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bnymnsntrk
Participant
March 22, 2020
Answered

Literally can't import anything to AE 2020 - Could not read from source. (86 :: 1)

  • March 22, 2020
  • 8 replies
  • 22912 views

Hello,

I was using CC 2018 with no issues, everything was working fine. But for the new cool features i wanted to upgrade to CC 2020. But I couldn't even try it because I can't import any kind of file. Each time it says

"Could not read from source. Please check the settings and try again. (86 :: 1)"

And then "this .xx file is damaged or unsupported"

These files work well with CC 2018 but CC 2020 doesn't accept them, tried different video formats, different codecs but it just keeps saying that. Solution provided here https://community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects/ae-cc-error-86-1/td-p/9376397?page=1 didn't work also. What should I do? Is there something wrong with the installation of AE? Thanks in advance.

 

    Correct answer JohnColombo17100380

    Hi bnymnsntrk,

     

    I'm very sorry to see you're experiencing this issue with After Effects 17.0.5. The engineering team is aware of this problem and investigating, but so far we haven't been able to recreate the issue from the information posted.

     

    Please follow the instructions in this post and submit your system specs if possible, it would be a great help as we continue to investigate. Please try downgrading to 17.0.4 via the Creative Cloud app and see if that resolves the issue for you.

     

    Thanks very much,

    - John, After Effects Quality Engineering

    8 replies

    A
    Alamin_Apon
    Participant
    June 25, 2025

    How do I fix this?

    Ishan Y
    Community Manager
    Ishan YCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 25, 2025

    Please go to \Documents\Adobe\After Effects <version>\User Presets and place the .ffx file there. Launch after effects and check the Effects panel for the installed presets. If you still need help, please create a new post in the After Effects community. 

    U
    Utopia22576515z2cn
    Participant
    January 11, 2022
    I found a solution to the problem for myself. 86: 1 was an issue only for clips that contain audio. 
    If yours is the same, then this will help you.
Just move the cache folder to any external drive and the problem will go away.
    megum83881322
    megum83881322
    Participant
    November 23, 2020

    hi I am having the same problem i am unable to use my fter effects file also the files are there and work is there but i not able to edit it as it always comes error file exists but unable to open to read i am not sure what to do 

     

    my specifications of my mac book are 

    Hardware Overview:

     

      Model Name: MacBook Pro

      Model Identifier: MacBookPro16,1

      Processor Name: 8-Core Intel Core i9

      Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz

      Number of Processors: 1

      Total Number of Cores: 8

      L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

      L3 Cache: 16 MB

      Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled

      Memory: 64 GB

      Boot ROM Version: 1037.80.53.0.0 (iBridge: 17.16.13050.0.0,0)

      Serial Number (system): C02ZT11FMD6W

      Hardware UUID: E7C01F30-DDEA-5B7A-B4C3-18AF76499465

      Activation Lock Status: Disabled

    H
    HARAGA
    Participant
    April 28, 2020

    I have to remake all the work that I make In premier, just because I can't import my after-effect intro, and primary 2019 dos not open file from 2020  WTF to That ...

    K
    khaled98A1
    Participant
    September 22, 2020

    في جديد بالموضوع ولا لسا ؟ 

     

    JohnColombo17100380
    Community Manager
    JohnColombo17100380Community Manager
    Community Manager
    April 17, 2020

    Hi bnymnsntrk,

    Just following up on this issue, a new update for After Effects has been made available ( 17.0.6 ). Please try importing the affected files again after updating and let us know if you are still see these errors.

     

    Thanks so much,

    - John, After Effects Engineering

    D
    Devxr
    Participant
    April 22, 2020

    I Have Everything up to date but i cant render or connect to dynamic link

    JohnColombo17100380
    Community Manager
    JohnColombo17100380Community Manager
    Community Manager
    April 22, 2020

    Hi Devxr,

    Sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with render and Dynamic Link. There is a known issue with AE 17.0.6 and sending compositions to AME, is this the type of rendering you're referring to? It might be somewhat off-topic for this thread, but feel free to create a new post and tag me, or DM me if you are still experiencing issues.

     

    Thanks,

    - John, After Effects Engineering

    JohnColombo17100380
    Community Manager
    JohnColombo17100380Community ManagerCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    March 23, 2020

    Hi bnymnsntrk,

     

    I'm very sorry to see you're experiencing this issue with After Effects 17.0.5. The engineering team is aware of this problem and investigating, but so far we haven't been able to recreate the issue from the information posted.

     

    Please follow the instructions in this post and submit your system specs if possible, it would be a great help as we continue to investigate. Please try downgrading to 17.0.4 via the Creative Cloud app and see if that resolves the issue for you.

     

    Thanks very much,

    - John, After Effects Quality Engineering

      GabeT707
      GabeT707
      Participant
      August 10, 2020

      Same problem that just started today out of nowhere. It began with one file in Premiere. Then suddenly, I couldn't import any files into any Adobe software program. Been with support for 5 hours and they couldn't solve it.

       

      Updated graphics drivers.

      Updated windows.

      Uninstalled all plugins.

      Removed and re-installed programs without keeping preferences.

      Transcoded media using handbrake.

      Rebooted 15+ times

      Tried safemode.

      Checked user privs.

       

      NOTHING works. I'm effectively at a full stop with all work right now.

       

       

      JohnColombo17100380
      Community Manager
      JohnColombo17100380Community Manager
      Community Manager
      August 10, 2020

      Hi GabeT707,

      I'm really sorry to see you're also experiencing this. I've sent you a direct message to see if some of the previous solutions to this issue will be of any help to you.

       

      - John, After Effects Engineering

      I
      intelligent_vibrancy98A2
      Participating Frequently
      March 22, 2020

      The cause is the last update published a few days ago.

      I checked the files AE cant "read". All the files are AVC h.264
      Adobe makes us dow again like with CC2017, when the AVC h.264 codec was removed from the export options 😞

        A
        antonio777
        Inspiring
        March 22, 2020

        Welcome to the club. Until the next update comes and HOPEFULLY with a fix for this, your best bet is to roll back to the previous version. You say you have this problem with all kinds of files? that includes images, photos, and audio too? I have no problems with those, just with video files like mp4, m2t, mkv, and the like. I'm transcoding my video files to ProRes and those work fine, it's another step in the workflow but it will have to do for now. Here's my link reporting the issue: https://community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects/can-t-import-videos-after-updating-to-17-0-5-build-16/td-p/10990351?page=1

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