The issue

There are known issues with LUA files not working in DaVinci Resolve. You may experience problems such as:

• Dragging LUA files into Resolve’s console does nothing.
• A plugin using LUA fails to read or write files on your computer.
• Other unexpected plugin behaviors.

What’s causing this

The bad news - We aren’t 100% sure on all the details that cause this issue. However, we are sharing what we can with Blackmagic to help get it fixed.

Good news - There are ways to get LUA files working!

How to fix this issue:

LUA files may not work in Resolve due to a few different causes. Below, we’ve listed the most common ones. We recommend going through them in order.

Cause 02: Special Characters In Username

If you use any special characters in your OS username like:

Latin Characters

á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý

Punctuation

-, -, ., ,, #, @,

Than Snap Captions cannot automatically install itself.

(The reason is there’s a limitation with what LUA files can read)

Solution: Change Username

Change your username to only contain plain characters with the instructions below

Windows

How to change your user account name - Microsoft Support

An explanation of how to change the name on your Microsoft account.

support.microsoft.com

Mac

Change the name of your macOS user account and home folder – Apple Support (AU)

You can rename your macOS user account and home folder, which were named when the account was created.

support.apple.com

Alternative Solution

If you can’t change your username, you will need to perform a manual Installation of Snap Captions.

Cause 02: (Windows Only) Running DaVinci Resolve in Administrator Mode

If you run Resolve in Administrator Mode, LUA files cannot be accessed through the console.

Solution 1: Restart Resolve

• Quit DaVinci Resolve.
• Reopen it without Administrator Mode.

Solution 02 - Turn off Always Run In Administrator

1. Start Windows File Explorer and open the DaVinci Resolve location. Usually, this is:C: > Program Files > DaVinci Resolve
2. Right-click the Resolve (.exe) and choose Properties.
3. Navigate to the Compatibility tab.
4. UNCHECK the option Run this program as an administrator.
5. Click Apply, then OK.
6. Restart Resolve

Cause 03: Conflicting Applications

Some applications may interfere with LUA plugins in Resolve. Based on user reports, the following programs can cause issues:

• Discord
• Notion
• Spotify

Solution: Close All Other Applications

1. Close ALL other applications
2. Force-quit stubborn apps if needed.

You may need to force quit some applications, like spotify doesn’t close when you click the red X 😡).

3. Ensure ONLY the following are open when installing LUA plugins:
• DaVinci Resolve
• Finder (mac) or Explorer (windows)
4. Restart DaVinci Resolve
5. Try dragging the LUA file back into the Resolve console

If the plugin loads successfully, the issue is resolved.

Cause 04 - Network Hard Drives

If you have a network hard drive (such as a Synology NAS drive) connected, this can cause issues, even if you’re not actively using it.

Solution:

1. Disconnect any network hard drives from your computer.
2. Restart DaVinci Resolve
3. Try dragging the LUA file back into the Resolve console

If this LUA plugin successfully loads, then your issue is resolved.