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Best Way to Relink Media in DaVinci Resolve

Direct methods for finding offline clips, deep searching external drives, and relinking missing media in DaVinci Resolve.

The best way to relink media in DaVinci Resolve is to use the "Relink Media" tool with a Deep Search on the exact master folder where the original files are currently stored.

Here are the direct methods to best relink missing media in DaVinci Resolve.

What is the fastest way to relink offline clips?

If your timeline is filled with red "Media Offline" graphics, DaVinci Resolve has lost the exact file path to the original footage on your hard drive.

To quickly relink offline clips:

  1. Open the Media Pool in the top left corner of the Edit Page.
  2. Select the bright red offline clips, right-click, and choose Relink Selected Clips.
  3. A file browser window will appear. Navigate to the top-level folder on your hard drive that contains all the missing video files.
  4. Click Open. DaVinci Resolve will instantly scan the folder, match the file names, and reconnect the footage to the timeline.

How do you perform a deep search for missing media?

If you have multiple folders of missing clips scattered across a massive external hard drive, clicking through each folder manually is inefficient.

To perform a deep search for missing media:

  1. Right-click the offline clips in the Media Pool and select Relink Selected Clips.
  2. Select the entire external hard drive or root master folder.
  3. Click the Deep Search button at the bottom left of the relink window.
  4. DaVinci Resolve will automatically comb through every subfolder on the drive to locate the exact missing file names and reconnect them simultaneously.

How do you replace clips with changed extensions?

If you transcoded .braw files into .mp4 files to save space, the Relink tool will completely fail because the file extensions no longer match its database.

To replace clips with changed extensions:

  1. Import the new .mp4 files into the Media Pool.
  2. Select the offline .braw clip on your timeline.
  3. Select the matching .mp4 clip in the Media Pool.
  4. Press F11 (Replace Clip). The new file will instantly replace the offline clip while perfectly maintaining all your timeline cuts and effects.