You imported a folder into Resolve last week. Today the camera crew copied three more clips into that same folder on the drive. The Media Pool doesn't know. Before Resolve 19.1 the answer was to import again, or to hunt through the folder for what was new. Now there is a command for it.
The short version: Resync Media Files (right-click a bin) rescans the folder behind that bin and adds the files that aren't in it yet. Automatically Resync Media Files does the same continuously. Both were introduced in Resolve 19.1.
What it does
A bin in the Media Pool is a virtual container. When it was filled from a folder, Resolve can use that link to look at the folder again. Resync compares what is on disk with what is in the bin and brings in the difference. It adds; it is not a mirror that also removes clips you deleted from the drive.
The manual version
- Open the Media page and find the bin in the Media Pool.
- Right-click the bin.
- Choose Resync Media Files.
- Resolve rescans the folder and the new clips appear in the bin.
This is the one-time option: it runs when you ask and then stops. Good when you know footage was added and want to control when the project changes.
The automatic version
Right below it in the same menu is Automatically Resync Media Files. Turn it on for a bin and Resolve keeps that bin up to date by itself. Blackmagic's 19.1 feature notes say it suits cloud-synced media, such as files from Replay, and any footage that trickles into a folder over time. The cost is that the project changes while you're working in it, which some editors don't want in the middle of a cut.
Where it stops working
This is the part the feature notes don't cover. These come from testing it against real footage folders and from user reports, so treat them as observations on current builds, not guarantees:
- The folder needs at least one media file. Blackmagic's notes say so; an empty folder can't be resynced.
- A bin holding only subfolders doesn't resync. In our tests it worked on a bin that carried the folder's name and held that folder's clips directly. A bin with nothing but nested bins and no clips of its own did nothing.
- Rename or move the folder on disk and the link is gone. Resync follows the path. After a rename you have a relink problem, not a resync one.
- Sort order can change. A user report on Blackmagic's forum from May 2025 says media added by resync into a working bin came in out of the selected sort order. We couldn't confirm a fix, so check on your version.
Sources: Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve 19.1 New Features Guide for what the two commands do, and our own testing against Resolve Studio for the limits. Menu wording can vary between versions; the Resolve manual is the authority.
Resync, re-import and relink are three different things
Resync adds files to a bin from a folder that is already linked. Re-importing brings a folder in again from scratch, and gives you a second copy of anything already there if you aren't careful. Relinking fixes clips whose files moved. Mixing them up is the usual reason a project ends up with duplicate or offline clips. We compare the three in a separate article.
Frequently asked questions
What does Resync Media Files do in DaVinci Resolve?
It rescans the folder behind a Media Pool bin and adds the files that aren't in the bin yet. It was introduced in Resolve 19.1 and is on the bin's right-click menu.
What is the difference between Resync Media Files and Automatically Resync Media Files?
Resync Media Files runs once when you choose it. Automatically Resync Media Files keeps the bin up to date continuously, which suits footage that arrives in a folder over time.
Why does Resync Media Files do nothing on my bin?
Common causes are an empty folder, a folder that was renamed or moved, or a bin that holds only subfolders and no clips of its own. If you built the bins by hand, see how to import folders as bins in DaVinci Resolve and re-import the folder.
Does Resync Media Files remove clips I deleted from the drive?
No. It adds new files; it doesn't act as a two-way mirror. Clips whose files are gone show as offline and need relinking or removing.
Or skip all of it: ShotGrab does this by itself
Everything above is a manual step, or a script you have to write and keep working. If you'd rather not, ShotGrab (a Mac app that copies SD cards with SHA-256 verification) has an automation for exactly this. Switch on DaVinci Resolve in Settings › Automations, tick it for the project, and when a card has finished importing ShotGrab opens Resolve, finds or creates the Resolve project, and imports the footage folder as bins that mirror your subfolders. The first bin is the folder itself, so Resync Media Files has something to work with on the next card.
It needs Resolve Studio and External scripting using: Local in Resolve's preferences, the same requirements as any script. ShotGrab doesn't change another app's settings; it reads them and tells you what to fix.