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How to Fix Project Not Opening in DaVinci Resolve

Direct solutions for fixing DaVinci Resolve projects that freeze, crash, or refuse to open.

A project not opening in DaVinci Resolve is typically caused by a corrupted cache, an incompatible plugin, or a database connection error.

Here are the direct methods to fix a project that refuses to open.

How do you open a project by bypassing plugins?

If DaVinci Resolve crashes immediately while loading the project, a third-party OpenFX plugin or audio VST is likely crashing the software.

To open a project by bypassing plugins:

  1. Open DaVinci Resolve and wait for the Project Manager window to appear.
  2. Do not click your project yet.
  3. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard.
  4. While holding Shift, double-click your project to open it. This launches the project in "Safe Mode," temporarily disabling all plugins so you can delete the corrupted effect causing the crash.

How do you fix a project stuck at 100% loading?

If the project loading bar reaches 100% but freezes forever, the render cache or optimized media folder is corrupted and confusing the software.

To fix a project stuck at 100% loading:

  1. Close DaVinci Resolve completely (Force Quit if necessary).
  2. Open your operating system's file browser (Finder or Windows Explorer).
  3. Navigate to your DaVinci Resolve CacheClip folder. (By default, this is usually in your main video drive or Documents folder, depending on your initial setup).
  4. Delete the folder inside CacheClip that corresponds to your project, or delete all contents within CacheClip.
  5. Reopen DaVinci Resolve. The project will now open and slowly rebuild the cache from scratch.

How do you fix database connection errors?

If the Project Manager is entirely empty or says "Local Database Disconnected," DaVinci Resolve cannot find the folder where your project files are saved.

To fix a disconnected database:

  1. Click the Project Libraries button (top left of the Project Manager window).
  2. Click the Add Project Library button.
  3. Select the Connect tab.
  4. Click Browse and navigate to the folder on your hard drive where your Resolve database was stored (usually C:\Users\[Name]\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Resolve Disk Database on Windows, or Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Resolve Disk Database on Mac).
  5. Click Connect to restore access to your projects.

How do you restore an auto-save backup?

If the project file itself is completely unreadable, you must load an auto-save backup.

To restore an auto-save backup:

  1. Open the Project Manager.
  2. Right-click the project that won't open.
  3. Select Project Backups.
  4. A list of recent auto-saves will appear. Select the most recent working backup and click Load. Resolve will create a copy of the project from that exact moment.