While working on an external hard drive, I want to save a project. How do I save it so that I can continue to work on it and what do I do to save the completed project.

Please post some screenshots of your browser showing the project and timeline area.

Hi Jenny

In essence, users no longer control "saves". This is done automatically about every 15 minutes, or when you quit.

These by default are in your Movies Folder > Final Cut Backups.

If you just want to continue to work on the last project, then you only need to launch FCPX again and it will take you right back to where you were when you Quit out of FCPX.

You can hold down the "Option" key while launching FCPX if you wish to launch a different project from the last project you worked on.

It sounds like to me, that you created a new version or exported the project when you quit and then when FCPX opens it is not showing the project you were working on, but the version you created with no edits.

Open a project in the Backups based on the time you were working on it by doubling clicking on it or you can go to the "File" menu inside of FCPX and click on Open Recents and find your project.

Don't worry about saving, just Quit then when you want to work on it again, just launch FCPX.

But please, make back ups or clone the drive(s) where you are working and have your media files.

Tom advice about posting will also help.

Hope this helps, Greg

Sounds to me more like the OP was trying to edit a clip she had opened from the browser into a timeline. This is easy to do, very confusing, and it does not create a real project.