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christophers51222674
christophers51222674
Participant
Jul 27, 2023 9:34 PM UTC
Question

Cant drag file from project to timeline panel

I imported my file like normal, making sure the video is in an accepted format. However, I cannot drag and drop anything into my composition. I click and hold, attempting to drag the clip to my timeline from the project panel, but nothing happens. I have never had this issue before and I've been using AE for years. I uninstalled it from this computer (Windows/PC) last year and was only using my MacBook to edit. Since reinstalling AE to this computer, I cannot edit anything because I can't drag files into my timeline. Does anyone else have this issue and/or know a fix? 

    19 replies

    lim_7612
    Participant
    Nov 13, 2025 7:14 PM UTC

    Restarting Windows Explorer from Task Manager fixed it for me!

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    benjyware
    benjyware
    Participant
    Nov 19, 2025 12:13 AM UTC

    THIS WORKED FOR ME THANK YOU

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    Visual_Motion
    Participant
    Feb 11, 2025 8:37 AM UTC

    Hi!
    Had the same issue.
    Updating my display driver (nvidia) solved the problem.

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    Suman_VFX7245
    Participant
    Dec 14, 2024 9:10 AM UTC

    Same problem just faced in latest version os and ae ? what is solution 

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    miaa37485212gv0e
    Participant
    May 18, 2024 7:37 PM UTC

    Not sure if you're still facing the issue, all i had to do was close media encoder and after effects started working again

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      Jenna31526225pm66
      Participating Frequently
      Jun 19, 2024 2:50 AM UTC

      Hi, I am still having the issue. I do not have media encoder running. I have restarted, uninstalled, and updated several times. This is so frustrating. I come back every few months to repeat the steps thinking something has changed. its frustrating. 

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      Robert32524182bgwn
      Participant
      Sep 25, 2023 9:20 PM UTC

      I'm having the same problem, and it doesn't just apply to After effects, it's happening in premiere pro as well! I havn't checked audition, or photoshop, but i'm pretty darn sure that they're glitchy as well, someone needs to figure this out or my film career is doomed!!!

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      Kartika Rawat
      Community Manager
      Kartika RawatCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      Sep 26, 2023 12:30 PM UTC

      Hi there! Sorry about the issue. Which version of AE are you using? Can you also let us know your system OS? 

       

      Thanks,

      KR

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      Jenna31526225pm66
      Participating Frequently
      Jun 19, 2024 2:51 AM UTC

      I am running AE V24.41 on PC. I have tried opening AE in safe mode to see if that would fix the issue but it is still present. 

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      Jenna31526225pm66
      Participating Frequently
      Aug 7, 2023 3:04 AM UTC

      I am having the same problem! No one has been able to help me either. I have done ALL of the recommended things yet the issue still persists. It is unfortunate as I love using this software, but now it is virtually unusable. They may lose a longterm customer. 

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      Ishan Y
      Ishan Y
      Inspiring
      Jul 28, 2023 5:03 AM UTC

      Hey,

      I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing this problem. Could you go to Edit > Preferences > Startup & Repair > Start in Safe Mode (Keep the disable third-party plugins option unchecked), and let us know if you still see the issue? 

       

      Thanks,

      Ishan

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      christophers51222674
      christophers51222674Author
      Participant
      Jul 29, 2023 4:21 PM UTC

      The issue is still occurring in Safe Mode. I also cleared my disk cache and I uninstalled and reinstalled the software if that makes any difference. 

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      Ishan Y
      Ishan Y
      Inspiring
      Aug 4, 2023 2:16 PM UTC

      Could you let us know what GPU you have in your system? If it's an NVIDIA GPU, we recommend installing the most recent Studio Driver. Please share a screen recording if updating the drivers does not fix the problem. That will help us better understand the issue and bring it to the engineering team if required. 

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      Community Expert
      RobShultzCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      Jul 28, 2023 12:52 AM UTC

      Do other files work? Is this file possibly corrupt? What format is the file in question?

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      christophers51222674
      christophers51222674Author
      Participant
      Jul 28, 2023 3:05 AM UTC

      I tried several formats and types of media. MP4, MP3, WAV, png, img, and jpeg. I even tried images, audio, and videos that I used in previous AE projects which worked perfectly fine last year. I also tried following the beginner's tutorial in the program and I can't even click and drag the file Adobe gives you to practice on. No files in any format have worked so far. I cannot drag straight from my files to the timeline either. 

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      christophers51222674
      christophers51222674Author
      Participant
      Jul 28, 2023 3:08 AM UTC

      *pdf not png

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