How to Fix The Importer Reported a Generic Error in Adobe Premiere

Adobe Premiere is one of the leading video editing software. The Adobe Premiere Pro is the successor of Adobe Premiere. The software was first introduced in the year 2003 and soon gained notoriety for its user-friendly interface, features, and potency. Like every other application, it does happen to trouble its users with a few errors now and then. One of them being the ‘The importer reported a generic error’ error message. This appears when you are trying to import videos into the timeline using the importer. This can be due to a lot of reasons, for example, unsupported codec or video file format.

The Importer Reported a Generic Error

In this article, we will be going through the error message by discussing its causes and later on mentioning the solutions that you can apply to get rid of the error message; thoroughly. Hence, let us start with the causes.

What causes the ‘The Importer Reported a Generic Error’ Error Message in Adobe Premiere?

As we have mentioned earlier, the error message appears while you are using the importer to import video files. This can be due to the following reasons:

  • Unsupported Codec: All of the video recording devices use different codecs. In case the codec is not supported by the Adobe Premiere Pro software, you will not be able to import it into the timeline. In such a case, you will have to change the codec of the video files.
  • Unsupported Video Files Format: Adobe Premiere is quite generous with the video files format, however, it does not support all of the video files formats for obvious reasons. Therefore, if the video that you are trying to import is not supported by the application, you will, eventually, stumble on the error message.
  • Activation Issues: According to Adobe, activation issues can sometimes disrupt some of the functionality of the importer. Therefore, make sure the software is activated and you are logged in your Creative Cloud account.
  • Video File Name: In some cases, the issue can also be caused by the name of the video file. There might be some symbols in the name of the file that is causing the issue to pop up.

With that being said, let us get into the real part and help you through this ordeal. Please follow all the solutions provided if one or two of them do not work out for you.

Solution 1: Check Video File Format and Codec

The first thing you should do when you face the error message is to verify that the format the video is in and the codec is supported by Adobe. Certain codecs are not supported by Adobe Premiere, for example, support for the QuickTime codec was dropped by Adobe. In such a case, you will have to transcode the footage to a newer/modern codec.

Similarly, if the video file format is not supported by Adobe, then, you will not be able to import the file. Likewise, you will have to change the format of the video file which is pretty easy. Please refer to this link for a list of supported video file formats.

Solution 2: Cleaning the Media File Cache

Another thing that you can do is try to delete the media files cache and then try to import your files. When you import video or audio files into Adobe Premiere, it stores versions of these files that it can quickly access again for better performance. These stored versions are referred to as Media Cache Files. Here’s how to delete the files:

  1. Close Adobe Premiere Pro and then navigate to the Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common directory. Please note that the AppData folder is hidden by default, so make sure you have unhid it.
  2. In case you are using a Mac, please navigate to the /Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common directory.
  3. Delete the files and then launch Adobe Premiere Pro.
  4. In case you are having difficulties locating the above path, you can also just go to Preferences and then navigate to the Media Cache tab.

Solution 3: Move the Files to a Different Location or Rename Them

In some scenarios, the issue might be due to the specified path of the video or audio files. In such a case, you will have to change the path of the files i.e move them to a different drive or just a different folder. This was reported by many users and has helped them resolve the issue.

You can also try to just simply rename the files in the same directory and then try importing the files. If it doesn’t work, then just move them to a different location.

Solution 4: Reinstall Premiere Pro

If all of the above-mentioned solutions do not work out for you, there might be an issue with the installation of the software and you will have to reinstall it. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open up Creative Cloud.
  2. Uninstall Adobe Premiere Pro while keeping the preferences (an option while uninstalling).
  3. Once done, install it again and see if it resolves the issue.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.