Recovering an After Effects project restores composition and editing information; its footage can still be missing. Start with the project’s Auto-Save copies, save the selected version under a new name, then reconnect the actual sources. A cached frame or available proxy does not prove that the original footage survived.
Select an Auto-Save project
For the documented standard desktop workflow, inspect the Auto-Save folder associated with the project and compare numbered/date candidates. Open the version most likely to contain the required changes. Immediately use File > Save As to preserve a separate working project.
This matters because Adobe’s current English guidance says that opening an autosave can still be associated with the original project; an ordinary Save can replace that original. See Auto-save and crash recovery.
Under the Windows Edit > Preferences > Auto-Save area, inspect the actual interval, maximum retained versions and location: Next to Project or a custom folder. These controls determine which candidates might exist. The preferences documentation distinguishes local projects and features described as beta. Do not rely on untitled-project recovery or a one-click crash prompt unless the installed release actually supports it.
If no project recovery copy exists
Check Recycle Bin, the original project folder, configured custom autosave location and independent backups. A local project that was never saved may lack a standard autosave source, depending on the release. Enabling Auto-Save after the crash does not recreate earlier work.
XRecovery can search readable storage for remaining project and media files, saving candidates to another physical device. Its general recovery capability does not imply AEP-specific repair. Preserve the project and assets as separate requirements rather than treating a recovered AEP filename as a complete job.
Relink missing footage
In the Project panel, identify items marked missing. Select the intended item and use File > Replace Footage > File to locate the correct source. Check recording identity, duration, dimensions and frame rate rather than basename alone. For an image sequence, verify the complete required frame range and interpretation.
Adobe documents missing footage, placeholders and proxies in Working with footage items. A placeholder can preserve layer settings without containing the original image data. A proxy can support previews while the full-resolution source remains absent.
Validate compositions and a new render
Check required compositions, layer order, keyframes, expressions and final edits. Resolve missing fonts, effects and plug-ins through the project owner; an unavailable effect is not automatically file corruption. Confirm the render is using intended sources rather than unintended proxies.
Render a new short section covering demanding layers/effects and expected audio to a separate output path. Inspect frames, motion and synchronization. If useful content is partial, retain it with missing assets or intervals listed. Save and reopen the selected project separately before treating it as the new working master.
For the next step, see Document Recovery: Deleted, Unsaved, Overwritten or Damaged?.