“Mute this audio” can mean three different things: turn off one clip, silence an entire track, or dip only a few seconds while keeping the clip intact. Choose the narrowest control that matches the edit so the timeline still explains what was intentionally silenced.
This guide also separates linked audio from picture and corrects the playhead split behavior in Resolve 21. All core clip, track, link and keyframe controls described here are available in the free version.
Quick answer: Select one audio clip and press D to disable it; click M in an audio track header to mute the whole track; or place four gain keyframes around a section and lower the inner segment. For a one-sided audio edit, Option/Alt-click that side or suspend Linked Selection. Timeline > Split Clips cuts every intersecting clip on Auto Select-enabled tracks, while B lets you click one clip with the Blade tool.
Mute One Audio Clip
If you're new to the Edit page workflow, the DaVinci Resolve beginner's guide covers the interface before you start here.
For a clip that must not play or render, select its audio item and choose Clip > Enable Clip, right-click and toggle Enable Clip, or press D. A disabled clip turns gray and stays in place, making the decision visible and reversible. Older Fairlight versions called this Mute Clip.
If you only want a level change rather than an off state, drag the clip Volume overlay down or set Volume in the Inspector. This preserves an active clip at very low gain; disabling is clearer when the clip should be completely excluded.
Use the same distinction on the Cut, Edit and Fairlight pages: Enable Clip is an on/off state, while the Volume overlay is a gain adjustment. Do not look for an obsolete right-click command named Mute Clip in Resolve 21.
Mute an Entire Audio Track
The M control in an audio track header or Audio Mixer disables that track during playback and delivery. Use it when every clip on the track should be silent, then restore it before export if the track belongs in the final mix.
Solo lets you hear one or more chosen tracks while suppressing the others. It's a checking tool, not a permanent mix decision; clear both Mute and Solo states before final playback and delivery.
On Fairlight, the selected-track Mute and Solo commands can be driven from the keyboard or remapped in Keyboard Customization. On Edit and Cut, the visible M and S controls remain the unambiguous method. Do not assume a shortcut preset from another editor matches yours.
Silence Part of a Clip with Volume Keyframes
Splitting the clip at both ends and disabling the middle works, but it adds edit points. Gain keyframes keep the source clip continuous and allow either hard silence or short fades at the boundaries.
On the Edit or Fairlight page:
- Option-click on macOS or Alt-click on Windows to add the first Volume keyframe
- Add a second keyframe where the silent section should begin
- Add a third keyframe where sound should return
- Add a fourth keyframe after the return point
- Lower the line between the second and third keyframes; audition the two transitions
The outer keyframes preserve the surrounding level; the inner pair defines the lowered section. Place inner and outer keyframes on the same frames for a hard change, or leave space between them for a controlled fade.
Fairlight also supports selecting a range and adjusting the Clip Gain line, which creates boundary keyframes automatically. For coughs or breaths, zoom until the waveform and neighboring words are clear, then audition the transition at normal playback speed.
Separate Audio from Video
Imported picture and its embedded audio are linked by default. That relationship protects sync, so suspend it temporarily for most one-sided edits and unlink permanently only when the items need independent identities.
Option 1: Unlink Clips (Permanent Until You Re-link)
Select the linked items and toggle Link Clips from the contextual menu, or use Option+Command+L on macOS / Alt+Ctrl+L on Windows in the default mapping. The chain icon disappears. Select the matching audio and video items and toggle Link Clips again to restore the relationship.
Option 2: Alt/Option Key (Temporary Override)
Hold Option on macOS or Alt on Windows while clicking the audio side to select it without selecting the linked video. Release the key after the selection; the media remains linked, but the selected side can now be trimmed, moved or deleted independently. The chain-link Linked Selection button provides the same temporary workflow for several edits.
Option 3: Extract Audio (Separate File)
In Media Storage, right-click the source video and choose Extract Audio, choose a destination, then click Extract. Resolve writes the channels to a standalone WAV file. Import that WAV into the Media Pool if the project needs it.
Extract Audio creates a file on disk and doesn't change the link between existing timeline items. Use it for an external audio file or handoff, not as a substitute for Linked Selection during routine editing.
Split or Cut Audio Clips
On the Edit page, Timeline > Split Clips or Cmd+\ on macOS / Ctrl+\ on Windows adds an edit at the playhead to every intersecting clip on an Auto Select-enabled track. It isn't limited to the selected clip, so check the track headers and locks first.
For one audio clip only, press B to enter Razor Edit mode, click that audio item at the required frame, then press A to return to Selection mode. This avoids cutting the linked picture or other tracks under the playhead.
Don't substitute Cmd+B or Ctrl+B for the Edit-page playhead command. B activates the Blade/Razor tool; Split Clips is Cmd+\ or Ctrl+\ in the standard mapping. Fairlight has its own track-selection behavior, so verify command names in Keyboard Customization after changing presets.
If a clip should be audible but isn't, stop editing and use the no-audio troubleshooting path: follow the signal from clip and track meters to the bus and monitor output before changing links or making more cuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I mute all audio in a DaVinci Resolve timeline?
For a silent exported file, disable Export Audio on the Deliver page. For timeline playback only, use the monitoring Mute control; it doesn't change the mix sent to delivery. Track Mute and disabled clips do affect output, so don't use them as monitoring-only controls.
Why can't I find the mute option when I right-click an audio clip on the Edit page?
Resolve 21 labels the clip command Enable Clip. Select the audio item and press D or toggle Enable Clip to disable it. Older guides and Fairlight versions may call the same idea Mute Clip. Lowering the Volume overlay is a separate gain adjustment.
Does muting affect the exported video?
Track Mute, Solo states, disabled clips and lowered clip gain affect delivery. The global monitoring Mute and DIM controls affect what you hear in the room, not the rendered mix. Check both track and clip states before adding a render job.
Can I mute audio without splitting the clip?
Yes. Add four Volume keyframes: two around the start and two around the end, then lower the segment between the inner pair. Keep the pairs together for a hard mute or spread them for short fades. The source clip remains continuous.
What's the difference between unlinking and extracting audio in DaVinci Resolve?
Link Clips changes the relationship between timeline items; it creates no new media. Extract Audio reads a source clip from Media Storage and writes its audio channels to a standalone WAV file on disk, which must be imported if you want it in the project.
How do I re-link audio and video after separating them?
Select the matching audio and video items, right-click and toggle Link Clips. The default shortcut is Option+Command+L on macOS and Alt+Ctrl+L on Windows. Confirm the chain icon and sync before moving either item.
Related guides
- DaVinci Resolve tutorial for beginners
- How to split a video
- How to export video
- How to transcribe audio
- No audio: fix playback and monitoring
- Remove background noise
This guide is part of the Fairlight Audio in DaVinci Resolve hub. For no-audio fixes, mute and split workflows, transcription, AI audio tools and export audio problems, start there.
