Movavi Knowledge Base - Preview playback is slow

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Preview playback is slow

If video preview playback is slow, stutters, or freezes while editing, this is usually related to file location, preview optimization settings, or system performance limits.

Follow the steps below in order.

Before you start

Files added from:

removable devices (USB drives, phones, cameras)
network or cloud storage

may cause slow or unstable preview playback.

What to do

Copy the files to your local drive
Reopen the project and, if asked, choose the new file location

Common reasons and solutions

Case 1: Preview optimization affects playback

In some cases, preview optimization settings can cause lag instead of improving performance.

What you can do

Open the program settings
Go to Preferences → Acceleration
Disable Optimize HD clips
Apply the changes
Check preview playback again

Case 2: The project contains demanding media files

High-resolution, high-bitrate, or heavily compressed files may be difficult to preview smoothly on some systems.

If preview playback is still slow, check the properties of your source files.

How to check whether the files are demanding

To see if your original files may be demanding, check the properties of the video files used in your project. In general, these types of files may require more processing power:

videos with 4K resolution (for example, 3840 × 2160), or
files with a bitrate above 25,000 kbps.

Files encoded with H.265 (HEVC) can be more demanding to process. If your files use this codec, try converting them to H.264 or AV1. These formats are more widely supported and may provide smoother preview playback in Movavi programs.
For step-by-step conversion instructions, see the guide on converting H.265 to H.264 using third-party software
After converting the files, replace them in the project and check preview playback again.

When to contact Movavi Customer Service

Contact Movavi Customer Service if preview playback remains slow after completing all steps above. If you need to contact Movavi Customer Service, please have the information below ready before submitting your request.
File information

Right-click one of the video files you have added on the timeline
Select File Information
Take a screenshot of the window that opens

This information helps identify file properties that may affect playback.
Please refer to the article Collect log files for support for how to obtain log files.

Once you have collected the log files, please provide the following information to the Movavi Customer Service team: