I somehow lost the movie I made two months ago and today, when I restored the iMovie library from my Time Machine backup, it tells me it cannot be opened because it needs read/write permission. I am the Admin of this MacBook Air and so I checked the info and it shows that the item is not locked and that I have read/write permission. How can I open this file?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.3
Hi,
I don't know why the restored iMovie library won't open. Where is it stored? What steps are you using to try to open it?
In any event, you should be able to recover your iMovie project from the iMovie Backups folder.
To get to the iMovie Backups folder, follow this file path from the Finder menu:
Go/Home/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp/Data/Library/Caches/iMovieBackups
NOTE: If running Ventura or later, in the above
file path substitute iMovie for com.apple.iMovieApp. So, for Ventura,
the file path would read:
Go/Home/Library/Containers/iMovie/Data/Library/Caches/iMovieBackups
When you get there you will see a list of previous backups of your iMovie library. Click on one dated just before your issue started. iMovie will open in that library. Navigate to your projects browser (where your projects are displayed as icons) and see if your projects are intact and then you should be able to open your missing project. .
The opened backup library will not overwrite your existing library.
-- Rich
Hi,
I don't know why the restored iMovie library won't open. Where is it stored? What steps are you using to try to open it?
In any event, you should be able to recover your iMovie project from the iMovie Backups folder.
To get to the iMovie Backups folder, follow this file path from the Finder menu:
Go/Home/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp/Data/Library/Caches/iMovieBackups
NOTE: If running Ventura or later, in the above
file path substitute iMovie for com.apple.iMovieApp. So, for Ventura,
the file path would read:
Go/Home/Library/Containers/iMovie/Data/Library/Caches/iMovieBackups
When you get there you will see a list of previous backups of your iMovie library. Click on one dated just before your issue started. iMovie will open in that library. Navigate to your projects browser (where your projects are displayed as icons) and see if your projects are intact and then you should be able to open your missing project. .
The opened backup library will not overwrite your existing library.
-- Rich
You are welcome.
Try opening iMovie by clicking on the restored library's icon in the Movies folder, rather than the iMovie app's icon in the Applications folder.
-- Rich
Thanks Rich. To answer your questions, I restored the iMovie Library from my Time Machine backup to Users\Landeye\Movies. I tried to open it by clicking on the iMovie app icon in the applications folder.
I was able to open the backup just prior to the issue by following the instructions you provided. Unfortunately, I have been relocating music an photos files since the movie was made and none of the links work anymore! In other words, I have hosed it! ;>(
But just wanted to thank you for helping people like me. Carry on!
Restored iMovie Library won't open
