How to Fix Runtime Code 1 Error on After Effects

Encountering a runtime code 1 error on Adobe After Effects?

There is a handful of software that you can use to edit videos. However, one of the most powerful is After Effects. This software is bundled with the Adobe Creative Cloud program and goes hand in hand with Adobe Premiere Pro. 

Besides the tools present in After Effects, you can also install plugins that will make your editing process easier. Despite being on top of its class, Adobe After Effects is not perfect and you can run into errors while using it. 

One of these errors is the runtime code 1 error. 

This error code on After Effects occurs when the software fails or crashes during runtime. While it doesn’t point out a specific issue on your system, it indicates that something needs to be fixed on After Effect’s configurations and installation. 

To help you out, we’ve decided to make a guide for fixing the runtime code 1 error on Adobe After Effects. 

Let’s dive right in!

1. Restart Your System.

While this might sound cliche, restarting your system is one of the most effective ways for fixing most issues on After Effects or any application. What this does is reload your system resources, which may have run into issues during use. 

On Windows, see the guide below to restart it: 

1. First, open the Start Menu on your Taskbar. 
2. After that, click on the Power Options tab. 
3. Lastly, choose Restart to reboot your computer. 

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

2. Close Conflicting Programs. 

One of the most common reasons for the runtime code 1 error on After Effects is third-party applications. If you have a lot of apps running in the background, we suggest closing them before using After Effects.

Since Adobe After Effects requires a lot of resources, you’ll need to dedicate as much memory and threads for the app to run correctly. 

3. Run After Effects As Admin. 

Your system might be blocking Adobe After Effects from accessing certain resources, which causes it to fail or crash. To avoid this, run the software as an administrator to give it full access to your system. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. On your desktop, right-click on Adobe After Effects and choose Properties. 
2. After that, go to the Compatibility tab. 
3. Finally, enable the ‘Run this Program as an Administrator’ option and save the changes.

Relaunch Adobe After Effects and see if the problem is solved. 

4. Disable Your Virus Protection. 

Some third-party antivirus can get too protective and restrict even legitimate applications. While they are great for keeping viruses out of your system, most of them are too strict, which can affect your experience and system performance. 

To avoid this issue, we suggest disabling your antivirus while using After Effects or including the program on your whitelist or safelist if your antivirus supports this feature. 

5. Update Adobe After Effects. 

The version of After Effects you’re using might have an issue that causes the runtime code 1 error or it is simply unstable. Whichever the case is, we recommend updating the app to the latest version to patch bugs and glitches. 

See the guide below to update After Effects: 

1. On your computer, launch the Adobe Creative Cloud app. 
2. Next, click on the Updates tab in the side menu. 
3. Finally, follow the prompts to update After Effects if there’s a newer version available. 

Restart your computer after the update and check if the error message still occurs. 

6. Update Graphics Drivers. 

Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers could also be the reason for the runtime code 1 error on Adobe After Effects. To rule this out, try updating your graphics drivers to the latest version possible to patch bugs and errors. 

See the guide below to update your driver: 

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Menu. 
2. After that, click on Device Manager. 
3. Now, expand the Display Adapters tab and right-click on your video card. 
4. Finally, choose Update Driver and follow the prompts. 

Go back to Adobe After Effects afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

7. Reinstall Adobe After Effects. 

If the update did not work, the last thing you can do is reinstall the software on your system. This way, you can ensure that there are no corrupted files in After Effects installation folder and you have the latest version of the app. 

Follow the steps below to remove After Effects on your PC: 

1. Open the Control Panel on your computer. 
2. Now, click on the Uninstall a Program option. 
3. Finally, right-click on Adobe After Effects and choose Uninstall. 

After removing Adobe After Effects, reinstall the program and see if the runtime code 1 error still occurs. 

That wraps up our guide on how to fix the runtime code 1 error on Adobe After Effects. If you have questions or other concerns, please voice them out in the comment section, and we’ll do our best to help. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂