A red “Media Offline” frame doesn't identify one universal problem. First decide whether Resolve lost the camera original, only proxy or cached playback is missing, the source can't decode, or the timeline event points to the wrong clip. Relink only the path failures; test the other branches before changing media.
Blackmagic's Resolve 21 Reference Manual is the primary reference for relinking and current command names. Its latest dedicated supported-codec reference is still labeled Resolve 20 as of this review, so confirm the platform, container, codec and profile instead of trusting .mp4 or .mov alone. For a different failure, start with the Resolve troubleshooting map.
DaVinci Resolve Media Offline: The Most Common Cause Is a Changed Path
Resolve stores a source relationship for each clip. If a folder moves, a filename changes, a drive mounts at a different location, or a project opens on another machine, that relationship can break. Blackmagic's latest Editors Guide describes unavailable storage and moved source folders as the normal relink cases.
Start with the smallest reversible check:
Relink a changed-path case in four steps:
- Open the Media Pool on the Edit or Cut page.
- Select the offline clips you need, or select the bin that contains them.
- Right-click a selected clip and choose Relink Selected Clips. For a selected bin, use Relink Clips for Selected Bin.
- Choose the narrowest folder containing the camera originals and click OK.
Resolve first looks for matching file names in the selected directory structure and can offer a deeper search when the quick pass fails. A successful search isn't the final check: open several matches and compare duration, start timecode, frame rate and audio before continuing.
If filenames changed, restore the original names from a backup or relink carefully and compare filename, duration, start timecode, frame rate, and audio channels. Don't use Replace as a blind batch fix: attaching the wrong file can preserve an apparently healthy timeline while changing the edit underneath it.
When an external drive mounts at a different path
On Windows, external drives don't always mount with the same drive letter. If your footage was on E: yesterday and Windows mounted the drive as F: today, every single path in your project is wrong. Resolve will show everything offline even though nothing has actually moved.
You have two options. The fast one: fix the drive letter before opening Resolve. Open Disk Management, right-click the drive, choose Change Drive Letter and Paths, and set it back to whatever letter Resolve expects. The project opens clean with no relinking needed.
If the root changed but the folder structure didn't, select the affected Media Pool clips and choose Change Source Folder. In the Relink Media window, set the new root in the Change To field and click Change. This avoids a broad disk search and is especially useful for a moved drive or shared-storage root.
To reduce repeat failures on Windows, assign a stable drive letter to a dedicated media volume and avoid letters frequently taken by removable devices. Record the chosen letter in the project handoff notes; the exact letter matters less than keeping it consistent.
On macOS, the drive-letter variant doesn't apply, but changing a volume name or mount path still breaks the stored relationship. Confirm that the expected volume is mounted and readable before relinking.
If the files exist and the stored path is correct
If the source path is correct, test what is actually offline. A camera original that fails in the Media Pool points toward access, damage, or decoding. A clip that plays from the original but fails only when proxy media or render cache is enabled points toward generated media instead.
Treat cache as a controlled test, not the default cure. Set Playback > Render Cache > None and replay the same range. If the symptom disappears, clear only the affected clips first. Cache changes can't repair a moved original or add support for an unreadable stream.
Run the smallest cache test:
- Select the affected timeline clip or clips.
- Choose Playback > Delete Render Cache > Selected Clips.
- Keep Playback > Render Cache > None while you retest the camera original.
- Regenerate cache only after original-media playback is stable.
If original playback returns, regenerate cache for the affected range. If the original remains offline, return to path, permissions, storage health and codec checks. If the clip is online but merely stutters or drops playback frames, use the slow-playback diagnostic instead of treating it as missing media.
Proxy media is a separate source relationship. Choose Playback > Proxy Handling > Disable All Proxies to force camera-original playback. If the original is present and only the proxy was missing, the clip should return. If only the proxy exists and the original is absent, Resolve will correctly show Media Offline. Use the Proxy Media relink checklist before changing the camera-original path.
When import fails, inspect the actual codec
A container extension isn't a codec diagnosis. Two MP4 files can carry different codecs, profiles, chroma sampling, bit depths, frame-rate modes and audio streams. Read the problem clip with MediaInfo, then compare those fields with Blackmagic's latest posted dedicated codec table for your OS and edition. That document is currently labeled Resolve 20, so also check the release notes for your installed Resolve 21 build.
If the clip appears in the Media Pool but has audio without picture, or it fails immediately on import, follow the MP4 stream-check workflow. Test one short transcode before processing a folder; the actual constraint may be the codec, profile, bit depth, chroma sampling, OS decoder, GPU path, or a damaged file.
On Windows, Microsoft's HEVC extension guidance can restore HEVC playback for Windows apps that rely on the OS component, but it isn't a universal Resolve fix and doesn't override Blackmagic's edition, profile, or hardware limits. Check the supported-codec table before buying or installing anything.
When the exact source stream is unsupported or unstable, preserve the original and create one editing intermediate with a codec your installation supports. Keep the source frame rate, frame size, audio layout, and timecode when the transcoder allows it.
- DNxHR HQ or HQX: choose HQX when the source and encoder need a 10-bit-capable intermediate; don't add bit depth the source never had.
- ProRes 422 family: choose LT, 422 or 422 HQ from source bit depth, generation count, storage budget and delivery needs rather than assuming HQ is always necessary.
- A short test first: import the test beside the original and verify picture, audio, timecode, duration, levels and sync before batching.
Intermediate files are usually much larger than long-GOP camera originals. That's the tradeoff for predictable decoding, not evidence that every H.264 or H.265 clip needs conversion. Keep supported sources native when they're stable.
DaVinci Resolve Studio broadens professional-format and accelerated H.264/H.265 support, as Blackmagic's Studio feature page explains. It can't repair corrupt media or reconnect a missing drive. If the stream is supported but native playback still fails, compare the machine and driver with the current Resolve system requirements before buying around one codec symptom.
When red frames point to variable frame rate
Phones, meeting tools, game capture, and screen recorders can produce variable-frame-rate media. VFR is a useful suspect when the clip imports but shows intermittent red frames, drifts against audio, or behaves differently while seeking. It isn't proof: storage interruptions, damaged frames, and decoder failures can look similar.
Check Frame rate mode in MediaInfo. If the symptom follows one VFR source, preserve the original and make one CFR test. HandBrake's official frame-rate documentation says Constant Frame Rate with Same as Source converts variable portions to a constant rate without casually choosing a different cinematic frame rate. Verify duration and audio sync after conversion.
Do not assume every phone, GoPro, OBS, or Cinematic-mode file is VFR, and don't assume every VFR clip will fail. Read the actual file, test the exact failing section, and convert only when the controlled CFR comparison removes the symptom.
If relinking does not find the correct media
The relink didn't work. You pointed Resolve at the right folder, it ran its search, and the clips are still showing offline. A few things can cause this.
First verify that the file opens outside Resolve and that the current user can read the drive or folder. Compare the path recorded for the offline clip with the real location. In Resolve 21, Preferences > System > Media Storage defines the scratch location, attached-media access, path mapping, proxy location and default cache locations. Adding a location there isn't a substitute for relinking a broken source relationship.
For synced storage, verify a complete local file rather than a cloud placeholder. A provider or sync-root change can alter the local path even when the cloud item still exists. Wait for the file to finish downloading, open it locally, then relink to that local folder.
If the source plays in the Media Pool but a timeline event is wrong or offline, compare the timeline event with the intended source clip before using conform commands. Conform Lock With Media Pool Clip is a conforming tool, not a general missing-file repair; use it only when you have verified the correct clip and timecode relationship.
Prevent the same failure on the next project
The cleanest habit: set your folder structure before you import anything into Resolve. Once a clip is in the Media Pool, treat its location on disk as permanent. Don't reorganize, rename, or move it unless you're ready to relink.
For external drives on Windows, assign and document a stable drive letter before importing the job. On macOS, keep the volume name stable. For collaboration, agree on a folder structure and use Resolve's path-mapping or relink tools when machines can't share identical roots.
Export important projects as DRP files and keep project-library backups, but remember that a DRP doesn't contain camera originals. For a portable handoff, use Media Management or export a Project Archive and choose the media, proxies and cache the handoff actually requires.
Before delivery, disable proxies and cache for a short camera-original test, inspect the first and last frame of relinked clips, and render a representative range. A green Media Pool thumbnail doesn't prove that every timeline event points to the intended take. If the Deliver page stops on a processing error rather than showing an offline source, continue with the render-failed checklist.
Media Offline FAQ
Why does DaVinci Resolve say media offline when my files are there?
A stored path can be wrong even when the files still exist, but path is only one branch. Compare the clip's recorded path with the real location, confirm drive access, then test the original without proxy media or cache. If the clip also fails on import, inspect its actual codec and stream fields.
Why does media offline happen on import, not just when reopening projects?
An import-time failure often points to an unsupported, damaged, or inaccessible source rather than a relink problem. Read the file with MediaInfo, check Blackmagic's codec table for your OS and edition, and test one supported intermediate before converting a batch.
Does deleting the render cache fix media offline errors?
Only when the symptom follows generated cache playback. Disable Render Cache and test the original first. Clearing cache can't repair a moved source, unavailable drive, unsupported stream, or damaged file.
Can I fix media offline without relinking every clip manually?
Yes. Select the relevant offline clips or bin and use Relink Selected Clips or Relink Clips for Selected Bin, then point Resolve to the folder containing the originals. Inspect several matches before accepting a large relink.
What's the difference between Relink and Replace in DaVinci Resolve?
Relink is for reconnecting an offline source relationship, normally to the same media at a new location. Replace deliberately swaps the source for another file. Use Replace only when a source substitution is intended and you have checked duration, timecode, audio, and framing.
Related guides
- DaVinci Resolve system requirements
- How to export video
- DaVinci Resolve tutorial for beginners
- How to save your work
- Fix slow playback and dropped frames
- Render failed errors and fixes
This guide is part of the Fix DaVinci Resolve troubleshooting hub. If your issue is Media Offline, slow playback, render failure, no audio, or project recovery, start there.
