Every option for protecting your DaVinci Resolve projects and databases, from the features built into Resolve to dedicated backup apps, and what each one actually protects you from.
A DaVinci Resolve job is made of three different things, and no single tool covers all of them:
.drp file.Resolve can save timed copies of the project you're working on. Turn it on in Preferences → User → Project Save and Load, enable Project Backups, and set how often backups run and how long they're kept. To restore one, right-click the project in the Project Manager and choose Project Backups.
It's free and a good first layer, but it has limits worth knowing:
Hugo Soares, the colorist who built Resolve Vault, lost work this way. He wrote up exactly how Resolve's backups behave in Resolve Backups: A Detailed Explanation.
Live Save, in the same Preferences panel, saves your project continuously as you work, so a crash doesn't lose your last few minutes. It isn't a backup: it keeps one up-to-date version of the project, not older versions or a separate copy.
You can export a project as a .drp file (right-click it in the Project Manager and choose Export Project), or back up a whole project library from the Project Manager. These are real, independent files you can copy anywhere. The catch is that they're manual: they only protect you if you remember to do them, every time.
Resolve doesn't schedule backups of a shared PostgreSQL database on its own, so studios often use community scripts, usually found on GitHub, that run PostgreSQL's backup tools on a timer. They work, but they need command-line setup, careful version matching between Resolve and PostgreSQL, and someone to check they're still running. See the Project Server backup guide for details.
Project libraries hosted on Blackmagic Cloud are managed by Blackmagic, including their own backups. This only applies to Blackmagic Cloud libraries. It doesn't cover projects on a Local Disk database or your own Project Server.
Resolve Vault is a desktop app built only for this job. It runs in the background on macOS, Windows and Linux and:
.drp file every few minutes (any interval from 1 minute to once a day), including stills and LUTsIt requires DaVinci Resolve Studio, because the free version doesn't include the scripting features it uses. It's a one-time purchase of €49.99, with no subscription.
| Built-in Project Backups | Manual exports | Project Server scripts | Resolve Vault | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Independent copy outside Resolve | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Survives deleting the project | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Individual projects (.drp) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Whole Local Disk database | No | Yes, by hand | No | Yes |
| Whole PostgreSQL database | No | Yes, by hand | Yes | Yes, encrypted |
| Off-site copy (Google Drive, Dropbox) | No | Only if you copy it | Only if you set it up | Yes, automatic |
| Setup | A few clicks | Every time | Command line | Install and sign in |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | €49.99 once |
Yes. Resolve's built-in Project Backups save timed copies of a project, but they live inside Resolve's own project database, are cleaned up on a retention schedule, and are deleted together with the project. They aren't an independent copy outside Resolve, and they aren't sent off-site.
No. Live Save keeps saving the current state of your project as you work. It protects against losing recent changes in a crash, but it overwrites the same project rather than keeping older versions or a separate copy.
No. Project and database backups, including Resolve Vault's, contain your edits, grades, timelines and bins, but not the original video, audio and graphics files. Back up your media separately.
Resolve Vault exports the open project as a .drp file on a schedule and backs up whole Local Disk and PostgreSQL databases, then uploads every backup to Google Drive and Dropbox automatically. It requires DaVinci Resolve Studio.
One-time license for macOS, Windows and Linux. Runs quietly in the background.