User profile for user: Vikingurinn
Vikingurinn Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

iMovie export causing MacBook Air to shut down

This problem has been plaguing me for the last two videos I've tried to export now, about a week apart.


When exporting my video, everything seems fine until either around 70% done or 95% done (O, cruel fate), at which point my MacBook stops responding, crashes and restarts itself with an error message in a variety of languages saying the computer restarted because of a problem.


For the first video I'm referencing above, it somehow decided to work when exporting for the third time. However, this time, I've tried eight times and each eight times, it's crashed. It's only a 4m 30s video, 1080p, with soundtrack and a green screen overlay (which I've used before without any issues). I have 30gb storage fre, and this video is only meant to be 700mb. Laptop is 8gb RAM, running latest iMovie and everything.


I've tried deleting preferences, making more room, restarting a billion times, changing region and language settings, copying the project's content over to a new project, still nothing.


My sanity is wearing thin at this point. Does anyone please have a solution?


Thanks.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Nov 29, 2023 10:55 AM

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User profile for user: Rich839
Rich839
User level: Level 8
48,156 points

Posted on Nov 29, 2023 11:44 AM

It does sound like a lack of free space problem. If you are exporting at Best Quality (pro res) you would be getting a file size 4 or 5 times larger than at any other export setting.


It could also be a conflict on your Mac, or user account, or a glitch with iMovie.


Try rebooting in Safe Mode and, after everything loads, boot up in normal mode and see if iMovie exports correctly. Also, try opening iMovie in a new user account and export from there. You can use your Mac's Guest account for this purpose.


To rule out a corruption issue in your iMovie library, try opening iMovie in a new library and see if you can export from there.


In case it's a hardware problem you can try running the diagnostics program on your Mac. Might be faulty ram or a faulty graphics card.


All else failing, you can call Apple Support and talk to the techs there. They have the capability of remotely accessing your computer that we do not have here.


-- Rich

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User profile for user: Rich839
Rich839
User level: Level 8
48,156 points

Nov 29, 2023 11:44 AM in response to Vikingurinn

It does sound like a lack of free space problem. If you are exporting at Best Quality (pro res) you would be getting a file size 4 or 5 times larger than at any other export setting.


It could also be a conflict on your Mac, or user account, or a glitch with iMovie.


Try rebooting in Safe Mode and, after everything loads, boot up in normal mode and see if iMovie exports correctly. Also, try opening iMovie in a new user account and export from there. You can use your Mac's Guest account for this purpose.


To rule out a corruption issue in your iMovie library, try opening iMovie in a new library and see if you can export from there.


In case it's a hardware problem you can try running the diagnostics program on your Mac. Might be faulty ram or a faulty graphics card.


All else failing, you can call Apple Support and talk to the techs there. They have the capability of remotely accessing your computer that we do not have here.


-- Rich

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iMovie export causing MacBook Air to shut down

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