Welcome to this guide on resetting the DaVinci Resolve Studio timeline to zero. By default, the software often begins its timecode at the one-hour mark rather than the absolute start, which can be quite distracting even when your play head is at the very beginning of the project. While the application displays the total duration of your project—such as an eight-minute clip—the starting timecode remains at 01:00:00:00. There are two primary ways to fix this: one adjusts the master settings for all future projects, while the others address individual timelines you have already created.
Change Entire Application Settings
To change the master settings so every new project starts at zero:
-Navigate to the DaVinci Resolve menu at the top left
-Select Preferences.
-Within that window, switch the top banner to User and select the Editing tab.
-You will find a field for the starting timecode where you can change the one-hour default to zero.
Once you save these changes, any new timeline you create will follow this rule. Keep in mind that existing timelines will not update automatically. For any new projects you might also notice that a fresh timeline appears at the one-hour mark initially, but it should snap to zero as soon as you drag your first piece of media into it.
Change Existing Timeline #1
If you need to fix a timeline that is already in progress, you have a few options. The most direct method is to:
-Locate your timeline file in the Media Pool
-Right-click it
-Navigate to the Timeline’s menu, and select Starting Timecode
-Manually enter change everything to zero.
Change Existing Timeline #2
Alternatively, you can select everything in your current timeline by pressing Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac, then copy the clips. If you create a brand new timeline and paste your content there, it should default to the new zero-start setting.
