How to Fix After Effects’ Cached Preview Error

After Effects is a powerful tool for motion graphics and visual effects, but like any software, it’s not without its quirks. One common issue users may encounter is the “Cached Preview” error in After Effects.

This error can be frustrating, as it interrupts your workflow and prevents you from previewing your compositions smoothly. In this blog post, we will delve into what the After Effects Cached Preview error is, explore effective troubleshooting methods to fix it, and address some common FAQs related to this error.

The Cached Preview error in After Effects occurs when the application cannot efficiently playback or create preview files. This can lead to laggy playback, freezing, or even crashes. The error is usually accompanied by a warning message indicating that the cached preview needs to be cleared or that the disk space for cached previews is full. This issue often arises when working with large or complex compositions that require substantial system resources.

Let’s look at some of the most common causes for the Cached Preview error and the steps you can take to fix it!

I habitually leave Premiere Pro open while working on After Effects projects. If you have a lot of applications open on your machine, you may need to close them out so After Effects isn’t competing for memory. Close any unnecessary applications, including Spotify, iTunes, browsers like Google Chrome, and other Adobe apps. If you must have music, I recommend listening on your phone or a tablet if you can’t stand the silence.

If you need multiple programs open simultaneously, Adobe will let you set how much RAM is allocated to those other programs. Go to Preferences > Memory to view the RAM allocated to Adobe and drag the RAM number as high as it will go. You can change this later if you need more RAM for other programs.

Adobe After Effects will struggle to read and write files in the same location. For the best results, ensure your cache location is on a separate SSD from your media and video assets. Adobe recommends using a dedicated SSD strictly for your media cache.

To change the disk cache locations, go to After Effects > Preferences > Media and Disk Cache > select ‘Choose Folder‘ under Disk Cache.

The fastest way to reduce the size of the file being written to your RAM is to reduce the preview quality on your machine. To change this, hit the menu at the bottom of the composition panel. By default, it should be set to ‘Auto.’ If you have a complicated project that won’t render, go ahead and reduce this to half, third, or quarter. There are also some handy keyboard shortcuts for doing this:

Streamlining and organizing your projects can significantly enhance After Effects’ rendering performance. If you’re facing challenges with multiple nested pre-comps, it’s time to review and simplify your project structure. Consider dividing them into smaller sections for extensive projects, allowing you to work on each part independently.

Another crucial aspect to assess is the sizing of your pre-comps. Importing graphics can result in compositions with substantial dimensions, impacting performance. Although these large comps may be scaled down later, After Effects must still process the entire pre-comp file. 

To optimize efficiency, ensure your pre-comps are the appropriate size for their intended use.

Eliminating unused footage or imported files can contribute to a more streamlined project. While this step is typically done during project archiving, removing new assets can help improve system speed. Go to File > Dependencies > Remove Unused Footage to tidy up your project.

Optimizing effects within your project is another valuable consideration. Some After Effects effects can be computationally intensive, affecting playback performance. Test your project by temporarily disabling effects to observe any improvements in playback. If feasible, transfer effects to adjustment layers, allowing for easy toggling on and off as needed.

Let’s review some frequently asked questions about the Cached Preview error in After Effects. 

The error can occur for various reasons, including insufficient disk space, improper disk cache settings, hardware acceleration conflicts, or outdated GPU drivers. Even hitting the RAM preview button too quickly in succession can cause the error.

Yes, you can manually delete cached preview files by navigating to the disk cache folder specified in the preferences. However, it’s recommended to use After Effects’ built-in “Empty Disk Cache” feature to ensure proper cleanup.

The amount of disk space allocated for the cache depends on the size and complexity of your compositions. Adobe recommends allocating as much space as possible on a separate SSD from your project files.

You can change the cache location to another drive with more space. Specify the desired cache folder location in the Preferences > Media & Disk Cache section.

We hope this blog helps you spend less time troubleshooting and more time creating! While you’re here, read up on these Top 10 After Effects Templates for 2023 and check out this Tuts+ course on After Effects for Beginners. Or, head to Envato Elements to start creating today!