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BladeFrank
Inspiring
Jul 28, 2026 2:36 AM UTC
Needs More Info

Premiere Pro Timeline Lags first few seconds of playback

So recently whenever I open a project on premiere the timeline lags on playback. Meaning, the blue playhead lags for 3 seconds and nothing in timeline window appears responsive. Then it plays normally just fine. The video plays fine during the lag and every other part of premiere is responsive, just not the timeline window. 

The temporary solution for this that seems to work is undock timeline window then redock it. Once I do this the issue disappears. This is not a permanent solution. It’s a very dumb bug. 

I’m on Windows, 4060ti 16gb (most recent studio driver), cpu 7700x, Premiere 26.3. 

    5 replies

    Peru Bob
    Community Expert
    Peru BobCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Jul 28, 2026 3:23 PM UTC

    Try Preferences > Audio Hardware and set Input to None.

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    BladeFrankAuthor
    Inspiring
    Oct 14, 2026 1:12 AM UTC

    Did not work. 

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    Amy the Stuv
    Community Manager
    Amy the StuvCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Jul 28, 2026 12:02 PM UTC

    Hi ​@BladeFrank ,

    Welcome to the Premiere forums! We are glad to see you here. We need a few more details to help us understand the issue. Please see, How do I write a bug report?

     

    Specifically your OS and the Video File Formats involved. I’m also wondering if you have a dual monitor system with the timeline on the 2nd monitor, and it can help to know how your media is stored and if your Project is stored separately. Any and all information can help us diagnose what the source of the issue might be.

     

    Thanks for reaching out. I hope we can help you soon. Sorry for the frustration!

    Thanks,

    Amy

     

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    BladeFrankAuthor
    Inspiring
    Oct 14, 2026 1:12 AM UTC

    Reactivating this bug report. Recently updated my cpu to Ryzen 9 9900x and new motherboard. Problem still persists. Videos are mp4, canon CLOG3. Still the temp solution is to undock it out of premiere and it runs smoothly. And redocking it, let’s it run smoothly for a bit, but will eventually return to a bugged state. I do not want to do this every time I work on a project. It does not matter which monitor I undock to. 

    Also yes, I am using dual monitors but primarily work in 1 unless I’m comparing footage. Project save file and media are on separate NVMEs. Same speeds. 

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    BladeFrankAuthor
    Inspiring
    Jul 28, 2026 2:39 AM UTC

    Also if I haven’t played the timeline in at least a minute it does it again on first time trying to play back but plays fine on 2nd attempt. 

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