DaVinci Resolve Shared Projects and Database Basics

Two people cannot safely open the same Resolve project from a shared folder the way they might share a document. DaVinci Resolve keeps projects in a database, and sharing a project means sharing that database, with the media on the NAS as a separate matter. Most trouble with shared Resolve work comes from mixing those two ideas up. This article explains how the pieces fit and the order to set them up in.

Version note: the newest Blackmagic readme we could confirm on Blackmagic's site is for DaVinci Resolve 21.0.4 (updated August 2026). Trade press reported a 21.1 update in September 2026, which we could not confirm from Blackmagic's pages, so menu names in your version may differ. Blackmagic's public pages do not spell out every collaboration detail, and some facts below come from vendor guides and Blackmagic's user forum. We say so where that is the case.

The quickest first thing to try

If the symptom is that a colleague cannot see your project, check first if your project is saved in a local database. Open the Project Manager and look at which database is selected. A project saved in a local (disk) database on your computer is not visible to anyone else. A shared project must live in a network database that every workstation has connected to.

How shared projects work

• The project library is a database. Resolve lists your projects through the Project Manager. Each database holds the project structure: bins, timelines, edits and grades. It does not hold your video files.
• Network databases are PostgreSQL. Vendor guides and Blackmagic forum users report that shared Resolve databases are PostgreSQL databases, and that Blackmagic's free Project Server application sets one up for you. Blackmagic's collaboration page states that DaVinci Resolve Project Server is free and is intended for private networks and for setups that need VPNs and firewalls. We have not confirmed the exact PostgreSQL version your Resolve release uses, so install the Project Server that matches your Resolve version rather than a database of your own choosing.
• Blackmagic Cloud is the other route. Blackmagic's page says Blackmagic Cloud supports collaboration and that the free edition of Resolve supports Blackmagic Cloud for collaboration. The page does not say which other collaboration features need Resolve Studio, so check the current edition comparison for your needs.
• Locking is automatic. Blackmagic says automatic bin and timeline locking lets multiple people work without overwriting each other's work. Locked bins and timelines stay read-only for others until the current user unlocks them.
• Media is separate. The NAS holds the media. Every workstation must reach the same media through a path Resolve can resolve. On mixed Mac and Windows teams, a QNAP guide for Resolve describes a Mapped Mount option in the Media Storage preferences to translate between paths. Check that your version still has it.

Step by step: set up a shared Resolve database

1. 1Decide where the database will run. Use a machine that stays on, on a wired connection, with a reserved address so it does not change. Vendor guides describe a static IP address for the host.
2. 2Install Blackmagic's Project Server on that machine, using the version that matches your Resolve release. Blackmagic lists it as a free application.
3. 3Create the database in the Project Server application, and enable sharing for it, as the application and Blackmagic's manual describe for your version.
4. 4On each workstation, open the Project Manager and connect to the network database using the server's address and the access details you set. Blackmagic forum users report that the Project Server application is meant for simple setups on one local network, and that connecting from another subnet needs more configuration.
5. 5Create a test project, or import an existing one, into the shared database. Keep the originals until you have checked the result.
6. 6Make the media path the same on every machine. Use the same drive letter on Windows or the same volume name on a Mac, and check the Mapped Mount option if you mix platforms.
7. 7Put each workstation's cache and gallery stills on a local SSD. In Project Settings, Master Settings, Working Folders, Resolve has Cache files location and Gallery stills location. Frame.io's Resolve guidance recommends local SSD folders for both, and notes that the default is the first location in the Media Storage list.
8. 8Test with two people. Have one open a timeline and the other try to open it. Check that the lock appears, and that bin changes appear for the other user as expected.
9. 9Back up. Blackmagic's readme recommends a full project library backup, and individual project backups, before you open projects in a new version. Plan database backups and exported project files as a routine.

What goes wrong most often

• Projects saved in a local database by accident, then nobody else can open them.
• Media paths that differ between machines, leading to offline media.
• Different Resolve versions on the same database. Keep all machines on the same version, and read the readme before updating anything. Blackmagic's readme warns to back up before opening projects in a new version.
• Remote or high-latency connections. Forum users report that the interface becomes sluggish when the database connection is slow, so a VPN link is a trade-off.
• Cache folders on the NAS, which makes the shared storage work harder.

What not to do

• Do not copy the database files between computers to share a project.
• Do not run the database on a machine that sleeps or gets restarted during the day.
• Do not install your own PostgreSQL instead of the Project Server unless you have a reason and have read Blackmagic's guidance.
• Do not update one workstation to a new Resolve version while others stay behind.
• Do not skip backups because the project is on a server.

When it is time to call someone

Ask for help if people on different subnets or sites need to share a database, if a VPN is involved, if the NAS must serve both media and the database, or if you plan to share projects with outside colorists. These involve firewall, address and security choices. For the media side, our guide to shared storage for editorial suites covers NAS design, and our NAS storage overview helps choose the hardware.

Want a person to look at it?

This is the kind of problem our production consulting team handles: planning the database, NAS, cache and network so a color suite and an edit bay work from the same projects. See our color suite infrastructure service, or tell us what is happening in your edit bay and a real person on our team will reply.