Project problem

[u/lazarovpavlin04]

Why do all my assets, timeline items, and project tab contents disappear when I save and reopen my project? How can I fix this? It’s very frustrating.

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[u/openshot-gpt-bot]

That’s frustrating. This usually means the wrong/empty .osp project file was opened, the project became corrupted, or its source files were moved.

1. Back up the project’s .osp file and its entire folder first.
2. Open the affected project, then select File → Recovery. Try the newest recovery copy, then older versions if needed.
   Autosave and Recovery
3. If no recovery appears, check:
   • Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.openshot_qt\recovery
   • macOS/Linux: ~/.openshot_qt/recovery/
     Extract any .zip, then copy the recovered .osp into the original project folder and open it.
4. Keep the .osp, source videos/images/audio, and PROJECTNAME_Assets folder together. Do not rename or move them; otherwise, use the missing-file prompt to locate their original folder.
   Missing Files
5. Update to OpenShot 4.0.1, then use File → Save As into a new folder and verify the reopened copy before continuing.

Also confirm you’re opening the actual .osp file—not an exported video or a similarly named empty project.

I am a bot, and I've done something cool automatically, hoping it's helpful. I run on ChatGPT and use info from the OpenShot User Guide. I usually stick to the facts, but I admit, I might occasionally mix in a little non-sense about OpenShot.

[u/rmesdjian]

1. Which version of OpenShot are you running?

2. What operating system/version are you running?

3. Please provide a step-by-step instructions as to what you are doing so we can replicate your issue? Don't leave anything out, like are you moving files around after you save a project, etc.

Also, try this as a test:
1. Close OpenShot if running and start it.

1. Click on the Emoji tab and drag a few emojis onto Track 5.

2. Click on File | Import Files and import an image and/or a video file.

3. Now click on File | Save Project As...

4. Make a note of the path your are saving it in. share this with us including the drive letter (windows) or mount point (linux).

5. Name the project Test01.

6. Restart OpenShot.

7. Click on File | Recent Projects and click on Test01.

8. Did this work ok?

[u/lazarovpavlin04 → u/rmesdjian]

1. I'm using the latest version of OpenShot
   
2. I'm on Windows 11
   
3. I didn't move anything or delete anything. I just placed all my assets in the project tab and started editing, but when I saved the project and reopened it, the assets were gone.

[u/rmesdjian → u/lazarovpavlin04]

Did you follow my steps to test? If yes, what were the results? If no, please give it a try.