After Effects 25.4 won't start, it crashes on the splash screen, but there is a solution.

[xjuanfx]

After Effects 25.4 does not start, it crashes on the splash screen, but deleting the microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll file located in: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC\File Formats, fixes the problem.

I am not sure if that same file is present in version 25.3.

PC SPECS:
- Ryzen 7 2700X
- RX 6500XT
- 16GB of RAM
- Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (26100.4946)

[Mike_Red]

Whoah!! Thank you so much for this. Your trick did wonders! I deleted this file and AE can finally launch. I wonder how this basic bug went unnoticed at Adobe's end. 

[erfan_1868]

Have the same problem, and it helps. Thank you so much. But, how can we fix this problem without deleting this file. This file will be need it for ai

[something_6935]

This isn't your own fix, you are taking credit for something that has been posted already on non-genuiune Adobe sites.

This is posetd on Monkrus Premiere Pro app comments sesction for Adobe After Effects 2025 (v25.4) Multilingual

You have just posted this on various forums trying to get credit for the fix.

[something_6935]

You can view this yourself on Monkrus app comments section for this from the start of August:
https://ibb.co/zh408WDJ

[AndrewTheGreat]

I've just had the same issue and deleting this file fixed it. Can Adobe please explain why a Microsoft DLL ruined my work because I nearly missed the deadline?

[guymi]

Took me forever to arrive at the solition, because I was going in blind. But after opening the crash .dmp file in WinDB, I discovered it had to do with Camera Raw trying to access the microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll file, which is in turn used for onnxruntime.dll. I tried updating the dlls, but to no prevail, I DID NOT try to downgrade them though. so I'm not entirely sure what's going on. I think Adobe's build include version 1.17.24.223, and the latest seems to be depreciated since version 1.22 (NuGet Gallery | Microsoft.AI.MachineLearning 1.22.0) but seems to also be a newer version here NuGet Gallery | Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.ML 1.8.2109, which I downloaded, copied the files from the nupkg here C:\Users\Guy\Downloads\microsoft.windowsappsdk.ml.1.8.2109.nupkg\runtimes-framework\win-x64\native\ into the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC\File Formats. Anyway, I removed the old dll and put in the new files (not sure if AE is even reading them) but it seems to work for now. 

I did some research, looked through log files and then asked Perplexity to help with a different solution. This is the response:

The crash dump confirms AE 25.6 is failing inside Microsoft’s ML library, being called from Camera Raw, before AE finishes loading its plug‑ins.reddit+1​

Key bits from the log you pasted:

• Exception bucket: FAIL_FAST_FATAL_APP_EXIT_8007007f_microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll!Unknown

• Call stack: Camera_Raw.8bi → microsoft_ai_machinelearning.dll (DllGetActivationFactory) → fail‑fast.reddit​

So AE is loading Camera Raw.8bi, which in turn loads microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll (part of the Windows / ML stack), and that DLL is throwing a fatal app exit.

What to do on your system

1. Confirm you’re on a supported Windows build

   • You’re on 19041 (2004/20H1 baseline). AE 25.x + current Adobe Camera Raw and the MS AI stack are really expecting Windows 10 22H2 (19045) or later.ituonline+2​

   • Run Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update and bring Windows 10 fully up to 22H2 (latest cumulative). This alone fixes the ML DLL crash for some users because it brings the OS ML components in line with what Adobe expects.proxpc+1​

2. Update / repair Microsoft AI Machine Learning

   • In Apps & Features, search for “Microsoft AI” or “Machine Learning” packages; if present, update them or uninstall/reinstall from the Microsoft Store (they often ship as part of Windows ML / ONNX runtime).reddit​

   • Also install any pending .NET and VC++ runtime updates from Windows Update; those underpin the ML DLL as well.ituonline​

3. Try a different Camera Raw + ML combo

   • Right now, your trace shows Camera_Raw!… calling into microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll version 1.17.24.223, which then fails.reddit​

   • Options:

     • Temporarily roll back Camera Raw.8bi to an earlier version known to work with AE 25.x (copy from another Adobe install or backup folder) while keeping your Windows/ML stack current.

     • Or, if updating Windows/ML doesn’t help, keep the current Camera Raw for Photoshop but block it for AE by moving Camera Raw.8bi out of C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC\File Formats and only putting it back when you need full Camera Raw in PS.

4. If none of the above fixes it

   • Zip this .dmp plus your After Effects Log.txt and attach them to an Adobe forum thread like “After Effects 25.4 won’t start…” where staff are tracking exactly these microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll / Camera Raw interactions.adobe+1​

   • Mention explicitly: AE 25.6, Windows 10 19041, Camera Raw.8bi present, failure bucket FAIL_FAST_FATAL_APP_EXIT_8007007f_microsoft.ai.machinelearning.dll.

Given your dump, the immediate next steps that are most likely to help are: upgrade Windows to 22H2, reboot, and try AE 25.6 again; if it still fails, test with Camera Raw.8bi temporarily removed to confirm that only the OS/ML update is left as the variable.