Missing footage / media offline

The error

"After Effects warning: files are missing since you last saved this project." Color bars appear instead of footage; items show "(Missing)" in the Project panel.

Why this happens

Source files were moved, renamed, or deleted outside of After Effects.

How to fix it

File > Dependencies > Find Missing Footage.
Right-click the missing item > Replace Footage > File and locate it (relinking one item often relinks others in the same folder).
If the file was simply restored to its original name/location, use Reload Footage instead.

Source: Compass research report · "Missing footage" · id 22

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