I ignored Resolve's save system for the first 3 months I used it. I came from Premiere, I was used to Ctrl+S every few minutes out of pure muscle memory, and I assumed Resolve worked the same way. It does not. The first time I actually read what was happening under the hood, I realised I had been double-saving work that was already saved, while leaving the rest of my safety net completely unset up.
Here's the full picture: how Resolve actually saves, what the different options do, and what you should turn on before you get deep into a project.
Quick Answer: DaVinci Resolve saves projects inside a Project Library, not as normal standalone project files. Keep Live Save enabled for automatic saving, turn on Project Backups and Timeline Backups for rollback protection, and export a DRP or DRA when you need a portable copy outside Resolve.
How DaVinci Resolve Saves Projects Differently from Other NLEs
Resolve does not store your project as a normal standalone file the way Premiere stores a .prproj or Final Cut stores a library. Instead, projects live inside a Resolve Project Library — often still called a database — that Resolve manages internally. Default local Project Libraries are usually stored inside Blackmagic Design's Resolve support folders on Windows and macOS, but the exact location can vary if you created a custom library, moved it to another drive, or use a network or cloud library. The safest way to check is to open the Project Manager, show the Project Libraries panel, and look at the path for the active local library.
Common default paths for reference: Windows is typically C:\ProgramData\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Resolve Disk Database\, and Mac is typically ~/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Resolve Disk Database/. Treat these as starting points, not absolutes.
You can technically back up a local Project Library folder if you know exactly what you're doing, but beginners should not treat it like a normal project file. For safe day-to-day use, rely on Resolve's own Project Backups, DRP exports, DRA archives, and full system backups. Most editors new to Resolve don't realise any of this distinction until they've already lost something.
The practical upside: Resolve was designed for big facilities with multiple colorists and editors working simultaneously. The Project Library architecture makes that possible. The practical downside for solo editors: your project is not just sitting in a folder somewhere you can drag to a backup drive.
How to Save Work in DaVinci Resolve with Live Save
Live Save is Resolve's always-on autosave. It's enabled by default, and it saves every change you make as you make it. Cut a clip, move a node, adjust a curve — Live Save writes that change to the database immediately. On the Cut and Edit pages, this happens instantly. On the Color and Fusion pages, Resolve saves when you switch clips and periodically in the background while you stay on the same clip.
To check that Live Save is active — or to turn it on if it's been disabled — go to:
- DaVinci Resolve menu (top left on Windows, top of screen on Mac)
- Preferences
- User tab
- Project Save and Load
- Make sure Live Save is checked
That's it. With Live Save on, pressing Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on Mac) is still valid — it triggers a manual save on top of Live Save — but you're not actually at risk if you forget. I still hit Ctrl+S out of habit on long grading sessions, but I no longer panic if I close Resolve without consciously saving.
One thing worth knowing: if you're doing a demo or showing a client a grade you don't want to commit to, you can disable Live Save temporarily. With it off, Resolve returns to manual-only saving, and closing without saving discards your changes. Useful in demos, client review sessions, or when you intentionally want to test changes without committing them. Annoying if you forget you turned it off.
DaVinci Resolve Project Backups: What They Actually Do
Live Save keeps your current project up to date, but it can't help you if you make 47 destructive changes and then want to roll back to where you were yesterday morning. That's what Project Backups are for.
Project Backups save versioned snapshots of your project on a schedule you control. They use a grandfather-father-son rotation scheme, meaning Resolve keeps short-interval backups (say, every 30 minutes), medium-interval backups (every few hours), and longer-interval backups (daily). When slots fill up, older backups roll off.
To enable Project Backups:
- DaVinci Resolve > Preferences > User > Project Save and Load
- Check the Project Backups box
- Set your backup interval
- Set your backup location — I'd recommend pointing this to a separate drive, not the same drive that holds your active Project Library
To restore a backup, open the Project Manager (Shift+1), right-click the project you want to restore, and choose Project Backups. You'll see a list of dated snapshots. Pick one, click Load, give the restored version a new name, and it opens alongside your original. You're not overwriting anything.
Live Save and Project Backups are independent. You can run both at once, which is what I do. Live Save handles the moment-to-moment work; Project Backups give you a time machine.
DaVinci Resolve Timeline Backups: The Often-Missed Third Option
Timeline Backups are a newer backup feature that many editors still miss. Where Project Backups snapshot the whole project, Timeline Backups snapshot a specific timeline at intervals. If you accidentally delete a sequence of cuts on a single timeline and don't catch it until the next day, a Timeline Backup can get it back without touching the rest of the project.
Enable them in the same Preferences > User > Project Save and Load panel — there's a separate Timeline Backups checkbox below Project Backups.
To restore: go to the Edit page, find your timeline in the Media Pool, right-click it, and select Restore Timeline Backup. Resolve shows you a list of saved versions by date and time. Pick the one you want. It loads as a separate timeline, so you can compare before you commit to anything.
Timeline Backups are not a replacement for Project Backups, DRP exports, or DRA archives. They are best for undoing timeline-level mistakes inside a project, not for recovering an entire lost Project Library. If you're on a current Resolve 18.6, 19, 20, or 21 build and don't see the option, update before relying on this workflow.
How to Manually Save and Export DaVinci Resolve Projects
For most sessions, Live Save plus Project Backups covers you. But at the end of a project — or before you move to another machine — you need to get the project out of the database and into a portable file. Resolve gives you two formats for this.
Export as DRP (DaVinci Resolve Project)
A .drp file is just the project data: your edit, your grade, your Fusion compositions, your timeline structure. No media. The file is usually small compared with your media — often kilobytes or a few megabytes — because it does not include the original footage. It contains everything Resolve needs to reconstruct your project, provided it can find the original media files at the same paths.
To export a DRP: open the Project Manager, right-click your project, and choose Export Project. Save it wherever you want.
Use this for: quick external backups, moving a project between two machines that share the same media drive, or sending just the project structure to a collaborator who has the media.
Export as DRA (DaVinci Resolve Archive)
A .dra is a full package: the project file plus a copy of every media file the project uses. When the archive is created correctly, most projects reopen without manual relinking because the media is consolidated inside the archive folder.
To export a DRA: in the Project Manager, right-click the project and choose Export Project Archive. Choose your destination. Resolve copies all referenced media into the archive folder. For longer projects, this takes time and can take up significant storage — a short commercial with ProRes media can run 20-30GB easily.
Use this for: true end-of-project archiving, sending to a facility or client, or when you're not confident the media paths will survive the transfer.
Note: DRA archives only collect media that Resolve knows the project uses. They do not automatically preserve unrelated project-folder extras such as briefs, PDFs, notes, custom fonts, third-party plugins, LUT installers, or client reference documents. Back those up separately.
DaVinci Resolve Save Settings You Should Configure Before Any Project
I set these up on every fresh Resolve install. Takes about 4 minutes and saves a lot of grief.
- Live Save: On. Always.
- Project Backups: On. Interval set to 30 minutes, backup location pointed at a second drive or external.
- Timeline Backups: On (current Resolve builds). Same backup location as Project Backups.
- Reload last working project on startup: Off. If that project ever gets corrupted, Resolve will try to open it on launch, fail, and you end up in a crash loop. Not worth the convenience.
- Before major Resolve updates: export important projects as DRP or DRA, and back up the Project Library if you manage many active jobs. Updates very rarely corrupt anything, but having a portable copy costs almost nothing.
Manual Ctrl+S habit: still worth keeping. Resolve's Live Save is reliable, but a manual save never hurts and costs nothing. On the Color page especially, I hit Ctrl+S after any grade I don't want to lose before switching clips.
Common Save Problems in DaVinci Resolve (and What's Actually Going On)
My project isn't showing up in the Project Manager
Resolve supports multiple Project Libraries. If you switch Project Libraries — intentionally or accidentally — you'll see a different set of projects. Go to Project Manager, look for the Project Libraries panel on the left (or click the library icon in the top left), and check that you're in the right one. Your project hasn't disappeared; you're probably just looking at the wrong library.
I can't save — Resolve throws an error
Almost always a permissions issue or a full drive. Check that DaVinci Resolve has write access to the Project Library folder, and verify you have enough free space. Low disk space can cause strange save, cache, or backup behavior, so check free space before assuming the project itself is corrupted.
I lost a project after a crash
Check your Project Backups folder first. If you had Project Backups enabled, the most recent snapshot is recoverable through Project Manager > right-click > Project Backups. If Live Save was running, Resolve often reopens very close to the last working state, including projects you had not manually saved yet. If neither helps, and you don't have an external DRP or DRA backup, recovery options are limited.
This is the argument for DRP exports at the end of every session. Thirty seconds of work, keeps a portable copy of everything Resolve tracked.
FAQ: Saving Work in DaVinci Resolve
Does DaVinci Resolve save automatically?
Yes, via Live Save, which is enabled by default. It saves every change as you make it. You can verify it's on under Preferences > User > Project Save and Load. If you want versioned snapshots you can roll back to, that's a separate feature called Project Backups, which you need to turn on manually.
Where does DaVinci Resolve save projects?
Projects are stored in a Resolve Project Library, not as normal standalone project files. Default local libraries usually live inside Blackmagic Design's Resolve support folders, but the exact path can vary depending on your setup. To check it, open the Project Manager and view the active Project Library location in the Project Libraries panel. To get a portable copy, export a .drp project file (no media) or a .dra archive (project plus all referenced media).
What is the shortcut to save in DaVinci Resolve?
Ctrl+S on Windows and Linux, Cmd+S on Mac. This triggers a manual save on top of whatever Live Save is already doing. Save As is Ctrl+Shift+S (Cmd+Shift+S on Mac), which creates a duplicate of the project under a new name inside the same database.
What's the difference between a DRP and DRA file?
A .drp is just the project structure — no media included. A .dra is a full archive containing the project plus every media file it references. DRP files are small and fast to export; DRA archives are large but fully portable. For end-of-project archiving where you need to store or send everything, use DRA. For daily external backups where you already control the media, DRP is enough.
Can I recover a DaVinci Resolve project after a crash?
If Live Save was running, Resolve usually reopens close to the last saved state because changes are written continuously. If you had Project Backups enabled, you can access timed snapshots by right-clicking the project in the Project Manager and selecting Project Backups. If neither helps and the Project Library is damaged, recovery is difficult without a previously exported DRP or DRA file.
Does DaVinci Resolve free version have autosave?
Yes. Live Save and Project Backups are available in both the free and Studio versions of DaVinci Resolve. The save system is not a Studio-only feature.
