Missing projects in iMovie ?

Hi,

First, let's check to make sure that it isn't an inadvertent mistake. Looking in the wrong library, or accessing the wrong library from within iMovie, is common and can easily happen. Sometimes new libraries can get created with updates or when you delete preferences.

Close iMovie and go to your library in the Movies folder (Go/Home/Movies). Double click on the icon of the library that contains your projects. iMovie will open in that library. Then, from within iMovie go to the Project browser (where your projects are displayed as icons). Make sure that you have selected the correct library from the Media pop up menu at the top of the Projects browser screen.

Do you now see all of your projects?

If not, try deleting preferences to see if you can restore the link to those projects. To delete preferences, close and then open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new library. Reopen your old library to get back to your projects.  Now see if you can see all of your projects. Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that will not cause data loss or disruption to your projects.

If still no luck, try looking in your iMovie Backups folder for a backed up version of your library to see if you can access your projects from there. To get to the iMovie Backups folder, follow this file path from the Finder menu:

Go/Home/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp/Data/Library/Caches/iMovieBackups

When you get there you will see a list of previous backups of your iMovie library.  Click on one dated just before your issue started.  iMovie will open in that library.   Navigate to your projects browser (where your projects are displayed as icons) and see if your projects are intact.

If still no luck, try redownloading iMovie. To update/redownload iMovie 10, drag your iMovie 10 app from the Applications folder into the trash, but do not empty the trash. Sign in to the app store and open your purchases folder by clicking on your name at the bottom of the app store side bar. You will see your purchases displayed, including iMovie 10. Redownload/update iMovie from there. If not successful, drag your present iMovie app out of the trash and return it to the Applications folder.

I, too, am running iMovie 10.1.12 on Mojave. If you update per the above you will get the highest iMovie version that Mojave can run. I think that that would be iMovie 10.1.14, or maybe 10.1.13.

-- Rich

What is the format of your external drive? It should be Mac OS extended (Journaled) or APFS.

Did you redownload iMovie?

For accuracy, there is no iMovie 11. The upgrade from iMovie 9 is to iMovie 10. Sometimes iMovie 9 is called iMovie ‘11 (with an apostrophe). Confusing for sure.

— Rich

If iMovie is not reading the projects in your library, it might be that there is something defective in your present iMovie download. Bad downloads can happen. A redownload can sometimes cure that sort of problem.

Did you follow the redownload instructions exactly? If so you should have received a message that you can download the highest iMovie version that your operating system can run, although not the most current version.

The drive format sometimes can be the cause of issues like this. Data loss can occur when an iMovie library is stored on an incorrectly formatted drive. When nothing is working one explores different possibilities.

Try booting up in safe mode and, after everything loads, immediately reboot in normal mode. Now see if your missing projects appear.

— Rich

You may have actually followed the directions. I just wanted to confirm that. Here are the download directions that I had posted in an earlier post in case you want to re-try:

To update/redownload iMovie 10, drag your iMovie 10 app from the Applications folder into the trash, but do not empty the trash. Sign in to the app store and open your purchases folder by clicking on your name at the bottom of the app store side bar. You will see your purchases displayed, including iMovie 10. Redownload/update iMovie from there. If not successful, drag your present iMovie app out of the trash and return it to the Applications folder.

Was there ever a point in time when the missing projects were displayed? If so, you might be able to use your Time Machine backup (if you have one) to restore your library to that earlier point in time and see if that brings back the projects. You would want to restore your library to a different location than the present library so as not to overwrite the present library.

Another thing: If you have room on your internal drive, and since it is easy to do, you might try doing an Edit/Copy, Edit/Paste, of your present iMovie library to the Movies folder on your internal drive. See if that makes any difference.

With trouble shooting you just need to keep trying things to see if you can isolate the problem.

-- Rich