A Resolve project can survive in a project library, a configured project backup, an exported DRP or a DRA archive. These are different recovery sources. Choose the source that actually exists and preserve it before restoration; finding the project does not guarantee that its original media is available.
Identify what you have
This guide concerns desktop Resolve and local project recovery. For cloud or shared project libraries, ask the administrator for the backup and restore procedure used by that library. Record the Resolve version and project-library type before changing or upgrading anything.
| Source | What to use it for | What to check separately |
|---|---|---|
| Configured project backup | Open an earlier project state | Media, LUTs and stills required by the work |
Exported .drp |
Import the saved project into a working library | Referenced media and external resources |
.dra archive directory |
Restore a packaged project with the contents actually included | Optional or omitted media and dependencies |
| Library backup | Restore the library through its matching management workflow | Version compatibility and media paths |
The official DaVinci Resolve reference manual documents project/library management and archive restoration. Its current edition is 21.1; use the matching manual for older installations rather than upgrading the only remaining library as a recovery experiment.
Open an existing project backup
When Project Backups had been enabled under DaVinci Resolve > Preferences > User > Project Save and Load, right-click the project in Project Manager and inspect Project Backups. Select the required retained version and open it as a separate project. Live Save and historical backups have different purposes: continually saving current edits does not by itself mean an older revision exists.
If no backup is listed, check the configured backup location and any saved DRP/archive or library backup. Enabling backups now cannot reconstruct missing prior edits. Preserve candidate directories and avoid merging pieces of different library states by hand.
Restore exports and reconnect sources
Import a DRP using Project Manager’s import workflow into a working library. For a DRA, keep the archive directory intact, place it on suitable healthy storage and use Restore Project Archive. Inspect what the archive actually contains; do not assume every export bundled all footage.
If media is offline, locate the original sources through the Media Pool’s relink workflow. Match clips by content, duration and recording metadata, especially when filenames repeat across cards. Check proxies or optimized media separately from originals.
For deleted local files on readable storage, XRecovery can search residual files and save candidates elsewhere. This is a file-level option, not a claim that it rebuilds Resolve library relationships or repairs DRP/project databases.
Confirm the working project
Check expected timelines, edit points, audio routing, grades, titles and important final changes. Verify the right source media at full quality. Render a new short section containing representative effects and audio, then inspect the export. Preserve the restored project under a distinct name and document missing media, stills or LUTs. A project listed in Project Manager is not, by itself, a recovered deliverable.
For the next step, see Document Recovery: Deleted, Unsaved, Overwritten or Damaged?.