I have an ongoing project which as I update I “save as” under a different project name. So far this has worked O’K and I have been given the safer option to copy all files.
This last time an additional wav I used in the project was on the desktop but there was no option to copy it as I saved the project.
I subsequently moved the file and now I get a prompt that it is missing along with three options
So I looked at the log and closed the project as it was.
Project loads fine if I return the wav to the Desktop but I don’t want it there now.
How do I get this file copied in with the rest of the project as I save it?
That can only be because you have Projects Preferences set to “Do not copy” (and so not ask).
The safest course is to set Import / Export Preferences to “Make a copy”. Then the audio will always be copied in at import time, before you save the project.
I believe the current Audacity defaults to making “personal copies” of its sound files. It didn’t used to and people used to trash their shows all the time by removing an external sound file that Audacity was standing on. Our joke was one good way to turn your show to rubble was to “clean up and organize” your music folder.
If a user upgrades from 1.2 (which did not copy in by default) to 2.0.5, then opens Preferences in 2.0.5, they will see the Import / Export Preference is set not to copy in (because that Preference is being read from the 1.2 Registry settings).
However that Preference will be over-ridden by the warning dialogue when you import any WAV or AIFF file. That dialogue asks you to choose whether to copy in or not, with the default being to copy in and to always display that dialogue when importing.
If the file became unavailable while the project was open, File > Check Dependencies… would also give you the path and file name that Audacity was looking for.
Whenever you play at a point where the file is missing, or if you export, a warning tells you that “external” files are missing.