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santosh_9326
santosh_9326
Participant
April 16, 2026

Preview fails to start / CTI jumps back one frame on second Spacebar press

  • April 16, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 5 views

Intermittently, pressing the playback shortcut (Spacebar or Numpad Enter) fails to initiate a preview. On the first press, the UI appears to "stutter" but nothing happens. On the second press, the Current Time Indicator (CTI) moves back exactly one frame and playback still does not begin

    1 reply

    Nishu Kushwaha
    Community Manager
    Nishu KushwahaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 16, 2026

    Hi Santosh,

     

    Sorry to hear about the issue and thanks for reaching out.

    To help narrow it down, could you check a few things:

    • Does it start working again after restarting AE (even temporarily)?

    • What are your system specifications (CP, GP, RAM, OS version)?

    • Any audio device/software involved (external drivers, utilities, etc.)? These can sometimes interfere with preview playback.

    • Does launching After Effects in Safe Mode change the behavior?

    Let me know.

     

    Thanks,

    Nishu

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