What is a .drp file?

A .drp file is a DaVinci Resolve project export — a snapshot of one project from Resolve's internal database, created with File → Export Project. It contains the full editorial state of the project: timelines, tracks, clips, the media pool's bin structure, and project settings. It does not contain your video or audio media, and nothing except DaVinci Resolve (and a converter that understands the format) can open it. If someone sent you a .drp and you don't have Resolve, you can convert it to editable XML in the browser; the rest of this guide explains what the file actually is.

What's inside a .drp

Under the hood, a .drp is a ZIP archive of XML files — each one a dump of a table from Resolve's project database:

• project.xml — the project root: name, frame rate, resolution, color science, and settings
• SeqContainer/<id>.xml — one file per timeline, holding the video and audio tracks and every clip on them, with positions and durations counted in frames
• MediaPool/…/MpFolder.xml — the media pool: bins, clips (referenced by name and file path — not the media itself), and the timeline entries you see in the pool
• Gallery.xml — stills gallery structure

Alongside the readable XML, Resolve embeds binary blobs for things like effect parameters, thumbnails, and color grades. Those are undocumented — Blackmagic has confirmed on their own forum that the format is deliberately unpublished — which is the real reason no other editor opens a .drp directly.

.drp vs .dra vs the project library

Three things get confused constantly:

• .drp — one project, exported as a single file. No media inside. Small (usually well under 50 MB, and much less without thumbnails).
• .dra — a project archive (File → Export Project Archive), which is a folder that does include your media files. Very large.
• The project library — where Resolve normally keeps projects: a local or PostgreSQL database. Projects live there invisibly until you export a .drp.

If a client asks for "the project file," a .drp plus access to the media is the standard handoff.

What you can do with a .drp without Resolve

Nothing native opens it — Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Avid all refuse the file. Your options:

1. Convert it. The DRP to XML converter unpacks the archive in the browser, reads the timelines, and writes FCP7 XML — which Premiere Pro imports directly (File → Import). You get every track and cut, with clip names and media paths for relinking.
2. Install free Resolve. DaVinci Resolve's free version opens .drp files (Project Manager → right-click → Import Project) and can re-export timelines as XML, AAF, or EDL — if you're willing to install a ~4 GB application for one file.
3. Ask for an interchange format instead. If the sender still has Resolve open, File → Export → Timeline can produce FCPXML, AAF, or EDL directly.

Common .drp problems

• "Failed to import project" in Resolve usually means a version mismatch (a .drp from a newer Resolve into an older one — the format is not backward compatible) or a truncated download. Re-export from the source, or move to the newer Resolve.
• Huge .drp files are almost always stills and thumbnails — re-export with those options off and a 200 MB file can drop to a few MB.
• Everything offline after import is normal: the .drp carries file paths, not media. Relink to your copies of the source files.

FAQ

What is a .drp file? A .drp is DaVinci Resolve's project export — a ZIP archive of XML files describing one project's timelines, tracks, clips, media pool, and settings. It contains no video or audio media, only references to it by file path.

Can I open a .drp file without DaVinci Resolve? Not natively — no other editor reads the format. You can convert it to FCP7 XML in the browser and import that into Premiere Pro or another NLE, or install the free version of Resolve to open it directly.

Does a .drp contain my video files? No. It carries clip names and file paths so media can be relinked, but the media itself stays wherever it was. The .dra project archive is the variant that bundles media.

Why is my .drp file so large? Embedded stills and clip thumbnails. Re-export the project with stills and thumbnails disabled and the file typically shrinks dramatically — the editorial data itself is small.

Can an older DaVinci Resolve open a newer .drp? Generally no — Resolve projects are not backward compatible across major versions. Export from the newer version as XML/AAF/EDL instead, or upgrade the older install.

How do I convert a .drp to Premiere Pro? Convert the .drp to FCP7 XML, then in Premiere choose File → Import and select the .xml. Premiere rebuilds the sequence and prompts you to relink media using the paths carried in the file.