When you open your OpenShot project, you must still have access to all your source files (videos, audio, and image files). Users might move or delete folders, unplug their USB devices, or move or delete their project files. Any of these examples cause a “Missing File” message, in which OpenShot prompts you to locate the folder of the missing file(s). Depending on the number of files you added to your project, OpenShot could prompt you many times to find the missing files.

This situation is widely misunderstood, with many people mistakenly believing that OpenShot is "frozen" or "stuck in a loop." Although various solutions suggest killing the OpenShot process, they often fail to properly recover the original project and its missing files.

Let me provide some context and explanation regarding the "Missing Files" issue/process. When you create and save a project in OpenShot, any files imported into the software (such as videos, audio, and images) must remain accessible throughout the project's duration. This means that these imported files should not be renamed, deleted, or moved to different folders. Additionally, the full path where these files are located should not be renamed either. This principle applies to other video editing software as well.

To illustrate what occurs, here is a detailed example:

1. First, I save my source files "file01.webm," "file02.gif," and "file03.png" in a folder named "C:\temp."

2. I then create a new project called "C:\MyProjects\Test01.osp" and imported the three files from the "C:\temp" folder.

3. Next, I drag "file01.webm" onto Track 4 and "file02.png" onto Track 5. I leave "file03.png" without assigning it to any track.

4. After arranging the files, I save my project and then close OpenShot.

5. Now, I rename the "C:\temp" folder to "C:\temp99."

6. I relaunch OpenShot and proceed to open my project "Test01.osp."

7. I receive a "Missing File (file01.webm)" message box. The program cannot find the file, so I click "OK" to continue.
   This is due to the fact that I renamed c:\temp to c:\temp99.

8. OpenShot allows me to find the missing file, so I navigate to the folder "C:\temp99," where my source files exist.

9. Once inside the "C:\temp99" folder, I click "Select Folder" at the bottom of the window.

10. My project now opens without any issues. OpenShot automatically looks for the remaining files in the last supplied folder.

11. If other files like "file02.gif" and "file03.png" were in different folders, I would need to repeat steps 7 to 10 for these files.

    Note: If “file02.gif” and “file03.png” were renamed or removed/deleted, then I would first need to rename them back to the original name and restore the removed/deleted ones.

12. Finally, once OpenShot has found all the files, I save the project again. This step is crucial because it updates the file paths in the project, ensuring that when I reopen it in the future, I do not have to repeat the "Missing Files" process.

The scenario above describes a case where I could navigate to the new folder name, and OpenShot successfully found the files. Let us simplify the scenario where you are unsure about the new folder name and choose to cancel instead of navigating to the correct folder, “C:\temp99.” I start from the point where I rename the folder (Step 5 in the earlier example):

1. I launched OpenShot and open the project “test01.osp.”

2. A message box appears, saying “Missing File (file01.webm)” because it cannot find “file01.webm.” I click OK.

3. OpenShot presents a choice to find the missing file. The open window has a title that reads, “Find directory that contains: file01.webm.” Please note that the goal is to find the folder having the file rather than the file itself.

4. Instead of finding the correct folder, I select Cancel, effectively skipping the process for this file.

5. OpenShot moves to the following missing file, “file02.gif.” I get a prompt again and select Cancel to skip this file too.

6. The repeated process happens for “file03.png.” I select Cancel again to skip this file.

7. It may seem like OpenShot is stuck in a loop because it has prompted me for missing files, but let us go further.

8. In this project, I position “file01.webm” and “file02.gif” on Tracks 4 and 5, respectively. OpenShot identifies these as clips on the Timeline and prompts me again for each of these files as it attempts to locate all necessary files. However, because I did not place “file03.png” on any track, OpenShot does not prompt me for this file. While this process might initially seem confusing, it represents OpenShot’s methodical approach to finding all the required files.

Imagining this process with larger projects can be frustrating. Users might end up killing the OpenShot process but find themselves back where they started with their existing project. If I realized that renaming the "C:\temp" folder to "C:\temp99" caused the issue, I would kill OpenShot to stop the "Missing File" process (ideally, there should be a more graceful option like "Cancel All"). Then, I would rename the folder back to "C:\temp," start OpenShot, open the project, and everything would work as expected.

The above example illustrates a simple case of folder renaming. In other scenarios:

1. If you deleted source files outside of OpenShot, you need to recover them and ensure they are in their original folder. If you recover them in a different folder, you will have to go through the process of informing OpenShot about the new file location.
2. If you renamed a source file outside of OpenShot, you must rename it back to its original name.

There are alternative approaches to avoid this issue, but they typically involve disregarding folder organization, etc. Most users prefer organizing their files in a way that makes sense to them. In my case, I have chosen the following organizational method:

1. C:\work\Images: I store all image files that I download here. I use these images across multiple projects, although no specific projects link to them.

2. C:\work\pics: This folder holds various sub-folders filled with private content like family photos, trip memories, and more. The content may be in the form of movies, images, or audio files.

3. C:\work\Sounds: This folder contains either custom-made or downloaded audio files. These audio files serve multiple projects.

4. C:\work\music: I keep sub-folders containing different audio files in this folder. These files may also contain video or audio I utilize in numerous projects.

5. C:\work\VideoProjects\OpenShot: This is where I save all my project files, denoted as "Projectname.osp". Each project file has a companion folder named "Projectname_assets."

6. C:\work\Videos\OpenShot: I save my exported outputs in this folder. Similarly, I maintain folders like C:\work\Videos\DaVinci, C:\work\Videos\OBS, and so forth for different applications.

7. I also have other folders, such as C:\work\VideoProjects\Blender and C:\work\VideoProjects\DaVinci, as I undertake projects using various other applications.

Everyone has their unique way of organizing files, and it's crucial to remember not to make changes to file paths, rename files, or delete files when working with video editors, as it can lead to missing file issues. I hope this explanation helps you and others dealing with similar situations.