After Effects 2026 freezes when using Numbers effect
After Effects 2026 (26.5) freezes when using the Numbers effect — HP Victus / Windows 11
Environment
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Computer: HP Victus laptop
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OS: Windows 11
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After Effects: 2026, version 26.5x89
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Graphics: NVIDIA and AMD GPUs
Problem description
After Effects intermittently becomes completely unresponsive when opening a project containing the built-in Numbers effect.
The project sometimes opens successfully but freezes shortly afterward. Windows reports "Not Responding", requiring AfterFX.exe to be terminated through Task Manager.
The issue also occurs in a newly created project when applying the Numbers effect to a text layer.
The affected project worked normally on the same HP Victus laptop through May 1, 2026. I used it extensively for text animation and video production at that time.
The exact date when the problem first appeared is unknown.
Steps to reproduce
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Launch After Effects 2026.
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Create a new project and composition.
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Create a text layer.
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Apply the built-in Numbers effect.
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After Effects may immediately freeze.
The problem is intermittent.
Test results (October 31 – November 3, 2026)
| Test condition | Result |
|---|---|
| Numbers enabled, Mercury CUDA | Intermittent freezes |
| Numbers enabled, Mercury Software Only | Freeze observed during repeated tests |
| Numbers disabled using FX switch | May still freeze when opening the affected composition |
| Numbers completely removed, CUDA | Repeated successful openings; no freeze observed |
| New project, Numbers applied to text layer | Immediate freeze reproduced |
| Separate project without Numbers | Opens and operates normally |
| Windows restart | Does not reliably prevent freezes |
Mercury CUDA, OpenCL, and Software Only modes were investigated. The issue occurs even without GPU acceleration.
Disabling the Numbers effect is not a reliable workaround. Completely removing the effect consistently improved stability in the tests performed.
WinDbg analysis
I captured an approximately 6 GB memory dump of the unresponsive AfterFX.exe process and analyzed it using Microsoft WinDbg.
The analysis reported:
PROCESS_NAME: AfterFX.exe
MODULE_NAME: dvacore
IMAGE_NAME: dvacore.dll
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:
APPLICATION_HANG_cfffffff_dvacore.dll!UnknownThe main thread's call stack included:
ntdll!RtlSleepConditionVariableSRW
KERNELBASE!SleepConditionVariableSRW
dvacore!...
dvacore::threads::RecursiveMutex::Lock
Numbers!PluginDataEntryFunction
Numbers!EffectMainExtra
FLT!FLT_RegisterPseudoEffect
FLT!FLT_SeekParams_CALL_FROM_BEE
BEE!BEE_UpdateParamsUI
AfterFXLib!...The main thread appears to be waiting on a synchronization primitive while processing the Numbers effect and updating effect parameters.
This stack trace does not conclusively identify the root cause, but it is consistent with the observed behavior.
Expected behavior
The built-in Numbers effect should initialize and operate normally without freezing After Effects.
Actual behavior
After Effects intermittently hangs when the Numbers effect is applied or present in a project.
The issue occurs with both GPU acceleration and software rendering.
Request to Adobe Engineering
Could you investigate a possible initialization, synchronization, or compatibility issue involving the built-in Numbers effect in After Effects 26.5?
The fact that this project previously worked on the same computer suggests that a software, driver, or runtime change may be involved, although the cause remains unknown.
I can provide the following diagnostic materials upon request:
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After Effects application logs
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Diagnostic AEP project files
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WinDbg analysis and complete thread stack traces
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Full process memory dump (approximately 6 GB), through a secure private upload method
Thank you for investigating this issue.
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