How to Fix the Output Module Failed Error on After Effects

Don’t know how to fix the output module failed error on After Effects?

Adobe After Effects is one of the best video editing software globally. The program is mainly used for digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing tasks in the post-production process of films, games, and shows. 

Despite being the best in its class, this doesn’t exempt After Effects from downtimes and occasional errors. 

One of the most common issues on After Effects is the output module failed error. 

This issue occurs on After Effects while exporting your project, which prevents you from saving your final output. 

It’s one of the most annoying error codes in After Effects, and troubleshooting can be pretty difficult. Fortunately, you don’t have to tackle this error message by yourself since we’ve got you covered. 

Today, we will show you how to fix the output mode failed error on After Effects. 

Let’s jump right in!

1. Restart Your Computer. 

Although this solution might look simple, it’s one of the most effective ways to solve most minor issues on any application. Restarting your system reloads your resources and eliminates temporary errors in your system. 

For Windows users, here’s how you can restart your computer: 

1. On your Taskbar, click on the Windows icon to open the Start Menu. 
2. After that, open the Power Options tab. 
3. Finally, click Restart to reboot your system. 

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If you’re using a Mac, follow the steps below to restart it: 

1. First, open the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your display. 
2. Next, select the Restart option in the drop-down menu. 
3. Lastly, click Restart again in the dialog box to confirm your action. 

Once done, go back to Adobe After Effects to check if the problem is solved. 

2. Purge Your RAM & Disk Cache. 

Before attempting to export your project, you can try clearing your memory and disk cache first to reduce the load on your system. Since After Effects will require a lot of resources when rendering your project, clearing your cache before export should help. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. First, launch Adobe After Effects on your computer. 
2. After that, click on Edit and hover over your cursor to the Purge tab. 
3. Lastly, choose the All Memory and Disk Cache option. 

Go back to your project afterward and try exporting. 

3. Use Adobe Media Encoder. 

To have the best-case scenario when exporting your projects, we suggest using Adobe Media Encoder to render your videos instead of Render Queue. Adobe Media Encoder is simply more reliable than the built-in renderer. 

Here’s how you can use the media encoder: 

1. First, launch Adobe After Effects and open your project. 
2. After that, click on File and choose Export. 
3. Lastly, select the Add to Media Encoder Queue option. 

Wait for the render to complete and observe if you’ll encounter issues during export. 

4. Update After Effects. 

The version of After Effects you’re using might have an issue that causes the output module to fail. In this case, we suggest updating the software to the latest version to patch possible bugs and glitches. 

Follow the steps below to update After Effects: 

1. On your computer, open Adobe Creative Cloud. 
2. After that, access the Updates tab in the side drawer. 
3. Finally, install pending updates for After Effects. 

Once done, go back to your project to check if the problem is solved. 

5. Reinstall Adobe After Effects. 

At this point, the last thing you can do is reinstall Adobe After Effects. There might be an issue with your installation package that is not fixable through updates. Before doing this, make sure to back up all your files. 

For Windows users, here’s how you can remove After Effects: 

1. Go to the Start Menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard. 
2. After that, look for Control Panel and click Open. 
3. Now, choose the Uninstall a Program option and locate After Effects.
4. Finally, right-click on the software and click Uninstall. 

If you’re using a Mac, launch the Finder and open the Applications folder. From there, locate Adobe After Effects and drag it to the Trash. 

Once done, reinstall the app and check if the output module failed error is solved. 

That wraps up our guide on how to fix the output module failed error on Adobe After Effects. If you have clarifications regarding the solutions, please drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂