Where Does CapCut Save Projects? PC, Mac & Mobile

CapCut keeps editable drafts separately from exported videos. The mobile and desktop apps save changes to that draft automatically. On Windows and Mac, CapCut's settings show the draft location, but an older project may live in a different folder. On iPhone and Android, start in the app's project library. For Web, check which account and Space you saved the edit in.

Where to look first

Find the CapCut project folder on Windows

If the draft is open and your build shows Details → Path, that's your project-specific location. The ExportSRT developer’s illustrated folder guide documents this route. Not every layout has it, so don't close an unsaved or damaged edit just to hunt for it.

To check the configured location from the home screen:

1. Open Settings in CapCut. Look for the Draft or Project section; the label depends on the build.
2. Read the Save to field, if available. This is the configured draft location, not a list of every folder used in the past.
3. Open the displayed folder in File Explorer. Use a folder button if your version offers one, or enter the path in the address bar.
4. Leave the setting and files unchanged. If the folder is empty, check earlier locations, the original Windows user account and any previously used drive.

A common Windows location is:

%LocalAppData%\CapCut\User Data\Projects\com.lveditor.draft

Paste that into File Explorer's address bar. The CapShare project-format documentation records this path and the Mac example below. Both are third-party implementation examples, not a promise for every CapCut installation. You don't need to install CapShare to read them.

Empty or missing folder? Check the location your installation displays before you start guessing at AppData subfolders. A Microsoft Store installation doesn't establish one universal package path. And don't create a new folder, change Save to or reinstall CapCut to make old drafts appear.

Find the CapCut project folder on Mac

On a Mac, open CapCut → Settings from the menu bar, choose Draft and read the Save to field. The usro.net guide to CapCut folders and cache describes the same Settings route for the project and download locations. Screen recordings and downloads have their own folder fields, so don’t mistake them for the draft folder. Labels can vary with the CapCut build and interface language.

A common Mac location is:

~/Movies/CapCut/User Data/Projects/com.lveditor.draft

In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder, paste the path CapCut displays and press Return. The ~ in the example above means your home folder. If that example path doesn't exist, use the configured location instead. Don't create the example folder.

Treat Save to as a starting point. It doesn't prove an old draft moved there. Check the Mac account you used for the edit, and reconnect the original external drive if the project lived on one. If the project itself shows a Path field, compare it with the configured location.

Identify the draft—not just a video or cache file

A desktop draft folder can hold files such as draft_content.json or draft_info.json, plus metadata and supporting folders. The exact layout varies by build. A JSON file is project data. It isn't an MP4, and renaming it won't turn it into a video.

When several folders look plausible, check their modification dates against when you edited. Read those dates as clues, not proof, since copying or syncing can change them. Confirm the project in CapCut's library and make sure its timeline matches what you expect. Don't overwrite a same-named folder or edit internal JSON to identify it.

Finding the draft doesn't mean you've found all its footage. Original clips can stay somewhere else, and CapCut's media-access guidance explains why file locations and permissions matter. If the timeline opens with offline clips, keep its placeholders and go find the originals. That's a separate job from finding a missing draft.

For an MP4 you've already exported, CapCut confirms that re-importing the video does not restore its original separate tracks and effects. You can still recut the finished video, but it isn't the editable project you were looking for.

Find drafts on iPhone and iPad

Open CapCut's Projects library on the device you edited on. Local drafts live in app-managed data. A video in Photos is an export or a source clip, and a generic CapCut folder in Files won't reliably lead you to every editable draft.

If the list is empty, check the original account and its Space. CapCut's help on same-email accounts warns that different login methods can open different accounts, even when the email address is the same. Sign in with the original method or one you've deliberately linked to that account. Our CapCut login guide explains the difference.

Don't use Delete App to refresh the list. Apple says Offload App retains documents and data, while Delete App removes related data. Offloading isn't an independent backup, either.

Find drafts on Android

Start in CapCut's project library on the original phone, then check any Space you uploaded the project to. Signing in doesn't turn a local draft into a cloud copy by itself.

Don't expect a normal file manager to show every draft under Android/data. Android's scoped storage rules restrict other apps and the system file picker from accessing app-data directories. I wouldn't rely on old paths or root-based tutorials either. They aren't a supported way to locate and transfer all current mobile projects.

Google distinguishes temporary cache from permanently deleted app data. Clear storage isn't a search or recovery tool. Android also removes app-specific files on uninstall, though that doesn't mean it deletes every photo in shared storage.

Find saved projects in CapCut Web

Look in the project library or Space for the account you saved the edit with. A Web project isn't the desktop draft folder you see in Finder or File Explorer. CapCut's saved-project instructions require uploading to Spaces for cross-platform cloud use. Using the same login doesn't prove, by itself, that a local draft uploaded.

If an edit is still open and you haven't confirmed a saved copy, leave that session open. Follow the available sign-in/save flow, wait for it to finish, then check the saved revision without discarding the working original. The Web editor guide covers the browser workflow.

A missing upload can also come down to storage. CapCut's current Space capacity notice says newly created spaces no longer include complimentary storage. Check the allowance in your own Space, and don't go by a quota shown in an old screenshot.

Where did the exported video go?

If you need the finished video rather than the draft, use the export destination:

• Desktop: check the path selected in Export. CapCut documents an Open folder button on the completed export screen; use it if your version shows it. Otherwise search for the filename you chose.
• iPhone and Android: check Photos or Gallery after a completed on-device export. If it is absent, check the save destination and media permissions; some exports appear in a different folder or after the gallery refreshes.
• Web: check the browser’s download list and selected download folder. Confirm that the download finished as well as the video render.

Found it? Preserve it before changing devices

Keep the draft and its source media. Before you uninstall, reset or move to another computer, follow the editable-project backup and transfer guide. A second copy on the same disk isn't enough, and neither is an untested cloud thumbnail. The project safety hub helps you decide whether to locate, preserve or recover an edit.

Frequently asked questions

The folder routes and example paths come from the CapCut Help, ExportSRT, CapShare and usro.net pages linked above; labels can differ by build and interface language. Read the location your own installation displays before you move or delete anything.