Adobe Premiere Pro Keeps Freezing While Opening a Project? Here’s What You Can Do!

Premiere Pro is the best tool by Adobe for video editing and creation. It is no less than a boon for editors across the globe as it offers a wide range of features and tools. While the tool comes from one of the finest software companies in the world, it still has a few issues that need to be addressed. The top one is Premiere Pro freezing while opening a project. The issue appears majorly on a Windows device. 

Since Premiere Pro is a heavy tool, it is clear that not every PC can run it. However, the Premiere Pro keeps freezing errors even on the devices with the best configurations. 

So why does it happen? What causes the tool to freeze or hang while launching a project? More importantly, what can be done to get rid of the issue? Well, these are a few touchpoints we will cover in this post. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Why Premiere Pro keeps crashing While Opening a Project

There can be several reasons behind a tool freezing or stopping working on your PC, especially when it comes to heavy tools like the Premiere Pro. The causes may vary depending on the type and size of the project, along with the system configuration. However, some of the reasons why it may be crashing on your computer can be found below – 

1. The system is unable to handle the project timeline.
2. Since Premiere Pro is a heavy software, too many background processes can lead to crashes.
3. The elements used in the project timeline are too heavy to render for the RAM.
4. The GPU of your device is not up to the mark or the driver is outdated.
5. There is malware in the elements that you are using for the project.

Compatibility and usability of a tool are the major reasons why Premiere Pro keeps crashing on your PC.

The good news is that all these issues can be rectified to resolve the freezing issue with Premiere Pro. Check out the next section for some instant fixes you can use!

How to Fix Adobe Premiere Pro Crashing on Windows

Fix 1 – Close Background Processes

The first thing you should do is stop memory-hogging background processes. As mentioned earlier, Premiere Pro is a resource-hungry tool. If your PC has multiple applications running in the background, Premiere Pro will keep freezing. 

Step 1 – Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up the Task Manager.
Step 2 – Click on the Memory tab to sort your applications based on the Memory usage.

Step 3 – End tasks that take up a lot of memory by right-clicking them.

Once you have cleared the background apps, refresh your PC and launch the project, and it should open without freezing. 

Fix 2 – Reset Your Preferences in Premiere Pro

In optimizing your usage, if you have played around with the tool’s configuration, you might have to reset the preferences. That is because the tool may run better in the default settings than you have chosen. 

Step 1 – Launch Premiere Pro on your PC.
Step 2 – Long press the ALT key while the tool launches.

Step 3 – A pop-up will appear, asking you to reset your preferences. 

Click on yes to reset these changes you have made and check if the project that was freezing Premiere Pro launches easily or not. In case it does not, do not worry; there are other fixes you can try!

Fix 3 – Remove GPU Acceleration in your Projects

Premiere Pro uses an acceleration technique called the Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration to enhance the GPU performance. This is commonly used to boost the GPU for fueling the project’s visual requirements. However, this acceleration should be turned off when it comes to Premiere Pro crashing.

Step 1 – Open Premiere Pro to run a new project. Do not launch the project that was causing the freeze.
Step 2 – Go to the general settings by following the path – File > Project Settings > General.

Step 3 – You may find the Video Rendering options in General Settings.
Step 4 – Click on the Preview Cache and select Mercury Playback Engine Software Only from the dropdown.

Step 5 – Click on OK to save the changes. 
Once you finish that, try launching the project and check if Premiere Pro keeps freezing while opening it. It should work fine now.

Fix 4 – Update GPU Drivers

In case the above fixes were unsuccessful, there are chances that the GPU drivers on your PC are outdated. Updating the graphics driver on Windows manually can be excruciatingly long, considering you have to go through a series of steps to reach the Device Manager and fetch updates on your own. 

If you want to update PC drivers, we recommend using the Advanced Driver Updater. The tool is easy to use and instantly gets you the best results. All you have to do is – 

Step 1 – Download the tool and install it on your PC.

Step 2 – Run a scan using the Start Scan Now button to find all the outdated drivers.

Step 3 – You can update drivers immediately as soon as the scan is over. Simply click Update All.

Three easy steps and the Premiere Pro keeps freezing while opening a project error can be resolved instantly. Of course, if the issue was due to GPU drivers, you will get better results in editing as well. 

Other than these fixes, you can try multiple hit and trial methods such as – 

• Restart your PC when it freezes on launching the project.
• Uninstall and reinstall the Premiere Pro application
• Try using an older version of the tool if the issue has appeared after an update.
• Look for your Windows PC.

All these fixes can help you overcome freezing and crashing issues with Premiere Pro. Remember that your PC should have ample resources to launch and run the application properly as if the system requirements are not met, the tool will keep freezing. Hope you find this list of fixes helpful. Thanks for reading, good luck!

Recommended : 

Spacebar Key on Keyboard Not Working on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7
Solved – Nvidia GeForce Overlay (Alt + Z) Not Working on Windows