Start with the message and saved state
Open Project Options → Project Health and Activity. Note the exact error and whether the project is saved, an adjustment is pending, or a caption draft is unapplied. Keep the project open while resolving a save failure, and preserve a copy before experimenting.
For support, record the installed version/build, device, workspace, command, and a short reproduction. Include relevant source format and export settings. Start with the support page for relevant guides and help options.
An import partly failed
Activity → Imports lists file results and Retry Failed Files when available. Successful items remain. Photos selections that could not provide a file appear in Photos provider failures and can be selected again after checking local availability.
Confirm the source finishes downloading from iCloud or its Files provider. Try a short known-good source to distinguish file availability from a decoding issue. Keep the original if you create an alternative encoding.
A command is disabled or changes the wrong context
Check Source versus Sequence, selected clip versus selected library item, track lock, linked selection, and destination tracks. Read Tools → Commands for the unavailable reason. Finish typing before using letter shortcuts or document Undo.
If a Precision Edit form says the project or selection changed, cancel and reopen it. This protects against applying a captured edit to a different context. It is not a reason to repeatedly force Apply.
Captions or a sheet will not close
An unapplied caption draft needs Apply or Revert. Invalid or reversed timing prevents Apply. If the saved cue changed, copy/share the retained draft before deciding to Revert. Retry Saving Draft addresses a recovery-record failure; project-save recovery is a separate step.
A save warning offers Retry Save or Save New Copy. A disk-conflict dialog offers Reload From Disk or Save a New Copy; reload discards unsaved in-memory changes. Choose the copy path when you need to preserve them.
Preview stutters or a picture is missing
Check source availability and representations in Media Management. A proxy can improve a demanding preview, but original-quality delivery still needs originals. Use a short project and a smaller working representation to narrow the problem. A poster image alone does not establish that every frame can decode.
For color differences from Photos, inspect source interpretation and a representative SDR export. Meridian’s declared output path is SDR Rec. 709; do not infer identical HDR display treatment across apps.
Export or Photos saving fails
Read Device and media checks, check free storage, and try H.264 at a modest resolution. Preflight is advisory; unsupported physical-device codec combinations can still fail. Keep the app active for the retry.
If a movie completed but Save to Photos failed, use Save to Files or Share Movie to preserve the local movie. Check Photos permission and format compatibility. Sidecar subtitles need a separate Files handoff; Photos does not replace that package.
For a queued interruption, inspect the captured job and use its restart actions. A restarted captured job uses its stored revision, not automatically the latest timeline. Watch the new completed file before sending it.
A transferred project has missing media
Expand the portable archive and choose its enclosing folder through Open from Files. Keep relative paths intact. A .meridian file without the required movies is not a complete handoff. Relink the actual missing sources and test playback, captions, fonts, and a short export on the destination. See portable project checks.