imovie projects disappeared

To cover the bases, when you open the iMovie projects browser screen, make sure that you have selected "All Projects" and also the name of the library that contains the projects. Otherwise the projects browser view will be empty.

-- Rich

Hi, skeneton,

It looks like the library that contained the projects either was deleted or that the link to it has been broken, or possibly you are opening iMovie in a different library than contains the projects. If the library is located on an external drive, possibly the drive has or is failing.

Close iMovie and look in your Movies folder (Finder Menu/Go/Home/Movies). See if there are other libraries in there and double click to open iMovie in them to see if they contain your projects. If you have an iMovie library located on an external drive, go there and open it.

If you keep a Time Machine backup you can restore your library to a point in time before the projects disappeared. Restore it to a different location so as not to overwrite your existing library.

To see if possibly a link has been broken, try deleting preferences. To delete preferences 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. Possibly you may need to reboot to set

the changes.  Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that will not cause data loss or disruption to your project.

-- Rich

Hi, I have similar problem, but delete preferences did not help. After exporting my project I can't improve it enymore, because oryginal file disapeared.

I esported to mp4;

All photos and films still exists;

If you have any idea, I will appreciate it.

pio101,

Try looking for your project in the iMovie Backups folder.

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.

-- Rich

Thank you Rich,

I tried everything you proposed :)

Unfortunately, my backups finished in August mean after time I lost my file.

Fortunately, I recovered one file before I exported the project, not final version, but it is better then nothing ;)

I wonder if imovie files during the export them to mp4 format are replaced ?

And another question - if I have final version of project in format mp4, can I change it to imovie format again ?

Regards

You may export from an iMovie project as often as you want. The project will remain until you manually delete it. I do not know why it did not remain in your case. Possibly your iMovie app is corrupt and needs a redownload.

You can import a previously exported Mp4 movie back into an iMovie project as one long clip and edit it there to a limited extent. Embedded edits from the previous export cannot be changed, but you can add titles, split the clip into segments, delete segments, add new music, add new clips and insert them where you want, etc.

However, we still haven't solved why your iMovie project disappeared in the first place You may want to call Apple Support and talk to the techs there. They have the capability of remotely accessing your computer, that we do not have here.

-- Rich

As I know, the imovie project before an export doesn't have a specific format. As I remember I event didn't must to save it each time. It was safed automaticly.

Maybe there is another way to search it on the disc ?

If not first I will try to recover it from mp4.

The iMovie Backups folder is the place where iMovie automatically backs up iMovie projects. The projects wouldn't be automatically backed up anywhere else unless you keep a Time Machine backup.

The iMovie project backup would be found in the iMovie Backups folder via the file path that I gave you in my earlier post. In the iMovie backups folder there should be several back ups of your iMovie library by date. Click on a backed up library that is dated before you lost your project.

Also, if you keep a Time Machine backup you could restore your iMovie library to an earlier point in time before you lost your project. If you have a Time Machine backup, restore you library to a different location so as to not overwrite your current library.

Often when projects appear to have "disappeared" it is because one is looking in the wrong library. Check your Movie folder to see if there are other iMovie libraries in there and open iMovie in those libraries to see if you can find your project.

-- Rich

skeneton,

When you do a Control-click/Show Package Contents on the iMovie library's icon in the Movies folder, do you see your projects and events listed in there? Don't move, delete, alter, or change anything in the Package Contents folder or any of its subfolders. I am interested only in whether your projects are still there.

-- Rich

Rich, I checked it and I do not have in Containers such file : com.apple.iMovieApp

Unfortunately, I am living tomorrow morning for two weeks and I can't work on it longer. Thank you very much for you help and engagement. I will come to this problem after coming and I will contact you here.

Hi Rich, wishing you a happy and exciting Ney Year !

I am returning to fix iMovie problem. I found imovie backups but all projects are empty (0 s) although files have several MB memory.

Maybe have you any idea ?

Piotr

pio101,

At this point I am out of ideas.

You might benefit from contacting Apple Support and talking to the techs there. They have the capability of remotely accessing your computer thT we do not have here.

— Rich

I found imovie bacups ;)

I know how to connect different imovie libraries and

I know how to clear imovie links.

I guess, that if backups are, lets say empty or showing 0 seconds of project, there is no other way to restore the final version of the project before transforming it to mp4 (?)

I opened all projects, as you suggested.

In screenshots below, you can see that projects have "0" seconds.

Final vesion of my project had few GB, meanwhile imovie backups have few MB.

It happens to me exactly the same :(