# Reconnect an unavailable folder

> What to do when a root folder shows as unavailable, and why your notes are still safe.

Source: https://notate.md/docs/troubleshooting/root-unavailable/

Category: Troubleshooting

Updated: 2026-08-16

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If a root folder shows as unavailable, or you see a "Local folder unavailable" message, it almost always means Notate is looking for the folder where it used to be and the folder is no longer there.

## What causes it

Notate tracks each root by its exact location on disk. The connection breaks when that location changes without going through the app, most often because the folder was:

- renamed or moved in Finder, Explorer, or the Files app,
- on an external or network drive that is not currently mounted, or
- on mobile, moved or renamed so its access grant no longer resolves.

## Your notes are safe

An unavailable root does not delete anything. Your notes are still in the database and your files are still on disk at their new location. Notate is careful here: when it cannot read a root's folder, it pauses that folder rather than treating the missing files as deletions, so nothing is lost while the connection is broken.

## How to reconnect

- **Drive not mounted:** reconnect the drive or wait for the network share to come back, then reopen Notate. The root returns on its own.
- **Folder renamed or moved:** point Notate back at the folder. Remove the unavailable root and add the folder again at its current location. Because the files are intact, your notes are re-adopted as they were.
- **Mobile:** add the folder again and grant access to its current location.

## Avoiding it

Manage roots from inside the app: use the relocate and change-base options to move things rather than dragging the directories yourself. See [Add, move, and remove a root](https://notate.md/docs/organizing/manage-roots/) and [Roots across your devices](https://notate.md/docs/sync/roots-across-devices/).