Premiere or DaVinci Proxies Missing: Rebuild Them Before Data Recovery
TL;DR:
If your Premiere or DaVinci Resolve proxies and media cache are missing while the original source footage survives, manually regenerate them within the software instead of scanning the drive for disposable derivatives.
● Adobe Premiere automatically recreates deleted cache files when source media needs them, and DaVinci Resolve handles proxy generation natively through its documented source clip workflows.
● Only consider using data recovery tools like Recoverit File Recovery if the original camera footage is unusable or permanently lost, making the deleted proxy the last remaining playable copy on a local drive.
● A restored proxy file retains its lower quality and cannot recover the original codec data, full image quality, or resolution of the missing camera files.
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If the original media and project still exist, usually no. Rebuild cache and proxy media instead of scanning the drive for disposable derivatives. In this r/premiere proxy case, the RED camera originals were still present, but proxy generation had not completed for every clip. That is a regeneration problem, not evidence of deleted source footage.
Treat Cache And Proxies As Rebuildable While Originals Survive
Use This Decision
- Premiere media cache is missing: Adobe states that deleted cache files are recreated when source media needs them, so clearing or losing cache is not normally a recovery case. See Adobe's media-cache guidance.
- Premiere proxy is missing but the original clip survives: regenerate the proxy from the camera original and relink it to the project.
- DaVinci Resolve proxy is missing but the source survives: Resolve can generate proxy media from source clips; the DaVinci Resolve Editor's Guide documents the Generate Proxy Media workflow.
Recover A Proxy Only If It Became The Last Surviving Copy
The exception is when the camera original is already lost or unusable and a proxy became the only remaining playable copy. If that proxy still exists, copy it to separate healthy storage immediately. If the proxy itself was then deleted from a stable, readable local drive and no backup exists, Recoverit File Recovery can be considered for the deleted local file.
Set The Expectation:
A recovered proxy is still a proxy. It cannot restore the resolution, codec data, or image quality that existed only in the missing camera original.