Wondering why you can’t import MOV files on Adobe After Effects?
A MOV file is one of the most common video formats used for storing movies, TV shows, short clips, and home movies. It’s saved in the QuickTime File Format, a multimedia container developed by Apple.
Some video editors prefer using MOV to save videos since they support high-quality resolutions.
Despite being common, it’s pretty weird to run into compatibility issues when importing MOV files to Adobe After Effects. Since this video format is widely used globally, one would think that one of the best video editing software supports it.
If you’re reading this, we can assume that you can’t import MOV files on your After Effects projects.
Luckily, you have come to the right place.
Today, we will show you what to do if you can’t import MOV files on Adobe After Effects.
Let’s dive right in!
1. Restart After Effects.
Before changing your configurations, we suggest restarting Adobe After Effects first if you encounter errors. This should reload your project’s resources and eliminate temporary glitches that could be triggering the error.
Simply close Adobe After Effects and relaunch it after several seconds.
2. Restart Your Computer.
If restarting Adobe After Effects wasn’t enough, you can also try restarting your entire system. This should reload your MOV files and eliminate errors on After Effects and your operating system.
For Windows users, here’s how you can restart your PC:
- On the Taskbar, click on the Windows icon to open the Start Menu.
- Next, access the Power Options tab.
- Finally, click Restart to reboot your system.
If you’re using a Mac, see the steps below to reboot it:
- First, open the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your screen.
- After that, select the Restart option.
- Lastly, click Restart in the dialog box to confirm your action.
Go back to After Effects after restarting your system and try importing MOV files.
3. Update After Effects.
If you’re using an older version of Adobe After Effects, you’ll likely encounter compatibility issues with the clips and videos you’re importing. To avoid this, we suggest updating Adobe After Effects to the latest version possible.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Launch the Adobe Creative Cloud app on your computer.
- After that, click on the Updates tab in the side menu.
- Finally, follow the prompts to install the update for Adobe After Effects if there’s a new version available.
Restart your system after the update and check if the problem is solved.
4. Convert the Video.
If you still can’t import MOV files on Adobe After Effects, you can try converting them to a different format. This way, you won’t have to deal with the compatibility issues of MOV files and Adobe After Effects.
Using your trusty video conversion tool, import the MOV file you want to use and convert it to MP4, AVI, FLM, or others.
5. Reinstall Adobe After Effects.
If you can’t import any form of video to your project, we suggest reinstalling After Effects on your computer. There might be an issue with After Effects’ installation package, which causes the import error.
For Windows users, here’s how you can delete After Effects:
- On your computer, access the Control Panel and click on Uninstall a Program.
- After that, locate Adobe After Effects from the list and right-click on it.
- Finally, choose Uninstall to remove the software.
If you’re using a Mac, launch the Finder, go to the Applications tab and drag Adobe After Effects to the Trash.
Reinstall After Effects afterward and check if the problem is solved.
That wraps up our guide on what to do if you can’t import MOV files on Adobe After Effects. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them.
If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂
