Premiere Pro Not Responding or Project Won't Open

How to fix it

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

1. 1. Back up the project folder

   Copy steps
   1. Quit Premiere
   2. Copy the project file and its Adobe Premiere Pro Auto-Save folder somewhere safe
   3. Avoid double-clicking the project repeatedly
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Open an older autosave

   Copy steps
   1. Open the Adobe Premiere Pro Auto-Save folder next to the project
   2. Open the most recent file that still loads
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Reset preferences

   Copy steps
   1. Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while launching Premiere
   2. Try opening the project again
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Update drivers or roll back

   Copy steps
   1. Update the graphics driver
   2. Install the previous Premiere version if it began after an update
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Premiere shows Not Responding, hangs at a loading percentage, or a saved project never opens.

Why it happens

• Corrupt preferences or panel layout
• Autosave hanging the app
• Bad media or plugin on load
• Version regression

This guide also covers

• premiere pro not responding
• premiere pro project won't open
• premiere pro freezes on opening project
• premiere pro autosave recover

The same problem in other apps

All plan limits, paywalls & watermarks guides →

• Final Cut Pro Not Responding (Beach Ball Freeze) (Final Cut Pro)
• CapCut Pro Features Locked: Can't Export Without Pro (CapCut)
• Filmora Watermark Still Showing After Purchase (Filmora)
• PowerDirector Watermark Still Showing After Purchase (PowerDirector)

Other Adobe Premiere Pro errors

• Premiere Pro Error Compiling Movie
• Premiere Pro Export Failed, Frozen or Stuck
• Premiere Pro Hardware Encoding Greyed Out
• Premiere Pro Playback Lagging and Stuttering
• Premiere Pro Media Offline
• Premiere Pro Keeps Crashing
• Premiere Pro No Audio in Timeline
• Premiere Pro 'File Has an Unsupported Compression Type'