# Fix: “Some Tracks Contain Missing Frozen Samples” in Ableton

If you’ve opened your purchased Ableton project and see this message:

> **“Some tracks contain missing frozen samples. Do you want to unfreeze these tracks?”**

Don’t worry — the project is not broken. This is a common file path issue and is easy to fix.

This guide will walk you through the solution step by step.

## Why This Happens

This message appears when Ableton cannot find the rendered **frozen track files**.

This usually happens if:

* The project was opened directly from a ZIP file
* The folder structure was changed
* The project file (.als) was moved outside its main folder
* The project was moved to a new computer

Even if the sample folder is included (which it is), Ableton just needs to properly relink everything.

***

## Step 1 – Extract the ZIP File Properly

If you downloaded a ZIP file:

1. Right-click the ZIP file
2. Click **“Extract All”** (Windows) or **“Unzip”** (Mac)
3. Open the extracted folder

{% hint style="warning" %}
 **Important:**\
Do not open the project directly from inside the ZIP preview. Always extract first.
{% endhint %}

***

## Step 2 – Check the Folder Structure

Inside the main project folder, you should see something like:

```
Project Name.als
Samples/
Ableton Project Info/
```

Make sure:

* The `.als` file is inside the main project folder
* The **Samples** folder is inside the same main folder
* Nothing has been renamed or moved

The folder structure must stay intact.

***

## Step 3 – Open the Project Again

Open the `.als` file from inside the extracted project folder.

If the warning appears again:

👉 Click **“Unfreeze.”**

This tells Ableton to rebuild the frozen tracks using the included samples.

In most cases, this fully resolves the issue.

***

## Step 4 – Manually Relink Samples (If Needed)

If some samples are still missing:

1. In Ableton’s left sidebar, click **“Manage Files”**
2. Click **“Manage Project”**
3. Click **“Locate Files”**
4. Click **“Search Folder”**
5. Select the main project folder

Ableton will scan the folder and automatically relink the missing files.

***

## Final Step (Recommended)

After everything is working:

1. Go to **File → Collect All and Save**
2. Confirm all boxes
3. Save the project

This ensures all samples are properly stored within the project folder going forward.

***

## If You’re Still Having Issues

Please send us:

* A screenshot of your project folder structure
* A screenshot of the Ableton error message

We’ll help you resolve it quickly.