Forum Discussion
Problem with importing audio files into Storyline Projects
annnnd to add to the weirdness. I saw this dot on yet another folder I created but I had no issue importing from that one. Whatever the case with the audio one importing to another folder fixed the issue. The black dot may or may bot be related. Yay computers and software.
Hi galaga00,
Thanks for sharing the detailed follow-up, and great job tracking down that folder issue!
What you’re seeing makes sense. Storyline can sometimes have trouble accessing or saving media when it’s stored in cloud-synced or virtualized folders, especially when running on a Mac through Parallels. That can lead to odd behavior, like files not importing or disappearing after you save.
The black dot you noticed is likely a status indicator from macOS or a sync service, showing that the folder is being monitored or synced. That could explain why moving the audio to a regular local folder without sync involved fixed the issue.
The workaround you found, moving your audio into a regular local folder, is precisely what we recommend. It ensures Storyline has full, stable access to the file path. We usually suggest avoiding synced folders (like OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox) or shared network drives when working in Storyline projects. You can find more details in this article: Storyline 360: Tips for Managing Project Files.
If this issue comes up again, please feel free to open a support case so we can take a closer look at your setup.
EricSantos thanks for checking in.
To be clear here though: I never really changed my methods for it to start working. The files were all coming from my local Mac drives simply accessed by Parallels. I never work from files from the cloud. I merely created a new folder in the same directory the non-working folder was in and then it worked.
The only thing I can imagine is creating this black dot sync deal is that I use GoodSync software that monitors a directory and backs everything up automatically to an external drive. However, those files are merely copied and I am not accessing those files in production.
this is a big "maybe" but maybe Parallels recognizes that an item is being synced and marks it as such. All that said...this Good Sync software has been running forever and this issue never happened until just this one particular file. So, I'm inclined to not think it's that.Hi galaga00,
Thanks for clarifying, that’s really helpful! Since you’re already working locally and not from a cloud-synced folder, it does sound more like a permissions or monitoring flag coming from Parallels or GoodSync, rather than Storyline itself. The black dot might just be a visual indicator tied to that monitoring, even if you’re not directly accessing synced files.
Since the issue only showed up in that one particular folder and hasn’t been consistent, it may have just been a temporary conflict. I’m glad creating a new folder cleared it up, but if it happens again, definitely let us know or open a support case so we can dig into it with you.
Thanks again for taking the time to share these details. They’ll be helpful for anyone else running into something similar.
