Systems and techniques are disclosed for allowing a user to view and edit media content items while those media content items are being transferred from one location to another. For example, a method can include receiving a request to transfer a media content from a source memory location where the media content item resides to a destination memory location; reading from the source memory location a sufficient amount of data to create in a database associated with the application a first record corresponding to the media content item to be transferred, the first record including a pointer to the source memory location of the media content item; initiating a transfer of the media content item to the destination memory location, and making the media content item available for manipulation prior to completion of the transfer of the first media content item.