Media management is about knowing where your media lives, keeping clips connected to their files, and cleaning up safely. Lightworks separates your project (clips, bins, sequences, and edit decisions) from the media files those clips point to, so understanding the link between them is the key to avoiding offline clips and lost work.
Where media is stored
Lightworks keeps imported and generated media in a managed media area, separate from the project data. The default locations are:
| Platform | Project and media root |
|---|---|
| Windows (Fresh v2026 installs) | C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\Lightworks\ |
| Windows (Upgrades from previous version) | C:\Users\Public\Documents\Lightworks\ |
| macOS | /Users/$USER/Lightworks/ |
| Linux | /home/$USER/Lightworks/ |
Inside the media area, Lightworks stores picture and audio separately - video in a Material folder and audio in a Sound folder - along with generated proxies. You can add more media locations on the Media tab of the project card, and choose which drive receives copied media when several are configured.
Note: v2026 changed where fresh installs store data on Windows. New Windows systems use your user Documents folder rather than Public Documents for data.
Note: Linked media is the exception - it stays wherever the original file is. Only copied, converted, and generated media lives in the Lightworks media area.
Linked, copied, and generated media
How a clip relates to its file depends on how it was imported (see Importing media):
- Linked media references a file in its original location. Lightworks does not own the file.
- Copied media was copied into the Lightworks media area, so the project no longer depends on the source.
- Generated media (proxies, renders, and files converted automatically on import) was created by Lightworks and lives in the media area.
This distinction matters most when you move, delete, or archive: Lightworks manages its own media, but it can only reference linked media.
Missing and offline media
A clip goes offline when Lightworks cannot find its media file - usually because a linked file was moved or renamed, or its drive was disconnected. Offline clips still hold all their edit information; they just have no picture or sound until the media is reconnected.
To bring media back online:
- Reconnect the drive or restore the file to its original path, then refresh.
- Relink the clips to the media in its new location (see below).
Tip: Edit decisions are never lost when media goes offline. You can keep cutting against offline clips and relink later - the sequence stays intact.
Relinking media
The Relink tool repoints clips at media that has moved, been renamed, or been replaced with a different format or resolution, while keeping all your edit decisions.
Relink strategies include:
- Exact filename matching - match files by their full name.
- Ignore extension - match by name regardless of file extension, useful when a format has changed.
- Stem matching - intelligent matching on the filename stem, with options for resolving multiple matches.
Because relinking can target different codecs or resolutions, you can relink an offline-media sequence to high-resolution masters, or swap proxy files for originals, without re-editing.
Tip: Relinking to a different resolution or format is how you move from offline or proxy media to full-quality masters for finishing.
Conforming a sequence
What the Conform tool is
The Conform tool automatically replaces the clips in a finished sequence with alternative versions of the same material, while leaving every edit, trim, effect, and transition exactly where it is. Where relinking repoints individual clips at their media files, conforming works across a whole sequence (or a marked region of it), swapping each segment for a better - or simply different - version drawn from elsewhere in your project.
Why you would use it
Conforming is the standard "online" or finishing step that turns an offline edit into a final-quality one. Reach for it when you want to:
- Online an offline edit - cut with proxies or low-resolution rushes, then conform the locked sequence to the high-resolution camera masters before grading and export.
- Upgrade resolution - replace HD media with UHD/4K versions of the same shots once they arrive.
- Swap a whole sequence's source - move an entire cut from one set of media to another (for example, from a transcoded set to camera originals) in one pass instead of clip by clip.
- Fill gaps from your rushes - replace placeholder or empty segments with matching material from a chosen bin or collection.
How to conform a sequence
- Open or select the sequence you want to conform.
- Click on the Conform icon in the sequence tool bar to open the Conform panel.
- Set the Scope, Source, Matching, and Output options (see below).
- Start the conform. Lightworks builds a list of clips, finds the best matching media for each under your rules, and replaces them.
- Read the Conform Results report - it lists any segments it could not match so you can deal with them by hand.
Tip: Conform a copy first. Set Result to Create New Version so your original cut is untouched while you confirm the replacement did what you expected.
Conform options explained
The panel is organised into four sections:
Scope - how much of the sequence to conform.
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Whole Sequence | Conform every segment in the sequence |
| Marked Region | Conform only the section between the sequence's in and out marks |
Source - where replacement clips come from.
- Use Clips From - search the whole project, or narrow the hunt to a specific bin or collection.
- Only use selected clips - when a bin or collection is chosen, restrict matching to the clips you have tagged/selected within it.
Matching - how Lightworks decides what counts as "the same" material, and which version to choose.
- Replace Clips Using - the criteria used to match a timeline clip to a replacement: clip name, original filename, and/or other metadata fields. Select one or more.
- Target Quality - when several matches exist, prefer the Highest Available or the Lowest Available quality.
- Target Resolution - bias matching towards a resolution: Any, SD, HD, UHD / 4K, 8K, or Match Source.
- Only Replace If Better Quality - replace a clip only when the candidate is higher quality than what's already there (ideal for an offline-to-online upgrade).
- Only Replace Empty Clips - leave existing media in place and only fill gaps or placeholder segments.
- Include Partial Clips - allow a replacement that only covers part of a segment, rather than requiring full coverage.
- Include Sub-Edits (Subclips, Syncs) - also conform material inside subclips and sync clips, not just plain clips.
Output - what to do with the result.
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Update Current Sequence | Replace the media in place, in the sequence you started from |
| Create New Version | Leave the original untouched and produce a new, conformed copy (named Conformed) |
Note: Conforming never alters your edit - only the media behind each segment changes. If no suitable replacement is found for a segment, that segment is left as it was and reported in the Conform Results list.
Consolidating media
Consolidating gathers the media a project actually uses into one managed place, so the project is self-contained and easy to move or back up. In Lightworks you consolidate by:
- Copying linked media in - re-import key media with Copy Media To Project so it no longer depends on external drives.
- Archiving with media included - a project archive can bundle local, linked, and proxy media together (see Archiving and restoring work).
Deleting unused media
There are three different "delete" actions, and they are not the same thing:
| Action | What it removes |
|---|---|
| Remove from bin | Takes the clip out of that bin only; the clip and its media remain |
| Remove log from project | Deletes the clip (the log) from the project; linked media files are untouched |
| Delete media files | Permanently deletes the underlying media from disk |
When you delete a project, Lightworks removes local media (copied, converted, and generated) for clips in that project unless it is shared with another project. Linked media is never deleted - only the link is removed.
Danger: Deleting media files is permanent and cannot be undone from within Lightworks. Make sure the media is not used by another sequence or project, and that you have a backup, before deleting.
Moving projects between systems
The safe way to move a project to another machine is to archive it (optionally including media), copy the archive across, and restore it on the other system. This keeps clips, bins, sequences, and edit decisions intact. See Archiving and restoring work.
If you only move media (not the project), expect to relink on the destination system.
Backing up projects and media
- Archive regularly - an archive is your portable backup. Include linked media if the destination will not have access to the originals.
- Keep more than one copy - an archive is only a backup if it is stored somewhere safe and you have tested that it restores.
- Back up camera originals separately - importing is not a backup.
Working with shared storage
For teams and multi-machine workflows:
- Put media on a shared volume that every workstation mounts at the same path, then link to it so everyone references the same files.
- Use shared or remote Project Spaces to keep related projects together with controlled access (see Projects).
- Consistent mount paths across machines avoid offline clips and reduce relinking.
Collaboration and shared-project specifics are covered in Collaboration and shared projects.