---
title: "How to Fix Cache Issues in DaVinci Resolve"
author: "Alex Johnson"
category: Troubleshooting
excerpt: "Is your hard drive mysteriously full? Are clips flashing red or rendering incorrectly? It's time to manage and fix your DaVinci Resolve render cache."
image: "/cutsio-thumbnail.svg"
tags: "DaVinci Resolve, Render Cache, Storage, Troubleshooting, Performance"
---

The Render Cache in DaVinci Resolve is a double-edged sword. It provides buttery-smooth playback for heavy effects, but it can also quickly consume hundreds of gigabytes of storage, cause rendering glitches, and crash timelines if the files become corrupted.

Here is how to fix common cache issues in DaVinci Resolve.

## The Problem: The "Invisible" Hard Drive Killer
When you set `Playback > Render Cache` to "Smart" or "User," Resolve constantly generates massive, uncompressed video files in the background every time you add an effect or color grade. These files are saved deep in a hidden folder on your hard drive. If you don't manage them, they will fill your drive until Resolve crashes.

## Fix 1: Delete Corrupted Cache Files
If a specific clip flashes "Media Offline," plays back with strange colored artifacts, or crashes the program during export, the cache file for that clip is likely corrupted.

*   **The Surgical Fix:** Go to the Edit page. Right-click the problematic clip in the timeline. Go to **Render Cache Color Output** (or Render Cache Fusion Output) and select **Clear**. The red line above the clip will reappear, forcing Resolve to generate a fresh, uncorrupted cache file.
*   **The Global Fix:** If the whole timeline is acting strangely, go to the top menu bar: **Playback > Delete Render Cache > All**. This wipes the slate clean.

## Fix 2: Change the Cache Location
By default, Resolve saves these massive cache files to your primary operating system drive (usually your C: drive on Windows). This is a terrible idea for performance and storage space.

1.  Open your **Project Settings** (the gear icon bottom right).
2.  Go to **Master Settings** and scroll down to the **Working Folders** section.
3.  Look at the path for **Cache files location**.
4.  Click "Browse" and change this location to a fast, dedicated external SSD (or a secondary internal drive) that has plenty of free space.

## Fix 3: Lower the Cache Quality
If your cache files are filling up your drive too quickly, you can reduce their quality. You don't need cinema-quality cache files just for smooth timeline playback.

1.  In **Project Settings**, go to **Master Settings**.
2.  Scroll down to the **Optimized Media and Render Cache** section.
3.  Look for **Render cache format**.
4.  Change it from the default high-quality setting (like ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQX) to a lower-bandwidth codec, such as **ProRes Proxy** or **DNxHR LB**. The cache files will now take up a fraction of the space.