Can't export file in FCP

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Level 1

4 points

Can't export file in FCP

I have a 9 minute long video that exports midway (it plays on Quick Time Player) until ~ 70% then it stops exporting and disappears. There's no error message, so it's really hard to trouble shoot. What can I do to make sure it fully exports and saves in my destination?

I've tried:

I've tried exporting to my hard drive and on local desktop, same issue.
I've uninstalled Final Cut Pro, and re-installed.
I've updated my MacBook 15.2 (24C101)
I've deleted all render files, and rendered all again
The export is 4.61 GB, but I have about 30GB left of storage

Additional Info:

Format: Video & Audio
Video Code: H.264
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Color Space: Standard - REec 709

MacBook Air, macOS 15.2

Posted on Jan 17, 2025 7:30 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Ian R. Brown

Level 7

24,455 points

Jan 18, 2025 1:27 AM in response to may_user_may

Try Deleting the Preferences.

Hold down the Option and Command keys as you launch FCP until a window pops up.

Click Delete.

There could also be a corrupt file in the video. Do a new quick test film to say whether it exports OK.

4.61GB is quite large for a 9 minute film. Is it 4K or are you exporting ProRes?

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Answer 2

Jan 18, 2025 1:28 AM in response to may_user_may

30 GB of free storage is… minuscule. That is likely to be the cause of your problems - especially if this is referring to your system drive. Please tell us more about your system so we can better assess the situation. Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here.

Use the “additional text” button and paste the report into the text box.

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Answer 3

Jan 18, 2025 4:51 AM in response to may_user_may

Are you using FCP on your iPhone or your Mac?

Forget gigabytes. You must always keep a minimum of 10% of your drive free . . . 20% is safer.

When deleting the preferences (on your Mac) you keep Option and Command held down until the window appears

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Answer 4

may_user_may Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 18, 2025 4:11 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Hello, thank you for your response,

I created a test project with the first 2 minutes, and it exports successfully. I tried exporting the last 2 minutes, it exports successfully too.

I'm exporting 4K (3840 x 2160) and rendering in ProRes 422. Please let me know if there's a way to optimize this as I am new to FCP. These videos are recorded on iphone and uploaded to youtube only.

When I do Option & Command, no window pops up. Is this an issue with my FCP software?

Thank you

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Answer 5

may_user_may Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 18, 2025 4:17 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hello, thank you for your response,

Around ~40% of storage is occupied by large documents, which are comprised of video clips I used in my final video. My final cut pro library takes up 88.29 GB and the largest video is 5.04 GB. Please let me know if you can share any insights based on this without the Etrecheck report.

I thought since the export is ~5GB, I have enough storage for it (30GB remaining)?

Thank you

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Can't export file in FCP

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