> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aspect.inc/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Match existing media paths
> Keep media linked in your editing applications by matching your Aspect mount to the original drive name and folder structure.
If your editing application shows missing or offline media after you move it to Aspect, compare the path saved in your editing project with the path on your mounted drive. The files may be in the right folders, but under a different drive name or an extra folder level.
You can often keep the existing media links by mounting the right folder in Aspect. If the original drive name is missing, create a folder with that name and mount it directly.
This applies to applications that link to files on disk, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, and DaVinci Resolve.
The examples below use macOS, where mounted drives appear under `/Volumes`. On Windows, compare the drive letter and the folders below it; matching folder names alone does not fix a different drive letter. You need the [Aspect desktop app](/docs/apps/desktop) and access to an **Active Storage** project. See [Mount your first project](/docs/instant-access/mount-a-project) for setup.
## Compare the two paths
Choose one missing file and check its saved path in your editing application. For example, Premiere Pro shows the original location in its **Link Media** dialog. Find the same file on the mounted Aspect drive; in Finder, select it and press **Option–Command–C** to copy its full pathname.
A path like `/Volumes/T9/folder/path/to/assets.mp4` has three parts:
* `/Volumes/` is where macOS mounts drives.
* `T9` is the drive name.
* `folder/path/to/assets.mp4` is the file's location inside that drive.
**To preserve an existing absolute path, the drive name and everything after it need to match what the application expects.** Mounting an Aspect folder directly makes that folder the drive root: its name becomes the volume name, and its contents appear immediately inside the drive.
## An extra project name appears in the path
Your editing project expects:
```text theme={null}
/Volumes/parent/folder/path/assets.mp4
```
Mounting the whole Aspect project gives you:
```text theme={null}
/Volumes/ProjectName/parent/folder/path/assets.mp4
```
The `parent` folder is already in the correct place within Aspect. **Mount `parent` directly** so it becomes the drive.
Open the Aspect desktop app, enter `ProjectName`, and find the `parent` folder.
Right-click `parent` and select **Mount directly**.
Open the new `parent` drive in Finder. The file should now be at `/Volumes/parent/folder/path/assets.mp4`.
The folders remain in the same place in Aspect. Mounting the folder changes where you access them on your Mac.
Show the parent folder's context menu in the Aspect desktop app with **Mount directly** highlighted. Beside it, show the resulting Finder path: `/Volumes/parent/folder/path/assets.mp4`.
## The original drive name is missing
Your editing project expects:
```text theme={null}
/Volumes/T9/folder/path/to/assets.mp4
```
But mounting `folder` directly gives you:
```text theme={null}
/Volumes/folder/path/to/assets.mp4
```
Here, `folder` needs to sit **inside** a drive named `T9`. Create that missing level in Aspect, then mount it.
Moving folders changes the shared layout in Aspect. Coordinate with editors already using those files before reorganizing them, and close projects that reference the affected media while making the change.
In the Aspect project, create a folder named `T9` alongside the existing `folder`. Match the original drive name, including spaces and capitalization.
Move the entire `folder` into `T9`. Keep its name and everything inside it unchanged. Include any other files or folders that originally lived at the root of the T9 drive.
Your Aspect structure should now be:
```text theme={null}
ProjectName
└── T9
└── folder
└── path
└── to
└── assets.mp4
```
Keep `folder` itself: moving only its contents into `T9` would produce `/Volumes/T9/path/to/assets.mp4`, which still would not match.
Right-click `T9` in the Aspect desktop app and select **Mount directly**. Open that drive in Finder and confirm the file is at `/Volumes/T9/folder/path/to/assets.mp4`.
Mounting the whole project would still add `ProjectName` to the path. Mount the `T9` folder itself.
Show T9 containing the complete folder hierarchy in Aspect, then the mounted T9 drive in Finder. Highlight the matching path: `/Volumes/T9/folder/path/to/assets.mp4`.
This also works if you currently mount the whole project and see `/Volumes/ProjectName/folder/path/to/assets.mp4`: place `folder` inside `T9`, then mount `T9` directly.
**Two editors can keep different paths with Copy to.** If one editor needs `/Volumes/ProjectName/folder/path/to/assets.mp4` and another needs `/Volumes/T9/folder/path/to/assets.mp4`, keep the original `folder` in place and copy it into a second layout:
1. Create a `T9` folder at your preferred destination in an Active Storage project the second editor can access.
2. Right-click the original `folder`, choose **Copy to…**, and select `T9` as the destination. Copy the whole folder so the result is `T9/folder/path/to/assets.mp4`.
3. The first editor continues mounting the original Aspect project. The second editor right-clicks `T9` and selects **Mount directly**.
This preserves the original layout and creates a separate copy for the second editor's path. If the paths only differ by an extra project name, as in the first example, both editors can mount the existing project or folder directly without making a copy.
## Check the media in your editing application
1. Confirm the full path in Finder matches the saved path, including the filename and extension.
2. Check that another connected drive or Aspect mount is not already using the required volume name. If your original T9 drive is still connected, close files using it and safely eject it before mounting Aspect as `T9`. Use the actual mount path shown by Aspect to verify the result.
3. Reopen your editing project and check that the media is online. Scrub a few clips and check audio; repeat the path comparison for any media stored under a different root. Check linked graphics and proxies too, if your project uses them.
If the application still asks you to locate files, use its relink or locate-media command and point it to the intended Aspect drive. For example, in Premiere Pro, select the offline clips in the Project panel and choose **File → Link Media**, then **Locate**. Verify the matches, especially when different folders contain files with the same name.
You can also relink if you prefer to keep the current Aspect folder layout and update the paths saved in your editing project. Matching the old path is useful when you want existing projects to keep finding media in the same place.
For editors using the same saved media paths, mount the same folder using the same volume name. If editors need different layouts, use the **Copy to…** approach above and verify each editor's paths. Keep each folder structure consistent after its editing project is linked.
Shared projects, Productions, proxies, and offline editing.
Work with linked footage and shared compositions.
Edit and finish with media on your mounted drive.
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