User profile for user: patinahyena
patinahyena Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

iMovie 10.4.4 export freezes on MacBook

iMovie 10.4.4 won't export 57 second movie

MBP M1 Pro 32GB RAM - Sequoia 15.7.3


I go to Share > File and then export. It starts to export but the tiny circle progress thing on the top right starts to fill up and freezes. Every time I try, it gets to a different position. Like 6:00 or 8:00. There is no progress bar percentage so I'm just saying the position of how filled the circle is (horrible design by the way). I have tried a few times to hold command + option while opening iMovie to reset preferences and that still doesn't fix the exporting issue. Anything else I can try?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: iMovie 10.4.4 export freezes

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.7

Posted on Feb 20, 2026 12:25 PM

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User profile for user: Rich839
Rich839
User level: Level 8
48,702 points

Posted on Feb 21, 2026 7:26 PM

Hi,


First thing, check that you have sufficient application space on your Mac for iMovie to function properly, (15 GB or so) and also check that you have sufficient destination space for the movie.


Second, there might be some corruption in the project that is causing the export to abort, in which case try scrolling through and see if you find any evidence of corruption, such as black frames, white flashes, artifacts, etc. Cut out any that you find and try exporting.


Thirdly, sometimes issues arise that are specific only to one project and do not show up in others. Try exporting a different project and see if it completes properly. If it does, that would indicate that the problem in your current project is project related or media related.


You might try copying over your media to a newly created project and trying to export from there. Click on the timeline and do Edit/Select All, and then Edit/Copy. Create a new project, click on the timeline, and do Edit/Paste. Your clips should copy over with all your edits preserved. Now try to export.


-- Rich

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User profile for user: Rich839
Rich839
User level: Level 8
48,702 points

Feb 21, 2026 7:26 PM in response to patinahyena

Hi,


First thing, check that you have sufficient application space on your Mac for iMovie to function properly, (15 GB or so) and also check that you have sufficient destination space for the movie.


Second, there might be some corruption in the project that is causing the export to abort, in which case try scrolling through and see if you find any evidence of corruption, such as black frames, white flashes, artifacts, etc. Cut out any that you find and try exporting.


Thirdly, sometimes issues arise that are specific only to one project and do not show up in others. Try exporting a different project and see if it completes properly. If it does, that would indicate that the problem in your current project is project related or media related.


You might try copying over your media to a newly created project and trying to export from there. Click on the timeline and do Edit/Select All, and then Edit/Copy. Create a new project, click on the timeline, and do Edit/Paste. Your clips should copy over with all your edits preserved. Now try to export.


-- Rich

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iMovie 10.4.4 export freezes on MacBook

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