Proxy Media is the right Resolve workflow when your camera originals are too heavy for smooth editing and you want lightweight files that can be moved, shared, inspected, and relinked. Set the proxy resolution and codec in Project Settings, generate the files from the Media Pool, choose Prefer Proxies while editing, then switch back to camera originals before the final quality check.
That's different from Timeline Proxy Resolution, Optimized Media, and Render Cache. Those tools can all improve playback, but they solve different bottlenecks. This guide gives you one repeatable workflow for a single workstation, a laptop handoff, or a remote edit without turning your final export into a guessing game.
Choose the right playback tool first
Don't generate hundreds of gigabytes of proxy files until you know that Proxy Media is the tool your project needs. Start with the smallest intervention that matches the symptom.
| What is slowing you down? | Use this first | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| The whole timeline is only slightly below real time | Timeline Proxy Resolution | Reduces timeline processing resolution on the fly; it does not create proxy files |
| H.264, H.265, RAW, 6K, or 8K source clips are difficult to decode | Proxy Media | Creates portable, user-managed media linked to the originals |
| All source media is heavy, but the project stays on one workstation | Optimized Media | Creates Resolve-managed media that is not intended for external file handling |
| A few clips become slow after Fusion, noise reduction, or heavy effects | Render Cache | Pre-renders processed timeline results for that project |
Blackmagic makes the same distinction in the DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual: Proxy Media is independent and portable, Timeline Proxy Resolution changes processing resolution without creating media, Optimized Media is managed internally, and Render Cache targets effect-heavy results.
Set resolution, codec, and location before generating files
Open File > Project Settings > Master Settings. In the Optimized Media and Render Cache section, choose the Proxy Media Resolution and Proxy Media Format. Then check the Working Folders section and confirm the Proxy generation location. That location matters more than most codec debates: a fast proxy codec on a nearly full or disconnected drive is still a broken workflow.
For resolution, Choose Automatically is a safe first test because Resolve reduces sources that exceed the timeline resolution. Use Half or Quarter when you need a predictable size reduction. Eighth and Sixteenth are transport choices for unusually large originals or constrained remote workflows; they can make focus, key edges, fine text, and compression artifacts too difficult to judge.
If the machine is below the current DaVinci Resolve system requirements, proxies can reduce decode pressure but cannot fix unsupported hardware, drivers, or an exhausted GPU.
For codec, prioritize decoding speed on the editing machine rather than the smallest possible number on disk. ProRes Proxy or ProRes LT is a common macOS choice. DNxHR LB or SQ is a practical cross-platform choice. The exact list depends on the operating system and Resolve build. H.264 or H.265 can make compact handoff files, but highly compressed long-GOP media may move work back onto the decoder you were trying to relieve. Test one representative clip before generating the whole card.
Put proxies on a fast SSD with enough free space and a stable path. Avoid a temporary download folder, a drive letter that changes between workstations, or a cloud-sync directory that may evict files. If the project will move, design the folder structure before generation so the same proxy root can travel with the project.
Generate Proxy Media from the Media Pool
- Select one representative clip in the Media Pool.
- Right-click it and choose Generate Proxy Media.
- Wait for generation to finish and test playback, scrubbing, audio sync, and a short color or Fusion section.
- If the test is clean, select the remaining source clips and generate the full set.
Resolve uses the proxy resolution and format already stored in Project Settings. Changing those settings after generation does not silently rebuild old files. Generate a new proxy if you want a different resolution, codec, or RAW interpretation.
When separately recorded audio is synced to a source clip in the Media Pool, Blackmagic notes that generated proxy media includes the synced audio inside the proxy video file. Verify sync on a slate or a hard consonant before handing the project to another editor.
Verify that Resolve is actually using the proxies
Generating files isn't the same as playing them. In the Cut or Edit viewer, open Proxy Handling and choose Prefer Proxies. Resolve will use a linked proxy when it exists and fall back to the camera original when it doesn't. That fallback is convenient, but it can hide a partial proxy set: one section plays smoothly while another still decodes the original.
Use List view in the Media Pool and enable the Proxy and Proxy Media Path columns. The status should show a resolution rather than None or Offline. Check several clips from different camera folders, not only the first item in the bin.
- None means no proxy is linked.
- Offline means Resolve has proxy metadata but can't find the expected file.
- A resolution means linked proxy media is online.
The viewer and clip badges also show whether Resolve prefers proxy media, prefers camera originals, has only proxy media available, or has disabled the proxy workflow. Use those indicators during handoff checks instead of trusting memory.
Proxy Media vs Optimized Media
Both make source footage easier to play, but ownership is different. Proxy Media creates normal, independent files that you can copy, inspect, archive, and relink. Optimized Media is controlled internally by Resolve and is designed to stay with the project environment that created it.
Choose Proxy Media when the edit moves between systems, another editor needs compact files, or you need an explicit file path and status. Choose Optimized Media when the project stays on one machine and you want Resolve to manage the substitute media. You can use both, but adding both to the same simple job often wastes storage and makes diagnosis harder.
Proxy Media vs Timeline Proxy Resolution
Timeline Proxy Resolution doesn't transcode your source clips. It asks Resolve to process the timeline at a lower working resolution. That makes it an excellent first move when playback is close to real time and the bottleneck is general processing rather than source decoding.
It's also reversible instantly: choose Half, Quarter, or None from the Playback menu. Proxy Media and Timeline Proxy Resolution are independent, so you can edit with proxy files and still reduce timeline processing for an especially heavy grade. If the timeline is already smooth after one change, stop there.
Proxy Media vs Render Cache
Proxies make the source material easier before effects. Render Cache helps after processing becomes expensive. A proxy may make an H.265 interview play cleanly, but a Fusion composition, temporal noise reduction, or a chain of Resolve FX can still drop frames. Cache that processed result instead of generating another generation of source proxies.
A GPU Memory Full error can survive a proxy change when the real pressure comes from timeline resolution, Fusion, temporal effects, or the grade. Reduce the expensive processing or cache that result instead of generating another proxy set.
Render Cache is project-managed and not a portable replacement for the original camera media. Don't copy a CacheClip folder to another workstation and call it a handoff. Use a proxy-aware archive or copy the proxy root deliberately.
Move, link, and relink proxy files
If proxy files are generated outside Resolve or moved from their original location, select the source clips in the Media Pool and choose Link Proxy Media. Resolve expects external proxies to have matching source timecode, the same base filename, the same frame rate, and a supported codec. A random low-resolution export with burned-in timecode isn't a valid linked proxy.
After linking, verify the Proxy and Proxy Media Path columns. If a moved drive produces Offline status, relink to the directory containing the matching files. Don't relink camera originals through the proxy command; original relinking and proxy relinking are separate operations.
If the originals are also missing, separate proxy relinking from the broader Media Offline diagnosis so Resolve is pointed at the correct file type in each step.
Unlink Proxy Media removes the metadata relationship but doesn't delete the file from disk. That is useful when testing a link, but it also means old proxy generations can accumulate. Record the active proxy root before cleanup.
Switch back to camera originals before finishing
Use Prefer Camera Originals or Disable All Proxies before checking focus, noise, key edges, stabilization artifacts, texture, and final color. Low-bandwidth files are designed to edit well, not to prove that the master is clean.
A purple timeline indicator means the camera originals are missing and Resolve is relying on proxies. Don't begin a master export until the original media is online unless a proxy-quality output is an intentional deliverable.
Export without accidentally using proxies
Resolve normally returns to camera originals for delivery. In the Deliver page, leave Use proxy media off for a master. Turn it on only when you deliberately want a fast review file, a daily, or an export from a proxy-only remote system.
Choose the final codec, container, resolution, and audio layout from the DaVinci Resolve export settings hub; proxy choice should not silently become the delivery specification.
Before adding the final render job, run this short gate:
If the master still stops or fails after originals are restored, follow the render-failure isolation workflow before turning proxy media back on.
- Set Proxy Handling to Prefer Camera Originals or disable proxies.
- Confirm no purple missing-original indicator remains.
- Open several clips at 100% and inspect focus, grain, keys, and noise reduction.
- Check that Use proxy media is disabled in advanced render settings.
- Render a short difficult section and inspect the exported file outside Resolve.
If the camera originals are intentionally unavailable, label the output as a proxy review. Don't let a smaller file pass as a master merely because it completed faster.
Does the proxy workflow work in Free and Studio?
Blackmagic presents robust proxy editing as part of the main Resolve workflow, and the current DaVinci Resolve product page places the Free download alongside those editing features. Studio adds separate AI, effects, codec, resolution, and performance capabilities, but you do not need Studio merely to create and use a normal proxy workflow.
Codec availability and hardware acceleration still vary by operating system, source format, bit depth, GPU, and Resolve edition. If an option is absent on your system, choose a proxy codec that the current installation can generate and decode reliably rather than copying a setting from another platform.
Common proxy workflow failures
Proxy generation is slow or makes huge files
Test a lower resolution or a lighter proxy codec on one clip. High-quality intermediate codecs trade storage for easy decoding. Highly compressed codecs save space but can take longer to encode and may be less responsive on weak hardware. Confirm that the proxy destination isn't a slow network volume.
Proxy status says Offline
Show the Proxy Media Path column, mount the expected drive, and use Link Proxy Media if the files moved. If the folder was renamed or a Windows drive letter changed, fix that path before regenerating anything.
Playback is still slow with proxies enabled
First verify that Resolve is using proxies rather than originals. If it's, the bottleneck may be Fusion, grading, noise reduction, an OFX plug-in, audio processing, storage, or the timeline resolution. Use the slow playback diagnosis instead of generating a second proxy set blindly.
The final export looks soft
Make the camera originals available, disable proxy delivery, and inspect the Render Settings advanced options. Then render a short section again. If the export remains soft, check timeline resolution, scaling, source resolution, and any explicit render-cache settings.
Unlinking did not free disk space
That's expected. Unlinking removes the relationship inside Resolve; it doesn't delete the proxy files. Confirm the active Proxy Media Path, close the project, and remove only the old proxy generation you have positively identified. Keep a backup if the project is still active.
The proxy workflow checklist
- Test one representative clip before generating the full set.
- Choose a codec for easy decoding on the actual edit machine.
- Store proxies on a fast, stable path with enough free space.
- Verify Proxy and Proxy Media Path columns after generation.
- Use Prefer Proxies while editing and camera originals while finishing.
- Relink moved proxies; don't regenerate until the path is ruled out.
- Leave Use proxy media off for master delivery.
- Document and remove old proxy generations deliberately.
Proxy workflow questions
Where does DaVinci Resolve save proxy media?
Resolve uses the Proxy generation location in Project Settings > Master Settings > Working Folders. Preferences > Media Storage can override the location. Check the Proxy Media Path column for the exact file expected by a clip.
Should I use Proxy Media or Optimized Media?
Use Proxy Media when you want portable, inspectable files that can move between systems. Use Optimized Media when Resolve can manage the substitute media internally and the project remains on one workstation.
Does Timeline Proxy Resolution create proxy files?
No. It lowers the timeline processing resolution on the fly. Proxy Media creates actual files on disk and links them to the camera originals.
Will Resolve export from the original files?
By default, Resolve returns to camera originals for delivery. Keep Use proxy media disabled for a master and verify that the originals are online before rendering.
Does Unlink Proxy Media delete the files?
No. It removes the metadata link. The proxy file remains on disk until you delete it deliberately.
Why are my proxies offline after moving the project?
The recorded Proxy Media Path no longer matches the mounted drive or folder. Restore the path or select the source clips and use Link Proxy Media to point Resolve to the moved files.