When opening a template, you may see a “missing” error message. This usually means the project is looking for something that isn’t currently available on your system.
Fixing the missing error in After Effects or Premiere Pro
When it comes to After Effects and Premiere Pro, there are three common causes:
1. Missing plugins
Some templates use third-party plugins or effects that don’t come standard with your editing program.
Check the template’s Details page to see if any plugins are required.
If listed, you’ll need to install the plugin for the template to work as intended.
2. Missing files
This usually happens if the .zip file didn’t extract properly.
On Windows: Right-click the .zip file and choose “Extract All”, then try opening the template again.
If “Extract All” isn’t available, use a different unarchiving tool (e.g., WinRAR, 7-Zip, or the built-in Mac Archive Utility).
If files still appear missing, you may need to relink the media inside your editing program.
3. Missing fonts
Sometimes contributors use specialized fonts that don’t come standard with your editing software.
A download link for the font is usually included with the project.
If you don’t install it, your system will substitute a default font — which may not look as intended.
In most cases, you can click “OK” and the project will still open successfully. Installing the missing plugin, file, or font later will usually resolve the error.
You can also watch our video tutorial on how to re-link missing files in After Effects.
Fixing the media offline error in DaVinci Resolve
You may also run into similar issues with DaVinci Resolve templates where you’ll see a missing error or a media offline error pop up. We have a full dedicated tutorial on fixing this problem, but it’s caused by one of three issues:
The clips you were using in the template have come unlinked
The clips in the template (or that you added into the template) are missing
The files used in the template are unsupported formats
We cover how to fix all three of these errors in the tutorial video below, but typically the solution is to:
Select all the media offline files in your media pool
Right-click the files and select Relink Selected Clips
This will open your Folder Explorer, which will let you select the new location of your clips to re-link them