Final check before you start
Review these details one last time before starting the export:
- Make sure your files will go to the right destination location.
- Check whether you’re using Copy, Link, or Move.
- Check that the folder and file layout in the preview looks the way you want.
- Review the difference between clip, file, and folder counts. If the same clip is in more than one folder, the file count may be higher.
- Compare the amount of data to export with the free space at destination.
- If you chose a backup disk or editing project, check those settings too.
When you choose a destination, Merceq starts checking the disk and shows “Checking the destination…”. If it doesn’t get a response within ten seconds, the warning “The destination check did not respond.” appears. You can use Try again in that case.
It’s not enough for the disk to have only as much free space as the data to export. Merceq also leaves a safety margin: 2 GB on external destinations and 5 GB on your Mac’s internal disk.
The export won’t start until these problems are fixed:
| Warning you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| “Not enough space on the destination disk…” | Free up disk space or choose another destination. |
| “The destination is inside the source folder. Pick somewhere else.” | Choose a destination outside the source folder. |
| “Can’t write to destination: this disk is read-only or you don’t have permission to write to this folder…” | Choose another writable destination. |
| “Merceq doesn’t have permission to write to this folder. Allow access in System Settings › Privacy & Security or choose another destination.” | Allow the required access or choose another destination. |
| “SD card is locked; can’t write to destination. Eject the card, unlock it using the switch on its side, and reconnect it.” | Remove the card’s write protection. |
| “Destination disk is FAT32: it can’t hold files larger than 4 GB…” | Choose a destination formatted as exFAT or APFS. |
| Disk warning about the Link method | Switch to Copy or Move. |
| “Backup destination is on the same disk as the main destination…” | Choose a separate disk for the backup. |
You may also see warnings that don’t block the operation:
- “If power is lost while writing to this disk, the last files written may be incomplete. Safely eject the disk when the transfer is done.”
- If your destination is a network disk or a synced location such as iCloud Drive/Dropbox: “This location is on a network or syncing with the cloud. Don’t access the project folder from elsewhere until the transfer is done.”
If the start button is disabled, you’ll see why below it, for example: “Choose a destination location to continue.” or “The destination has a blocker. Resolve the warning above, then start.”