Skip to main content
Noudavinci
Noudavinci
Participant
July 18, 2025

After Effects project (.aep) disappeared/removed after quitting Ae

  • July 18, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 147 views

Hello I have a really critical problem: My After Effects Project just immediately being removed after quitting Ae. I lost everything I've done in the past several hours.

Steps:

1. Save everything in After Effects: The title bar does not have the "*" character. Everything is saved.

2. Cmd+Q. Close After Effects. Done

3. Back to Premiere Pro (which is openning and has linked comps) by Cmd+Tab.

4. All linked comps are offline.

5. Link media => browse to the project folder => the After Effects file is now lost.

6. Re-check by Finder: lost file confirmed.

 

What should happens: The AEP file is there.


What actually happened: The AEP file is lost.


Third-party plugins: of course I have some. But it does not seems to be the cause. I have those plugins on my Windows PC too, never experience this.

 

My working context:
Macbook Pro 14 inch M1 Pro, 32GB RAM. MacOS 14.7.5.
After Effects 2025.2.2. Installed via Creative Cloud.

Projects are on external nvme drive: Samsung 970 2TB. Connected via USB type C directly to the macbook. Formatted in ExFAT (to work on both Windows and MacOS).

I wil confirm that this problems happened several times before, like 3-4 times in the last 3 months, but it was in hurry, and I remade it myself. After that I forgot to write a ticket.

Here are screenshots:

This is the auto-save folder (which has been created when I do rendering) => I actually have that .aep file:

Please help! I cannot work while I don't know whether my project file are safe/persistent or just automatically being removed for nothing.

2 replies

Noudavinci
NoudavinciAuthor
Participant
July 22, 2025

Thank you! Sorry for my late reply, been busy recently.

  • Issue - After Effects project file is automatically deleted, unknown reason. 
  • Steps to reproduce:

    1. Save everything in After Effects: The title bar does not have the "*" character. Everything is saved.

    2. Cmd+Q. Close After Effects. Done

    3. Back to Premiere Pro (which is openning and has linked comps) by Cmd+Tab.

    4. All linked comps are offline.

    5. Link media => browse to the project folder => the After Effects file is now lost.

    6. Re-check by Finder: lost file confirmed.

  • Expected result - The AEP file is there.
  • Actual result -  The AEP file is lost.
  • Screen recording – See below.
  • Adobe After Effects version - Version 25.2.2 (Build 2)
  • Operating system - macOS Sonoma 14.7.5
  • Comparative information helps us understand more about when the issue occurs: 
    • Does it affect all projects or only some projects?
      • It can be in any projects. I've experienced this before with multiple projects.
    • Does it affect new projects?
      • Old/new/heavyweight/lightweight projects can all be affected. It can affect both 28MB AEP file, and 1.6MB AEP file which I've just created this morning.
    • When did the problem begin?
      • I don't know, just randomly.
  • Optional but useful: Screenshots: As my previous comment.

 

Updated: I've just experienced this in my latest project: it's lightweight, newly created. And luckily, I captured the moment it just got deleted!!!

Also, I got another weird bug: saving AEP project disconnect a linked comp (not all).

Link: https://youtu.be/w6vCAlcW9kA

 

nishu_kush
Community Manager
nishu_kushCommunity Manager
Community Manager
July 24, 2025

I remember seeing a similar case in which it all came down to the network location where the file was stored. If you're on network or external storage, can you check if the problem reproduces if you are working locally with the project file instead of saving to the server/external storage?

Let me know the outcome.


Thanks,
Nishu

Kevin-Monahan
Community Manager
Kevin-MonahanCommunity Manager
Community Manager
July 18, 2025

Hey there, Noudavinci ,

Thanks for filing this bug. I’m Kevin, one of the moderators here. I hope a developer, Adobe Expert, or a community member might have a solution for you shortly. I appreciate you laying out all the steps. Please also see, How to Report a Problem

 

Please take a look at that post and fill in any missing information so that the team can help you faster. Sorry for the frustration

 

Thanks,
Kevin
.

Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community & Engagement Strategist – Pro Video and Audio
Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices