Why DaVinci Resolve Can't Save Your Project

DaVinci Resolve on Mac often cannot save your project because the folder or drive where you're storing it doesn't have write permissions enabled. Write permissions tell your Mac whether a program is allowed to create, edit, or delete files in a specific location. Without them, Resolve can read your media and open existing projects, but it cannot save changes or create new ones.

This happens most often when you're working from an external drive, a shared folder, or a location where your user account doesn't have full access. It can also happen if a folder was created by another user on the same Mac, or if permissions were accidentally locked down during a system update.

The fix depends on where your project files are stored and whether you own the drive or folder. Most of the time, you can solve it in a few minutes by changing permissions in Finder.

Key Takeaways

  • Write permissions control whether DaVinci Resolve can save files to a folder; without them, you'll see "permission denied" errors when trying to save.
  • Right-click the folder in Finder, choose Get Info, and check that your user account has "Read & Write" permission in the Sharing & Permissions section.
  • If the permissions are grayed out or locked, click the lock icon at the bottom of the window and enter your Mac password to unlock them.
  • External drives and shared folders often need permissions adjusted because they may have been formatted on another computer or set up for read-only access.
  • If you cannot change permissions on a shared drive, contact the person who owns or manages it and ask them to grant your account write access.

Check Your Current Permissions in Finder

Before you change anything, confirm that the folder actually lacks write permissions. Open Finder and navigate to the folder where you're trying to save your Resolve project. Right-click the folder and select Get Info from the menu that appears.

Scroll down to the section labeled Sharing & Permissions. Look for your user account name in the list. Next to it, you should see a dropdown menu that says either "Read & Write", "Read only", or "No Access". If it says anything other than "Read & Write", that's why Resolve cannot save.

If the dropdown is grayed out and you cannot click it, the permissions are locked. Look for a small lock icon at the bottom right of the Get Info window. Click it, enter your Mac password when prompted, and the lock will open so you can make changes.

Enable Write Permissions for Your User Account

Once the Get Info window is unlocked, click the dropdown menu next to your user account name and select Read & Write. Your account now has permission to create and edit files in this folder.

Close the Get Info window. The change takes effect when ready. Open DaVinci Resolve and try saving your project again. In most cases, the error will be gone.

If you see multiple user accounts listed in the Sharing & Permissions section and you're not sure which one is yours, look for the one marked with a house icon or labeled "Me". That's your account.

Fix Permissions on External Drives

External drives sometimes have permissions set to read-only, especially if they were formatted on a Windows computer or set up by someone else. The process is the same: right-click the drive itself in Finder, choose Get Info, unlock the permissions, and change your account to "Read & Write".

If the drive is formatted as exFAT or FAT32 (common for drives shared between Mac and Windows), you may not see a Sharing & Permissions section at all. In that case, the drive itself is set to read-only at the hardware level. Eject the drive, plug it into a Windows computer, right-click it, choose Properties, go to the Security tab, and uncheck "Read-only". Then plug it back into your Mac.

If you don't have access to a Windows computer, you can reformat the drive on your Mac to APFS or Mac OS Extended format, which will give you full control. Be aware that reformatting erases everything on the drive, so back up any files first.

Fix Permissions on Shared Network Folders

If your project folder is on a shared network drive or a folder shared by another user on the same Mac, you may not be able to change permissions yourself. The owner of that folder or drive controls who can write to it.

Contact the person who manages the shared folder and ask them to grant your user account write access. They can do this by right-clicking the folder, choosing Get Info, unlocking permissions, and changing your account from "Read only" to "Read & Write".

As a temporary workaround, you can save your Resolve project to your own user folder (usually found under /Users/[Your Name]/Documents) and move it to the shared folder once you're finished editing. This avoids permission issues while you're actively working.

explore Permissions to Subfolders

If you have a folder inside another folder and only the inner folder is causing problems, you may need to explore permissions to all subfolders at once. In the Get Info window, look for a button labeled explore to Enclosed Items or similar. Click it to explore the same permissions to every folder and file inside.

This is especially useful if you have a project folder with multiple subfolders for media, cache files, and exports. One click applies write permissions to all of them at once, so Resolve can work with any file in the structure.

Troubleshoot Persistent Permission Errors

If you've changed permissions to "Read & Write" but Resolve still cannot save, restart the process. Sometimes Resolve caches the old permission state and doesn't recognize the change until it restarts.

If the error persists after restarting, check whether DaVinci Resolve itself has permission to access your drive. Go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and look for Files and Folders in the left sidebar. Click it and check whether DaVinci Resolve is listed and has access to the location where you're trying to save. If it's not listed or access is denied, click the plus button, find DaVinci Resolve in your Applications folder, and add it.

If you're still stuck, try saving to a different location temporarily — such as your Documents folder — to confirm that the problem is specific to that folder and not a broader issue with Resolve or your Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does DaVinci Resolve say "permission denied" when I try to export?

The export destination folder doesn't have write permissions for your account. Right-click the folder where you're trying to save the export, choose Get Info, unlock the permissions, and change your account to "Read & Write". Then try exporting again.

Can I change permissions on a drive I don't own?

Not usually. If the drive belongs to someone else or is managed by your organization, you'll need to ask the owner to grant you write access. If it's a shared drive on your network, contact the administrator.

What if the lock icon won't unlock even with my password?

You may not have administrator privileges on your Mac. Ask whoever set up your account to unlock the permissions for you, or contact your IT support if this is a work computer.

Do I need to change permissions every time I use DaVinci Resolve?

No. Once you change permissions to "Read & Write", they stay that way. You only need to do it once per folder or drive.

Will changing permissions affect other people who use this Mac?

Only if you change permissions for their user account. If you only change permissions for your own account, it won't affect anyone else's ability to access or edit files.