Windows tutorials › Files
FilesRelink a file that has gone missing
Point a linked file at its new place after the original moved or a drive was disconnected.
Before you start
- A linked file shows Unavailable.
Steps
Notice a linked file. Its WHERE column says Linked (external).
This is a link to a file that is outside the project. It works while the original stays where it was.
Find a row marked Unavailable. Click Relink at the right of the row.
The row shows Unavailable and a Relink button in place of Open. You can also find Relink… in the row menu and the details drawer.
Read the details drawer, then click Relink… at the bottom.
It says: This linked file can't be found. It may be on a drive that isn't connected, or it was moved. Relink it. The reference is never deleted. Under Where it adds: Linked files stay where they are. Moving or renaming the original breaks the link until you relink it. Pick the file in the Windows window that opens.
What you get
The row shows Linked (external) again and Open works.
Watch out for
- A message says Relinked followed by the file name, with Undo.
- If the drive is only disconnected, reconnect it. The link may work again without relinking.