Premiere Pro only imports audio: causes and fixes

Why Premiere imports only the sound

An .mp4, .mov or .mkv file is a container. Inside it sit a video track and an audio track, each compressed with a codec. Adobe’s own list of supported formats makes the distinction: Premiere can open the container, but whether it can import what’s inside depends on the decoders it has. So when the container is fine and the sound is AAC, but the picture is VP9 or AV1, Premiere brings in the only part it can read: the audio.

Adobe’s list (updated January 7, 2026) covers H.264, HEVC (H.265), Apple ProRes, DNxHD and DNxHR and a long list of camera formats. It doesn’t include VP9, AV1 or WebM. Since version 25.2 (April 2025), Premiere also opens MKV files that hold H.264 video and AAC audio. Adobe now calls the app Adobe Premiere, without the “Pro”; everything here applies either way.

VP9 and AV1 are widely used on the web because they make smaller files, so a video file downloaded from the web often keeps one of them. Adobe’s troubleshooting page adds one more cause: old QuickTime codecs Adobe no longer supports. Files from a years-old project in one of those import as sound only, too.

Check what’s inside the file

Adobe’s troubleshooting page points to MediaInfo, a free app from MediaArea (the Mac App Store version costs a small fee). Open the file and look at the Video section:

• Format: AVC means H.264, HEVC means H.265. VP9 and AV1 are named as they are.
• Frame rate mode: Constant or Variable. You’ll need this if the sound drifts.

If you have ffmpeg installed (below), Terminal gives the same answer in one line. It prints h264, hevc, prores, vp9 or av1:

ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 \
  -show_entries stream=codec_name -of csv=p=0 "clip.mp4"

What Premiere, Final Cut Pro and Resolve can read

Each maker publishes its own list. Here is what the three lists say for the Mac:

• Premiere: VP9, AV1 and WebM aren’t on the list, so convert them.
• Final Cut Pro 12.3: Apple lists H.264, HEVC, ProRes and camera formats, in MOV, MP4, MTS/M2TS, MXF, 3GP and AVI files. VP9, AV1, WebM and MKV aren’t listed. On macOS 15 or later, media extensions can add third-party formats, if the format’s maker offers one; otherwise, convert.
• DaVinci Resolve: Blackmagic’s list for Resolve 20 includes VP9 and AV1 decoding on the Mac, and Resolve 20.2.3 added WebM clips with VP8 video. A current Resolve opens more of these files than the other two. If a clip still shows no picture, convert it the same way.

Convert it: HandBrake, ffmpeg or Shutter Encoder

All three are free and make an H.264 file every editor opens. Pick the one you’re comfortable with.

HandBrake (an app)

HandBrake 1.11.2 runs on macOS 10.13 or later. Open the file, choose Production › Production Standard from the presets, and click Start. HandBrake’s Production presets make H.264 with a constant frame rate and frequent keyframes, meant for editing. The files are big because they’re built for editing.

ffmpeg (in Terminal)

Install it with Homebrew (brew install ffmpeg). Then, from the folder the file is in:

ffmpeg -i "clip.webm" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart \
  "clip-h264.mp4"

-c:v libx264 writes H.264; -crf 18 sets the quality (lower means better and bigger); -pix_fmt yuv420p keeps it 8-bit 4:2:0, which every editor decodes; -c:a aac writes AAC sound; +faststart puts the index at the front of the file. For Apple ProRes 422 HQ instead (much bigger files, lighter to edit):

ffmpeg -i "clip.webm" \
  -c:v prores_ks -profile:v hq -c:a pcm_s16le \
  "clip-prores.mov"

Shutter Encoder (an app)

A converter made by video editors. It’s free, with no limits or ads (it runs on donations), and runs on macOS 10.14 or later, Intel and Apple silicon. Drop the file in, choose H.264 (or Apple ProRes) as the function, and start it. Its Conform function only changes frame-rate metadata; its own documentation says it doesn’t fix variable frame rate, so convert instead.

If Premiere can’t read a file, an Adobe FAQ suggests Shutter Encoder or HandBrake rather than Adobe Media Encoder.

Still audio only: Adobe’s other fixes

If MediaInfo says the video is H.264 or HEVC and Premiere still brings in only the sound, Adobe’s troubleshooting page suggests, roughly in this order:

1. Clear the media cache and restart the Mac.
2. Check you can read and write the folder the file is in, or move the file somewhere else and import it again.
3. Import it from the Media Browser panel.
4. Set the renderer to Software Only in File › Project Settings › General.
5. Rename a .MOV to .MP4, or .MTS to .M2TS, and try again.

And update Premiere: its 2026 releases fixed some H.264 files that failed to import (version 26.3, June) and growing MOV files that came in as audio only (version 26.5, September).

Sound out of sync: variable frame rate

Phone videos, webcam recordings, screen recordings and game captures are often variable frame rate (VFR): the frame rate changes as the recording goes. They import with a picture, but the sound can slide out of sync. In Premiere, the clip’s Properties say Variable Frame Rate Detected, and the Effect Controls panel has a Preserve Audio Sync option under the clip’s MPEG Source settings. If the drift stays, or you work with proxies, Adobe’s FAQ recommends converting to a constant frame rate first:

• HandBrake: the Production presets write a constant frame rate.
• ffmpeg: add -fps_mode cfr and your sequence’s frame rate (30, 25, 24, or 30000/1001 for 29.97):

ffmpeg -i "screen-recording.mov" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -fps_mode cfr -r 30 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 192k \
  "screen-recording-cfr.mp4"

HEVC isn’t the usual suspect here. It’s what many phones record, and it’s on all three editors’ lists. If a 10-bit HEVC clip imports but plays back in stutters, the cause is decoding load rather than a missing codec. Make proxies, or convert it to ProRes.

Avoid it next time

• When you download a video file from the web and you’re offered a choice, pick MP4 with H.264 rather than WebM.
• If your screen recorder has a constant frame rate setting, turn it on.
• Convert once, keep the original, and edit the copy.

If you download video files with Lynx

Lynx, our download manager for Mac, saves video as H.264 MP4 with AAC sound when the site offers it at the quality you pick. Above 1080p some sites offer only AV1, so pick 1080p for editing. When you cut a clip, Lynx saves the part you select and saves it as H.264 with Exact frames on (the default). It doesn’t convert files already on your Mac; use the tools above for those. Download only content you have the right to download.