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Premiere Pro crashes. We’ve all been there. It’s 11pm at night. you’re banging your head against your battered and weary keyboard. Your deadline was 5 hours ago… “Why, oh why won’t you Export?!”
- Pro tip: use the keyboard shortcut cmd+shift+e (ctrl+shift+e on Windows) to enable and disable clips instead of right clicking. Edit in a Sequence that Matches Your Footage Settings. Premiere performs best when previewing a sequence that matches the native properties of your footage.
- Though Adobe Premiere Pro CC has been deleted to the Trash, its lingering files, logs, caches and other miscellaneous contents may stay on the hard disk. For complete removal of Adobe Premiere Pro CC, you can manually detect and clean out all components associated with this application. You can search for the relevant names using Spotlight.
Clear Premiere Pro preferences. Warning: this will reset all of your Premiere settings like custom keyboard shortcuts. Press Shift + Option(Alt) while launching Premiere. When done correctly a dialog should pop up asking if you want to delete the cache.
It’s not much fun. But these are the times you expand your technical knowledge (or envisage your entire adult life’s work as a video professional come hurtling towards the ground). As I’ve been here more often than I’d like to think, I feel it’s my responsibility to share my learning’s from the last 10 years of working with NLEs.
We’ve come a long way
Things have come a long way since the heady days of Final Cut 4.5 (the biggest novelty was that you could cut HD video content) where my career began. Fundamentally though, the way some NLEs work (including Premiere Pro) hasn’t changed that much. Essentially, your video content is stored on a drive, you create a sequence of content referencing those video files, and you export that with all the effects, transitions, and fancy moving graphics you could wish for.
Because of that, many of the problems you’ll face will fall into a category of Premiere Pro software error, dependent software error (e.g. plug-ins) or hardware failure. The key is figuring out which one it is and how the hell you get around it.
Here are a few of the common reasons why Premiere Pro crashes and how I fixed them. I would point out though, I’m not a computer engineer and I can’t guarantee these pointers will fix your issue. I’m merely an experienced editor with a lot of hours in front of “Premiere Pro CC has quit unexpectedly” screens.
When did you last update?
First up is the Premiere Pro version you’re working with. Bugs can be resolved just by simply updating PP to the latest version. This can resolve some Premiere Pro crashes, but this, too, can create problems. One recent example, where PP’s media management tool would unexpectedly delete video files from their original hard drive location, left many editors scratching their heads (and reaching for their back-ups).
As general advice, never update Premiere Pro (or your Operating System) mid-project unless there’s a specific reason for doing so. Before I upgrade, I usually leave enough time for the guinea pigs out there to find the niggles and bugs in the latest versions and report them.
In some cases, though, an update to Premiere Pro can be the only way to fix the problem that you’re having. In that case, make sure you back-up your sequence and media and make note of the exact version of Premiere you are currently using. A system snapshot backup system (something like Time Machine on a Mac) is great for this. Then try updating Premiere. If that doesn’t work, or creates more problems for you, you can always roll back to a previous version. But only if you keep a separate copy of your sequence and media, and if you know exactly which version of Premiere you were running first.
Trash your preferences
This is great for fixing a wide range of different issues and will often be the first port of call if something seems amiss in PP. Trashing preference basically means resetting PP to factory settings. By trashing preferences, you remove a lot of the preferences you may have changed in the program, so do make a note of any customizations you want to keep.
To do this, press Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows) while launching Premiere Pro. When you see the splash screen, release.
You can reset the preferences and the plug-in cache at the same time by holding down Shift-Option (Mac OS) and Shift-Alt (Windows) on launch and letting go when you see the splash screen.
When the Welcome Screen loads, if you see a list of your previous projects, the preferences weren’t correctly reset.
Change your codec
If you’re cutting on a Mac, Premiere Pro’s standard “I-frame only MPEG” codec used for all sequences by default, may well not be the most stable choice you could use. Whilst this only affects playback when you’re editing, I have found changing this to a ProRes format has solved many Premiere Pro crashes in the past.
To do this, go to Sequence> Sequence Settings and the Preview File Format drop-down. If this is greyed out, switch the Editing Mode drop-down to Custom (make sure all the other variables stay the same when you change, though). From the Preview File Format drop-down, select one of the ProRes formats. As a guide, ProRes LT is sufficient for most purposes. If you’re working on content for broadcast and want a more accurate vision of what you’re creating, you could select ProRes 422.
If you’re working on detailed effects work, you may wish to use ProRes 444 instead, although this may cause considerable strain on your machine and will use more hard drive space.
Check your plug-ins
If Premiere Pro crashes on open, it could well be a plug-in issue. The crash occurs because PP is trying to load the plug-in, but for some reason, it’s not compatible with that version of PP. To figure out if this is the case, copy the contents of your plugins folder to a safe place.
On a Mac, the folder is located at /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-Ins/
And on a PC it’s located at C:Program FilesAdobeCommonPlug-Ins
You could perhaps create a new folder on your desktop. If you can now open PP without a crash, you’ve found the culprit. Simply reintroduce the plug-ins one by one back into the plug-in folder, until you find the offender. Once found, it’s best to resolve with the plug-in’s developer. Since they usually have to release a new build for each version of Premiere Pro, crashes can occur because the plug-in isn’t up to date.
Another issue relating to plug-ins can happen during export. If Premiere Pro crashes during export, this may well be related to an incompatible plug-in. If this is the case, a good starting point is disabling all third-party plug-ins on your clips in your sequence and seeing if you can export. A quick way of doing this is to duplicate the sequence, right click, select Remove Attributes and select the plug-ins.
If you can export, then you’ve found the root cause. To diagnose the offending plug-in, you will need to go through your original sequence and disable each instance of the plug-ins one by one until you find the offending one. In my experience, I’ve found that plug-ins that use the GPU tend to be the most buggy. If I’m having issues during export (or playback for that matter), I tend to ensure that the plug-ins are set to not use GPU.
Disable your GPU
Whilst GPU support has been somewhat temperamental in the past, I’ve currently found that Premiere Pro CC support has become much more stable. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, if you do keep having crashes during playback. To disable GPU usage during playback (or render) go to File>Project Settings>General. Set the Renderer to Mercury Playback Software Only.
Then go to Sequence>Sequence Settings and uncheck the Composite in Linear Color checkbox.
It’s also worth disabling any additional video output you have from Premiere Pro. This is done by going to Premiere Pro CC>Preferences>Playback and unchecking the Enable Mercury Transmit option.
Further to this, if your exported video appears glitchy or you find unexplained green frames appearing, this could be due to a failing or overheating GPU. Usually, the GPU or the entire computer will need replacing. If you’ve isolated your issues to the GPU, I would recommend searching for diagnostic tests for your particular model
Reset Preferences Premiere Pro
Check your I/O devices
Video and audio interfaces can also be the root of Premiere Pro crashes. One thing I’ll do if PP keeps crashing is to disconnect my I/O device. If this improves stability, you’ve found your cause. Make sure you’re running the latest drivers and your devices’ firmware is current.
Is your hard drive up to it?
A common but obvious cause of a slow-down or crash in Premiere Pro can be the hard drive(s) attached. If playback skips frames and struggles, start by knocking the resolution down to a quarter in the playback window.
I advise only using either a RAID or SSD for the most reliable playback of media when editing. Cheap external hard drives (even USB 3) are not suitable to run multiple streams of media or 4K video. USB 3 or Thunderbolt only refers to the type of cable connecting the drive to the computer. Ensure the actual hard drive(s) inside the enclosure are fast enough for your content.
What file formats are you using?
In a similar vein to hard drives, the actual format in which the media was recorded on the camera can be an underlying issue to PP struggling to play back or crashing. A codec like XAVC-L (Long GOP) is a highly efficient codec, meaning that the video files are smaller but require more processing by PP to playback. To get around this, I advise transcoding these files to ProRes before editing with them or using PP’s inbuilt Proxy tool which can automatically manage this for you.
Premiere Pro Trash Preferences Shortcut
Do you have enough RAM?
Another general issue with Premiere Pro slowing down and stopping can be not enough RAM available. Whilst applications are supposed to release RAM when no longer using it, sometimes this doesn’t happen. I tend to always run a monitor like atMonitor in the background so I can see what’s going on. Your operating system will also have simpler tools to view RAM usage.
If your machine is slowing down and the RAM is full, you can purge all the unused RAM. But if you’ve only been working on Premiere Pro, it’s possible that it’s the only one using that RAM. So purging it isn’t really going to solve anything.
Here’s how to do it on a Mac:
- Launch Terminal (From the Finder hit ⌘ + Space Bar and type Terminal. Or launch from the macOS LaunchPad).
- Once Terminal has loaded, type Sudo Purge
- Enter the system password
What next?
We’ve got more articles like this on Premiere coming soon!
This is by no means a definitive list of issues that you’ll encounter in your career as an editor. Every system is different with different hardware and software interacting with each other. Adobe does a fantastic job of testing and refining. In my opinion, PP is now more stable and reliable than it’s ever been before. But crashes will still happen and there are a million different causes. Hopefully, by overcoming them and sharing the solutions, we can all help to become better, more efficient editors.
If you’ve got any tips that might help, feel free to leave them in the comments.
For years, video has been taking over what we see online and in our daily lives. The large demand for video content means that many videographers are taking the leap from hobbyist to accepting commissions and making a business out of their services.
![Preferences Preferences](/uploads/1/1/8/7/118723887/255155054.jpg)
One of the essential parts of being a professional video editor is having the right tools. While there are more options on the market than ever, Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry leader when it comes to high-quality video editing. Its simple-to-use interface allows anyone, from Hollywood filmmakers and TV editors to YouTubers and videographers, to tell their stories and make outstanding content.
Whether it’s fast-turn TV series, feature films, or viral videos, Adobe Premiere Pro allows you to polish your work without leaving your desk. However, it seems that the further you push into your craft, the more Adobe Premiere Pro slows down. And in some specific cases, it can stop working altogether.
As forums and customer support are often less than helpful, refer to the list of neat tricks compiled below that can help you in times when you find Adobe Premiere Pro slow.
Why is Adobe Premiere Pro running slow?
Along with tools for color, audio, and graphics, Adobe Premiere Pro boasts some impressive features. It offers high-end extras, such as 360-degree video support, motion tracking, and multicam editing — all without leaving the app.
But there’s also the culprit that’s causing Adobe Premiere Pro slowness. And when you set out to find it, look no further than Adobe’s hunger for power and space. Greedy features, like Rendering and 8K Support, can slow down your computer’s internal processor, which causes lag and leaves you waiting hours when importing large media files. So what can you do?
1. Minimize your screen setup
If you want to improve Adobe Premiere Pro rendering speed, take a look at your physical setup. Do you have more than one screen plugged in? While this may help your workflow, it can use up all your processing power just as easily. If this is the case, disconnect any extra screens. Doing this should help speed up simple processes and improve the rendering time, as it allows your computer to focus its resources on one single screen, improving the per-pixel output.
Premiere Pro Trash Preferences App
2. Work with proxy video clips
If you are having serious speed issues and decide to speak to an Adobe representative, they will often say the solution is to work on proxies as part of your workflow. Specifically, using Cineform proxies for all H.264 media.
What is a proxy? A proxy is a low-resolution copy of your media. By downloading a proxy you are essentially taking the selected video clip offline to make changes. This is often known as an offline edit. Whereas, relinking back to the full-resolution media is known as an online edit.
When you use proies, by adjusting your Ingest Settings, you can tell Adobe Premiere Pro to go through fewer processes when it imports your media.
To work on proxies:
- Open your project in Adobe Premiere Pro
- Click File > Project Settings > Ingest Settings
- Select the Ingest checkbox
- Click Create Proxies from the dropdown menu
- Save the proxies to your computer or to Creative Cloud for access on any device
3. Customize Adobe Premiere Pro system preferences
Another way to fix Adobe Premiere Pro slow rendering issues is to adjust the Preferences settings in the media browser. Speed up the app by removing all the unnecessary preference options. This helps the performance of Adobe Premiere Pro because it asks less of your computer and thus can focus on one process at a time:
![Premiere pro trash preferences safari Premiere pro trash preferences safari](/uploads/1/1/8/7/118723887/563731611.jpg)
- Open a Media Window and click Premiere Pro from the navigation menu along the top of your screen
- Go to Preferences
- Starting with the General section, go into each of the sections and turn off everything you don’t need
Make sure to pay special attention to turning off extra processes in the Sequence settings and Hardware settings. Also, you can give the app a much-needed power surge by changing the output in the Audio Hardware settings.
The more you can turn off, the more you will be able to improve the overall performance of Adobe Premiere Pro.
4. Reinstall Adobe Premiere Pro
Still finding Adobe Premiere Pro to be running slow? As a last resort, you can always try uninstalling the app completely and reinstalling again. This is a time-consuming approach, but by starting afresh you can close any background processes that the app is running that aren't crucial to your workflow.
To uninstall Adobe Premiere Pro:
- Open a new Finder window
- Click Go from the navigation menu, then select Go To Folder
- Enter /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installers
- Start the Uninstaller for Adobe Premiere Pro
You can reinstall the app the way you did it when you first set it up, or by downloading it from your Adobe online account.
5. Speed up your Mac with CleanMyMac
Doing the above steps can be frustrating and time-consuming. Instead, if you're using Mac and want to save some time, you should consider installing a smart-scan cleaning tool like CleanMyMac X. CleanMyMac X will clean up junk files in your Mac and reduce background processes, which will help Adobe Premiere Pro run at its best.
To instantly clean your computer files:
- Download CleanMyMac X (free trial available) and follow the setup instructions
- Under the Cleanup section, click System Junk and click Run
- Click Clean to remove the junk
- Once the process has finished, don’t forget to empty your trash!
Going through the automated cleaning process, people are always amazed at how much junk their computers can hide.
If you want to feel the effects of total optimization, then run through all of the features that CleanMyMac X offers. From Malware Removal to Optimization, CleanMyMac X will dig deep and find all of those pesky background processes that are dragging down your computer’s speed.
Now, you and your computer can breathe freely again and get back to making epic movies on Adobe Premiere Pro, or even creating the next big viral video.