How to Fix Adobe Premiere Is Too Slow

Cecilia Hwung
4 min readJun 29, 2023

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Adobe Premiere Pro is a powerful video editing software widely used by professionals and enthusiasts alike. However, users occasionally encounter issues where the application becomes sluggish, hindering the editing process and reducing productivity. If you find yourself frustrated with Adobe Premiere running too slow, fear not! In this article, we will explore several solutions to help you optimize your system and get your editing workflow back on track.

Adobe Premiere Pro is a powerful video editing software that can handle a wide range of projects. However, sometimes it can run slow or laggy, especially when working with high-resolution footage or complex effects. This can be frustrating and affect your workflow and productivity. Fortunately, there are some solutions you can try to fix Adobe Premiere Pro’s performance issues and speed up your editing process.

Part 1. How to Fix Adobe Premiere Is Too Slow

  1. Update Adobe Premiere Pro

Ensure that you are using the latest version of Adobe Premiere Pro. Updates often include bug fixes and performance enhancements that can address slowdown issues. To update, launch Adobe Creative Cloud, navigate to the Apps section, and install any available updates for Premiere Pro.

2. Check System Requirements

Confirm that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to run Adobe Premiere Pro smoothly. Verify your processor, RAM, graphics card, and hard drive specifications, as inadequate hardware can significantly impact performance. Upgrading your components, if necessary, can make a noticeable difference in speed.

3. Adjust Playback Resolution

Reducing the playback resolution within Adobe Premiere can improve performance, especially when working with high-resolution footage. Lowering the resolution during editing allows the software to process the video more efficiently. To adjust playback resolution, go to the Program Monitor settings and select a lower resolution option.

4. Optimize Media Cache

Media cache files are temporary data files that Premiere Pro generates to improve playback performance. However, over time, these files can accumulate and become bloated, leading to slower performance. To optimize the media cache, navigate to Edit > Preferences > Media Cache, and click on the "Clean" button to remove unused and old cache files. You can also consider changing the cache location to a faster drive, such as an SSD, for improved performance.

5. Use Proxy Files

Working with high-resolution footage can be demanding on system resources. Generating proxy files creates lower-resolution copies of your media, allowing for smoother editing without compromising quality. Premiere Pro automatically switches to proxy files during editing and then relinks to the original files during export. To create proxies, right-click on your media in the Project panel, select Proxy > Create Proxies, and choose a suitable preset.

6. Disable GPU Acceleration

While GPU acceleration can boost performance in many cases, some graphics cards or drivers may cause compatibility issues with Adobe Premiere Pro, resulting in slower performance. If you experience slowdowns, try disabling GPU acceleration temporarily. To do this, go to File > Project Settings > General, and uncheck the "Enable accelerated Intel h.264 decoding" or "Enable GPU acceleration" options.

7. Optimize Timeline Playback

To enhance playback performance, adjust the settings for the timeline. Reduce the resolution of any effects, such as color grading or video overlays, to lower the processing demands. Additionally, consider disabling any unnecessary tracks, effects, or plugins that are not actively used in your project. Streamlining the timeline can alleviate strain on your system resources.

8. Clear Disk Space

Ensure that you have sufficient free disk space on the drive where your media files and Adobe Premiere Pro are stored. Running low on disk space can lead to reduced performance. Remove any unnecessary files or applications and consider moving your media files to a separate, dedicated drive if possible.

Part 2: Use VideoProc Converter to Detect your GPU information in One Click

Transcoding should be a very helpful method. If you have Adobe Media Encoder, you can use it to conduct video conversion. If you don't have that tool or can't manage to convert problematic MOV files to desired format with Media Encoder, you might as well try an easier-to-use yet powerful video converter - VideoProc Converter. It is able to work with various MOV files, no matter what codecs are wrapped in and no matter what devices record.

Step 1: Launch VideoProc and Click Video

Step 2: There you click the option near the video preview window

Step 3: Click Next, then the hardware information detected by VideoProc will be displayed.

Some key features of VideoProc: edit video at a speed 47x faster than real-time play without compromising quality; complete video editing toolkit; Lowers CPU usage to 40% (average)

Use VideoProc Converter to detect your GPU information
Use VideoProc Converter to detect your GPU information

Conclusion

Adobe Premiere Pro is a feature-rich video editing tool, but it can occasionally suffer from performance issues. By following these solutions and optimizing your system, you can overcome slowdowns and enhance your editing experience. Remember to update the software, check your system requirements, adjust playback resolution, optimize media cache, use proxy files when necessary, disable GPU acceleration if needed, optimize timeline settings, and clear disk space.

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Cecilia Hwung
Cecilia Hwung

Written by Cecilia Hwung

Tech writer on AI, hardware, and software. I share reviews, trends, and tips. Visit me at videoproc.com for the latest in multimedia.

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