Can't open Premiere Pro 2025 because of Universe / Red Giant error

[philobrien]

Every time I try to open Premiere Pro 2025, I get an error reading: "Error connecting to Universe Runtime. Please reinstall Universe."

I've tried uninstalling the Maxon App, the Red Giant Universe files etc., but still get the error. So I tried to  reinstall Universe Runtime, and it won't install, saying another instance is already running.

Premiere Pro 2024 is running fine. I'm on a PC, running Windows 10, and all other Adobe programs (excpet Media Encoder 2025) are running perfectly.

[R Neil Haugen]

Yowza, that's a mess!

I've got the full Universe, and at one point in trying to update from the older Red Giant app controller to the then-new Maxon one, I had a similar issue. And it took a couple emails from the Maxon/RedGiant help to sort it out.

There was some background thing or whatever still 'active' I had to find how to chuck or something like that.

[kglad]

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from using the community bugs">

[PaulMurphy]

If you're encountering this error on startup, you can attempt the following steps to resolve it:

1. Reset the Plugin Loading Cache:
   While launching Premiere Pro, press and hold the Shift key. This will reset the plugin loading cache.
2. Disable Third-Party Video Plugins:
   Alternatively, press and hold Cmd (Mac) / Ctrl (Windows) + 3 during launch to disable third-party video plugins temporarily.

These steps can help bypass problematic plugins and get Premiere Pro to load successfully. Once the program opens, you can review or update your Red Giant Universe plugins to address compatibility issues.