Adobe Premiere is one of the most popular video editing programs available. The Adobe Premiere Pro is the successor of the Adobe Premiere. Adobe Premiere is a video editing program. The software was initially released in the year 2003, and it quickly acquired popularity due to its user-friendly design, features, and overall effectiveness. It is possible that it will cause some inconvenience to its users from time to time, just like any other program. Another is the ‘The importer reported a generic error’ error message, which is one of the most common. You will get this message if you are attempting to import videos into your timeline using the importer. Any number of factors, such as an unsupported codec or video file type, might be responsible for this problem.
The Importer Reported a Generic Error
In this post, we will go through the error message in detail, starting with its causes and on to the methods that you may take to get rid of the error message. As a result, let us begin with the root reasons.
What causes the ‘The Importer Reported a Generic Error’ Error Message in Adobe Premiere?
When you are attempting to import video files into the importer, the error notice occurs, as previously stated. For example, the following factors might contribute to this situation:
- Unsupported Codec: Various codecs are used by all of the video recording equipment. Unless the codec is recognized and supported by the Adobe Premiere Pro program, you will be unable to add it to your timeline. Changing the codec of the video files will be necessary in such a scenario.
- Unsupported Video Files Format: Adobe Premiere is quite forgiving when it comes to video file types; yet, for obvious reasons, it does not handle all of the video file formats. Therefore, if the video you are attempting to import is not supported by the program, you may finally come across an error notice.
- Activation Issues: Activation problems can sometimes make the importer not work as well as it should. So, make sure that the software is activated and that you are logged into your Creative Cloud account to make sure that you can use the app.
- Video File Name: It can also be caused by the name of the video file. Is there a way to tell what symbols are in the name of a file?
How to Fix The Importer Reported a Generic Error in Adobe Premiere Pro
Method 1: Check Video File Format and Codec
First, you should check to see if Adobe can play the format and codec of the video. Adobe Premiere doesn’t support some codecs. For example, support for the QuickTime codec was dropped by the company that makes it. In this case, you will need to change the codec of the footage.
It’s also not going to work if the video file format isn’t supported by Adobe. In the same way, you will have to change the format of the video file, which isn’t very hard. This is the same thing. Please see this link for a list of video file formats that can be played.
Method 2: Cleaning the Media File Cache
If that doesn’t work, you can also try to delete the media files cache and then try to import your files again. When you put video or audio files into Adobe Premiere, it makes copies of these files that it can quickly use again for better speed and performance, so it can run faster. This type of file is called a “Media Cache File.” How to get rid of the files:
1. Close Adobe Premiere Pro and then go to the Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common directory.
Note: The AppData folder is usually hidden by default, so make sure you’ve unhided it.
For a Mac, go to the /Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common directory.
2. Delete the files and then open Adobe Premiere Pro again
In case you can’t find the above path, you can also go to Preferences and then to the Media Cache tab to find it.
Method 3: Move the Files to a Different Location or Rename Them
Sometimes, the problem might be caused by the path that you have set for your video or audio files. In this case, you will have to move the files to a different drive or just a different folder. A lot of people have told us about this and it’s helped them solve the problem.
Another thing you could try is to just change the names of the files in the same place and then try to import the files. If it doesn’t work, move them to a different place.
Check this video for more help:
Method 4: Reinstall Adobe Premiere Pro
If none of the methods listed above work for you, it is possible that there was a problem with the software’s installation, in which case you will need to reinstall it. Listed below is how to go about it:
1. Launch Creative Cloud.
2. Uninstall Adobe Premiere Pro, but keep the settings you’ve made (an option while uninstalling).
3. Once it’s done, try to install it again and see if it helps.
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