Skip to main content
christophers51222674
christophers51222674
Participant
July 27, 2023
Question

Cant drag file from project to timeline panel

  • July 27, 2023
  • 8 replies
  • 5215 views

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? 

    8 replies

    L
    lim_7612
    Participant
    November 13, 2025

    Restarting Windows Explorer from Task Manager fixed it for me!

    benjyware
    benjyware
    Participant
    November 19, 2025

    THIS WORKED FOR ME THANK YOU

    V
    Visual_Motion
    Participant
    February 11, 2025

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

    S
    Suman_VFX7245
    Participant
    December 14, 2024

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

    M
    miaa37485212gv0e
    Participant
    May 18, 2024

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

      J
      Jenna31526225pm66
      Participating Frequently
      June 19, 2024

      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. 

      R
      Robert32524182bgwn
      Participant
      September 25, 2023

      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!!!

      Kartika Rawat
      Community Manager
      Kartika RawatCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      September 26, 2023

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

       

      Thanks,

      KR

      J
      Jenna31526225pm66
      Participating Frequently
      June 19, 2024

      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. 

      J
      Jenna31526225pm66
      Participating Frequently
      August 7, 2023

      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. 

      Ishan Y
      Community Manager
      Ishan YCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      July 28, 2023

      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

      christophers51222674
      christophers51222674Author
      Participant
      July 29, 2023

      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. 

      Ishan Y
      Community Manager
      Ishan YCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      August 4, 2023

      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. 

      R
      Community Expert
      RobShultzCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      July 28, 2023

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

      christophers51222674
      christophers51222674Author
      Participant
      July 28, 2023

      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. 

      christophers51222674
      christophers51222674Author
      Participant
      July 28, 2023

      *pdf not png

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices