Davinci Resolve has one of the best backup and restore systems getting around, it automatically makes Timeline Restore points every so often, allowing you to jump back to a previous version of a timeline if you make a mistake you can't easily undo. I've had to use this feature countless times, I honestly couldn't live without it. But what do you do if the Timeline Restore feature is missing in Davinci Resolve? Well, there's some good news and some bad news so follow along as we explain the solution.
Takeaways:
- What do you do when the Restore Timeline option is missing in Davinci Resolve?
- Learn how to fix missing Restore Timeline feature in Davinci Resolve.
Table of Contents
Timeline Restore in Resolve Free and Studio?
Timeline restore works in both the free and Studio versions of DaVinci Resolve. But, older versions contained bugs that sometimes prevented the option from appearing. Updating to the latest stable version of Resolve is advised if your computer is up to the task. Once you have updated things should start working better.
Where is the Restore Timeline Option in Davinci Resolve?
The Restore Timeline option only appears under very specific conditions and on certain screens.
- You must be on the Edit page. (The Cut page does not support timeline restoration).
- You must open the Media Pool and expand the Timelines section.
- You must right click in empty space within the Timelines list. Right clicking directly on the timeline in the timeline viewer will not show the restore option.
How to Fix the Restore Timeline Option missing in Davinci Resolve
If timeline backups were not enabled before the problem occurred, DaVinci Resolve cannot restore previous versions. So make sure you enable the feature right now. Typically it is enabled by default so it's odd that you have to manually do this.
- Open DaVinci Resolve Preferences.
- Change to User settings, then Project Save and Load.
- Check that Live Save is enabled.
- Check that Project Backups are enabled.
- Check that Automatically Backup Project is active.
- Check that Backup Timelines Every X Minutes is enabled.
If these options were turned off, Resolve will not have any timeline versions to restore.
Restoring the Entire Project as an Alternative
If timeline restore does not appear but backups exist, restoring the entire project can often recover the timeline.
- Open the Project Manager.
- Right click on the project.
- Select Restore Project Backup.
- Open the restored project and check the timeline history.
This might not be ideal for your current situation but it is better than nothing.
Check Davinci Resolve Backup Files Manually
Sometimes Davinci Resolve creates backup files but doesn't show them all in the main interface. So here are some of the default locations you can find backups.
- On Windows, backups are stored in Documents under DaVinci Resolve Resolve Project Backups.
- On macOS, backups are stored in the Movies folder under DaVinci Resolve Resolve Project Backups.
- On Linux, backups are stored in the home directory under DaVinci Resolve Resolve Project Backups.
If backups exist in these folders but Resolve does not show restore options inside the app there's some kind of database issue that might not be solveable.
