. The [documented Project Browser archive route](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net) is:

1. Right-click the project in the Project Browser and choose **Archive**.
2. Choose a destination and archive name that keep your previous backup intact.
3. Choose the media to include, then choose the overwrite behaviour. Use **New** for a separate recovery point rather than overwriting your only older archive.
4. Check the calculated space and click **Start**. Let the archive task finish and review its outcome.

These actions depend on permissions and project type. [Archive can be unavailable while a background task is running](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net). Preserve your existing backup if you cannot make a new archive yet; an unavailable action is not a reason to delete the project.

Choose local media and linked media where needed, with proxies separately if you want them included. A [logs-only archive contains project data and needs separate access to the media](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/archiving-and-restoring-work?ref=lightworksguide.net). An archive made during this fault also [excludes media that is offline](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/archiving-and-restoring-work?ref=lightworksguide.net). Record those omissions: this archive protects the available work, not the missing bytes. Keep camera originals and any existing media backup safe.

![Project Archive media-inclusion controls and Create new option](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/media-offline-body1-redo-v1.webp)

Include the available local and linked media, and keep a separate recovery point. Offline files are still excluded.

## Identify which file the clip needs

Check how the material entered the project. The current [import methods distinguish linked files from copied media](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net):

- **Create Link To Media** references the file where it lives. Nothing is copied, so a moved folder or disconnected drive breaks that dependency.
- **Copy Media To Project** copies the file into the project's media storage. The project no longer depends on the original import location, but it still needs that managed copy.
- **Generated media**, such as proxies, renders and automatic import conversions, lives in Lightworks' managed media area. The [media-management guide treats it separately from linked originals](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net).

If a linked drive disappeared, reconnecting it is a sensible first check. If the project used a managed copy and that copy is missing, finding the old camera card does not by itself restore the managed file connection. Establish which file is unavailable before changing anything. Neither import method replaces a [separate backup of your camera originals](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net).

Do not use the clip's display name as the only clue. [Renaming a clip inside Lightworks does not rename its file on disk](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/clip-information-and-metadata?ref=lightworksguide.net). Your bin might say “Interview opening” while the camera file has another name. Use actual import records, backup records, camera-folder organisation or a known earlier location to establish the expected filename and path.

For available media, right-click the clip in a bin and use [**Reveal** to open its file in the operating system's file browser](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/reviewing-source-clips?ref=lightworksguide.net). **Reveal proxies** opens proxy media instead. Each action is disabled when there is no corresponding file on disk to show. Reveal can confirm an available file's location; it is not a locator for missing media or a guaranteed display of its former path. Use it for inspection, without moving or renaming managed files.

## Restore storage access first

In the operating system, check the actual storage and file before attempting a match:

- **The drive or share is absent:** reconnect the known device or restore access to the known network location. Confirm the required folder is accessible under the account running Lightworks.
- **The file is listed:** confirm its contents are available and readable. A directory entry is not enough if the storage service has not made the contents available locally. Treat this as a storage-access check, not proof that a particular cloud service caused the fault.
- **The file has moved:** note its actual new path and whether its filename or extension changed. Preserve that file while deciding whether to restore the original path or relink.
- **The physical file is gone:** look for a backup that actually contains it. Relink cannot recreate erased video or audio, and a project record cannot supply the missing contents.

If you know the previous linked location, the [documented first recovery route is to reconnect the drive or restore the file to its original path, then refresh](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net). Restore the correct file and folder relationship, keeping your surviving copy safe. Do not overwrite another file merely because it has the expected name.

The current guide says to refresh but does not name a refresh button or command. Nor does it describe an expected-path field for an offline clip. Work from a path you can substantiate through records or backups; if it is unknown, keep the clip and use the moved-file checks below. Reopening the application is not a documented substitute for that refresh action.

After storage access returns, inspect the existing clip and its use in the sequence. What matters is whether the intended frames and sound are available again, not just whether the file browser can list the drive.

![Both views retain the existing clip; the right view restores its link to the same original file](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/media-offline-body2-redo-v3.webp)

Restore access to the same source file while preserving the existing clip; then verify the intended picture and sound.

## Find a Relink route that matches your build

Use Relink when the correct, available media is now in another location or has a changed filename. The [Relink tool repoints existing clips while retaining their edit decisions](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net). That is the purpose of this branch; a fresh import is a separate project item, not confirmation that the edited clip now points to it.

For command discovery, open **Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts** and search for **Relink**. The [searchable command catalogue shows command descriptions and assigned keys](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/menu-and-command-reference?ref=lightworksguide.net). Read the entry available in your installed build. This is a documented way to find commands, not evidence that every build uses the same Relink panel or confirmation controls.

There is a usable historical route if its controls match your screen. In the vendor's [14 July 2023 moved-media tutorial](https://lwks.com/blog/shortcuts-17-fixing-media-offline-footage-inside-lightworks?ref=lightworksguide.net), the single-clip workflow is:

1. Right-click the existing offline clip.
2. Choose **Media → Relink missing**.
3. In the file chooser, navigate to the correct moved file and select it.
4. Confirm with **Okay**, then check the existing clip and its edited sections.

Use those steps only when the same controls are present. The tutorial does not identify a specific build, and its date does not prove menu parity with your installation. Start with one known clip so you can evaluate the result before a wider recovery.

If your controls differ, stop at command discovery rather than guessing an Apply button or using a different tool. The current media-management article documents matching strategies but does not provide the Relink launch, candidate-selection and confirmation sequence. Record your build and the controls you actually see, then ask for the matching route through the vendor's support options described below. A missing recipe in the checked documentation does not mean Relink is unavailable.

## Verify the file before widening a match

Start with the narrowest match that describes the change; that makes it easier to spot a wrong candidate before it replaces the media behind an edit. The [documented strategies are exact filename, ignore extension and filename-stem matching](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net); the on-screen option labels may not match those descriptions in every interface.

- **Unchanged full filename:** start with exact filename matching. Moving `Interview_01.mov` to another folder does not require ignoring the extension.
- **Changed extension:** ignore-extension matching can be relevant when the intended file has changed format. A matching basename still needs a content check.
- **Changed name or several candidates:** stem matching may broaden the search, but do not accept a choice just because it resembles the old name. Stop if you cannot distinguish the candidates.

`Interview_01.mov` is an example filename, not a required naming scheme. Two folders can contain files with that name from different shoots. A same-named file can also be a shorter transcode, another take or a version with different audio. Choose by identity and coverage, not by whichever result appears first.

Compare the candidate with your original records and the sections already used in the edit. The [Info panel's technical properties include duration, timecode, frame rate, dimensions, codec and audio channels](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/clip-information-and-metadata?ref=lightworksguide.net). Keep it on the intended source when reading them. Existing metadata is a clue to what the project expects; it does not prove the candidate's contents are identical.

- Check distinctive frames near the beginning and end, plus the moments used at sequence cuts.
- Compare duration and source timecode where available. The replacement must contain the frames used by the edit, including material needed around transitions.
- Listen to the relevant audio and check the required channel layout. A matching picture does not mean the original sound is there too.
- After relinking, review the affected cuts, trims, transitions and picture–sound sync in the existing sequence.

![Metadata fields for a relink candidate’s name, timecode coverage and media properties](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/media-offline-body3-redo-v3.webp)

Use the name as a clue, then compare the required frames, duration, timecode and sound before accepting a candidate.

If the candidate changes timing, duration or sound, do not treat a disappearing offline label as acceptance. Keep the protected original edit and resolve the mismatch before processing more clips. Relinking preserves edit decisions; those decisions still need the correct material behind them.

## Separate deleted items from deleted media

If the clip or sequence was removed from the project rather than merely going offline, the appropriate recovery may be different. In the Project Browser's project-card menu, [**Restore Items** opens recovery for deleted items when undelete is enabled](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net). It can recover project clips, bins or sequences; it does not recover deleted physical files.

For missing media bytes, use a surviving original copy or a media-inclusive archive containing the required file. The [archive restore rebuilds project data and media only if that media was archived](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/archiving-and-restoring-work?ref=lightworksguide.net). A logs-only archive or an archive made while those files were offline cannot replace them. File recovery outside Lightworks is a separate storage problem.

Conform is another distinct operation. The [Conform tool replaces material across a sequence or marked region with alternative versions available in the project](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net), using its source and matching rules. It is useful for a planned finishing replacement, not a substitute for an unknown Relink command. For that separate task, use **Create New Version** to preserve the original cut and read **Conform Results**; unmatched segments remain as they were and are reported.

## Confirm originals before delivery

A visible proxy, thumbnail, waveform or retained metadata is not proof that the original file is available. The [proxy guide warns that export can fall back to available media when originals are offline](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/proxies-and-performance-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). Before delivering a master, confirm every original used by the full sequence is online, meaning accessible to Lightworks, including both local and linked media.

Review the affected material in the sequence for picture, sound and sync, then inspect the completed export. A short recovery check covers only those moments; it does not clear unrelated missing clips elsewhere in the cut. After the files are back, update or make a new media-inclusive archive with the previously missing files included. Keep earlier recovery points until you have confirmed the recovered project and its media are usable.

## When the correct file still stays offline

If the right file is accessible but the clip remains offline, preserve the evidence instead of reinstalling or repeatedly reimporting the project. Check whether the file plays outside Lightworks in a player that supports its format. The [troubleshooting guide uses this as a check for files that will not play](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/troubleshooting-common-problems?ref=lightworksguide.net); success in another player still does not guarantee Lightworks support.

A renamed or newly supplied replacement may use a different codec even when its extension looks familiar. [Codec availability depends on platform and licence](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). If the failure concerns a replacement file's contents, the [media-import guide explains the container and stream checks](https://lightworksguide.net/editing/import-media/). Do not convert an entire media set before establishing which specific file or stream is the problem.

For a persistent failure or an unfamiliar Relink interface, provide the details requested by the [vendor's forum or support-ticket guidance](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/troubleshooting-common-problems?ref=lightworksguide.net): what you did, what happened, media format, version and system information. Include the existing clip's name, known original path if you have one, actual new path, filename or extension changes, and whether Reveal is available. State whether the physical file is readable, what matching controls are shown, and which frames or audio differ. Keep private paths or footage private when sharing publicly; offer the necessary material through the appropriate support channel.

The next action should follow the failed check: restore storage access when the bytes are unavailable, resolve the candidate identity when matches are ambiguous, or obtain the correct build-specific command route. Keep the existing edit until you have verified the intended file connection.