DaVinci Resolve No Audio on Linux (AAC Codec)

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Convert audio to WAV

   Copy steps
   1. Run ffmpeg to copy video and convert audio to PCM, for example: ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -c:v copy -c:a pcm_s16le out.mov
   2. Import out.mov
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Transcode to an editing codec

   1. Convert to DNxHR or ProRes with ffmpeg before importing; check disk space, files are large
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Use a separate audio file

   1. Extract the audio to WAV or FLAC and import it beside the video
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Edit on Windows or macOS

   1. These builds handle AAC and the common camera codecs
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Video plays but the audio track is silent or missing; some MP4/MTS files show as Media Offline on Linux.

Why it happens

• AAC decoding is not available in the Linux builds (reported for both Free and Studio)
• The free Linux build lacks some H.264/H.265 decoders (sources disagree, check your version)

This guide also covers

• davinci resolve no audio linux
• davinci resolve aac linux
• davinci resolve mp4 no sound
• davinci resolve linux h264

The same problem in other apps

All export, render & quality loss guides →

• Premiere Pro Export Failed, Frozen or Stuck (Adobe Premiere Pro)
• Final Cut Pro Export Failed Error (-536870181, -41561, 10004) (Final Cut Pro)
• CapCut Export Failed Error (CapCut)
• LumaFusion Export Failed or Crashes During Export (LumaFusion)

Other DaVinci Resolve errors

• DaVinci Resolve "GPU Memory Is Full" Error
• DaVinci Resolve Media Offline Error
• DaVinci Resolve Crashing on Startup
• DaVinci Resolve Playback Choppy or Laggy
• DaVinci Resolve Render Job Failed Error
• DaVinci Resolve "Unsupported GPU Processing Mode" Error
• DaVinci Resolve Keeps Crashing or Freezing
• DaVinci Resolve Studio License Activation and Transfer