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Fix DaVinci Resolve: Troubleshooting Hub

Choose a guide for the problem in front of you: offline clips, slow playback, GPU errors, a failed render, silent audio or missing projects.

Curated by Jason Miller · Updated

DaVinci Resolve troubleshooting map for playback, media, GPU and render problems

Diagnose before changing settings

Start with the symptom, not a reinstall

A missing clip, a choppy timeline and a silent output each need their own checks. Save your work, make a test copy where you can, and change one thing at a time.

Choose the task

Choose the problem you can see or hear

Pick the closest match, then test whether each change actually makes a difference to the failure.

Media Pool and timeline full of red Media Offline warnings, with a reconnect checklist below 10 min read

Media Offline in DaVinci Resolve: How to Fix It

Find out whether Resolve lost the source path or can't decode the clip. Sort original-media, proxy and cache problems apart before you relink.

 Playback settings beside a timeline, with icons for dropped frames, CPU and GPU load, slow storage and heavy codecs 12 min read

DaVinci Resolve Slow Playback

Work out whether source decoding, timeline effects, GPU load or storage is holding playback back, then compare the proxy and cache approaches you have.

 Man filming a night street market on his phone, beside a Frame rate mode Variable panel, above a timeline where the _CFR_TEST copy shows evenly spaced frames 10 min read

Variable Frame Rate in DaVinci Resolve: Diagnose and Convert to CFR

Confirm the clip really has a variable frame rate before you blame it, convert one safe CFR sample, and verify duration, audio channels, sync and cadence before relinking.

 Resolve 21 Memory and GPU, Proxy Handling, bypass, and Render in Place controls for fixing allocation errors 9 min read

Fix GPU Memory Full in DaVinci Resolve

Protect the project, find a frame that fails every time and isolate the demanding processing. Test on a copy before you touch the working setup.

 Render queue with a failed job and a red FAILED stamp over the viewer 10 min read

DaVinci Resolve Render Failed

Use the error message and the failing timecode to tell clip, decode, GPU and storage problems apart. Then check the result with a short render.

 Muted speaker over the viewer and a checklist running from volume and meters to the output device 10 min read

DaVinci Resolve No Audio

Compare clip playback, the track and bus meters, monitoring and the output device. Follow the signal until you find where the sound stops.

 DaVinci Resolve project library, DRP, DRA, media and cache storage map 11 min read

Where DaVinci Resolve Projects Are Saved

Check which Project Library is active before you assume the work is lost. Tell project exports, archives and backups apart, then choose a recovery route.

 DaVinci Resolve MP4 import fix for an audio-only video file 9 min read

DaVinci Resolve Won't Import MP4? Fix Audio-Only Clips

Look at the video and audio streams inside the MP4, then check format support and source patching before you convert or replace any media.

 DaVinci Resolve crash diagnosis with a repeatable trigger and recovery path 8 min read

DaVinci Resolve Keeps Crashing? Find the Exact Trigger

Write down a trigger you can repeat, protect the project, and isolate media, plug-ins or system changes. Change one variable at a time.

 Wet tram street at blue hour with a woman in a mustard raincoat, beside a Color page Effects panel where Halation is selected under a North Pier FX plugin header 9 min read

DaVinci Resolve OpenFX Directory: Where OFX Plugins Install

Find the OFX folder on Mac and Windows, then install, locate and fix a plugin that's missing, stale or crashing.

 DaVinci Resolve Media Pool and Deliver page with MP4, HEVC, AAC and operating system codec checks 9 min read

DaVinci Resolve Supported Codecs and Formats Guide

Compare the real container and streams with what your platform and edition support. Check importing and exporting separately before you choose an intermediate format.

 DaVinci Resolve Text+ clip over a theater stage with an empty text box and opacity set to 0.00 7 min read

DaVinci Resolve Text Not Showing: Viewer and Export Fixes

Trace a missing Text or Text+ title through track state, clip range, Inspector settings and render behavior before you rebuild it.

 DaVinci Resolve Media page diagnosing an MP3 or AAC file that won't import 12 min read

DaVinci Resolve Won’t Import MP3 or AAC Audio

A file that never reaches the Media Pool is a different problem from audio that imports but stays silent. Check the real codec, then convert one clean duplicate.

 Timeline showing a missing waveform before the playhead and a visible waveform after it 6 min read

DaVinci Resolve Audio Waveform Not Showing

Fix missing DaVinci Resolve audio waveforms by checking the timeline display, track height, channel mapping and waveform regeneration before you reset anything.

Before you troubleshoot

Keep the next step safe

Should I reinstall Resolve before trying these guides?

Not as your first move. Check whether the problem hits one clip, one project or even a fresh test project. A reinstall won't bring back missing media or restore the right project backup, so protect the existing work before you change the installation.

What should I record before asking for help?

Write down the exact Resolve build, Free or Studio edition, operating system, GPU and driver, the error message and the steps that reproduce it. Add the failing timecode when there is one. Strip out private client details before you share diagnostics, and don't post confidential project or media files publicly.

Before an installation or driver change, compare your setup with the requirements and changes in Blackmagic’s Resolve 21.1.1 readme.

Jason Miller
Jason MillerI run DaVinci Resolve Club as an independent publication: hands-on edits, color grading breakdowns, Fairlight sessions, Fusion tests, and honest notes on where Resolve gets in the way.