Spinning Wheel in Premiere Pro 2025 (and 2024)

[Ernie23225118uj2c]

Hello, my friends.

Sumpin' ain't right. The spinning wheel is in town.
I have 48 GB allotted for Creative Cloud in my M1 MacBook Pro using external SSD drives, and I usually have only Premiere Pro open. 
I frequently clear my media caches.
I close Lumetri Scopes and Lumetri Color when they're not in use. 
My program monitor plays at 1/4 resolution.
I often will turn on/off Global FX---and this one thing DOES seem to help. But every few minutes I STILL feel some lag. 
I am (currently) using a mix of 4k footage from an iPhone and other .mov and .mp4 files. 
What could I possibly be missing? I've tried moving all elements to a new sequence---sometimes, MAYBE, I think, this helps a bit. 
But overall...something, somewhere, is lagging---and has felt this way for, I dunno, months---not just with Premiere Pro 2025.

Am I imagining this?

Thanks for reading (spinning wheel between "thanks" and "for" — only kidding).

E...r...n...i...e (It's not THAT slow)

[T - Sal]

Hello,

It's great to hear about your detailed troubleshooting process. Based on your description, it seems like you're doing a lot to optimize Premiere Pro's performance on your M1 MacBook Pro.

Here are a few more suggestions that might help address the lag issues you're experiencing:

1. File Type Consideration:  It's important to identify the type of MOV/MP4 files you're working with. If they are Long GOP (Group Of Pictures) formats, they might be causing the lag due to the complex processing required for them. Converting them to an intra-frame format like ProRes can reduce the strain on your system.

2. Proxy Workflow: Have you tried using Premiere Pro's proxy feature? By creating lower-resolution versions of your video files, you may achieve smoother playback and editing. This is especially useful for 4k footage and high-bitrate videos. Ensure to switch between the proxies and original files only when necessary.

3. Optimize Hardware Acceleration: Double-check your hardware acceleration settings in Premiere Pro. Make sure they are correctly set for the M1 architecture. Sometimes optimizing these settings can make a significant difference.

4. Regular Maintenance: Although you clear media caches regularly, it might also help to delete preferences every now and then and allow Premiere Pro to regenerate them.

5. Check Background Processes: Monitor any background applications or processes that might consume resources. Sometimes, external SSDs perform better than internal storage, but make sure their connection is stable and fast enough.

6. Software Updates: Lastly, ensure that you have the latest updates for Premiere Pro. Updates can provide performance enhancements and bug fixes that could alleviate issues with lag.

If these suggestions do not resolve the issue, you might want to consider contacting Adobe support for a more tailored troubleshooting approach. It's possible that there could be a more subtle issue at play with your specific configuration or media files.

Let me know if you need further assistance or additional suggestions. Good luck, and I hope you achieve a smooth editing experience soon!

Best,
TOXOS