After Effects 2024 Crashing on Startup - “HardwareBlitpipe Engaged”

Report · Apr 09, 2025

I’ve been trying to open After Effects 2024, but it keeps crashing immediately on startup. So it goes when i opened my project files last week, everything goes fine, but after that, some messages pop up:

After Effects error: Crash in progress. Last logged message was: <6636> <ae.blitpipe> <2> HardwareBlitpipe Engaged

After that messages coming up, From now on i cant open my project file or After effects at all. i cant even make a new project files becauise i CANNOT open after effects, i doubled check my laptop's drivers, Nvidia RTX 2050 And it up to date, and when the crash appear it want me to resave the project even if i make a new project files, But another problem happen, I CANT RESAVE IT, the save loading screen is becoming Crash too!

So here's the thing

Resave them AFTER CRASH : Crash

Opening Project file : Crash

Making new project files : Crash

FYI! . I can open my after effects ONLY WITH SAFE MODE, And this problems happen when i just Updated my windows (Windows 11 24H2)

Report · Apr 10, 2025

Hi there @26_m._hilmi_dkv2_4877 ,

Sorry you're running into this. If Safe Mode lets you open your project, then that might mean something in your preferences got corrupted or a third-party plugin is causing a problem. Can you trash (or at least temporarily rename) your preferences folder and restart AE? You can reveal this folder from the AE Prefs > Startup & Repair. Clicking the "Reveal in Explorer" button will take you directly to the 24.x folder (the "x" will be based on your exact version). Go up a folder and either remove or rename that folder to add something like "-old" to the end. Relaunching AE will then create a new set of prefs.

Also, have you installed the latest version, 25.2? There are a bunch of fixes and great new features that have been added since 2024. Installing this version will also give you new preferences (assuming you haven't installed 2025 yet) and you can try opening your project there.

Thanks,
- David, After Effects Engineering Team