Troubleshooting
Preset Browser is not in the Window menu
Section titled “Preset Browser is not in the Window menu”After Effects only finds new extensions at launch, so restart it, then check Window > Extensions. Preset Browser needs After Effects 2024 or newer. If it is still missing, see Installing ZXP Extensions.
Scan finds no presets
Section titled “Scan finds no presets”Scan reads Adobe’s Presets folder from the After Effects you have open, and your User Presets folder in Documents/Adobe/After Effects <year>. If either folder is missing, a Scan warnings note says which. Check that the folder exists, then click Scan again.
A preset shows no preview
Section titled “A preset shows no preview”Previews ship for Adobe’s presets only. Your own presets need one made: see Make a preview. On a non-English After Effects, some bundled previews may not match their presets yet.
Apply says to select a layer
Section titled “Apply says to select a layer”- Open a comp and select at least one layer: click into a comp first.
- Select one or more layers, or pick what to create from the preset’s menu: the preset is set to Do nothing when nothing is selected. Select layers, or change it under If nothing is selected in the card’s menu. See Applying Presets.
Previews, favorites, or collections are missing after moving files
Section titled “Previews, favorites, or collections are missing after moving files”Preset Browser recognizes a preset by its source, folder, and file name. Renaming a preset file or moving it to another folder makes it a new preset, without its preview, favorite, or collections. Move it back and click Scan, or make a new preview.
”The preset file could not be found”
Section titled “”The preset file could not be found””The file was moved or deleted since the last scan. Click Scan to refresh the list.
Favorites disappeared after updating After Effects
Section titled “Favorites disappeared after updating After Effects”This should not happen. Your favorites, collections, and Recent are stored in the JakeInMotion folder (see the FAQ), shared by every After Effects version and kept through updates. If they are gone, check that folder, then contact support below.
What is the Uncategorized folder?
Section titled “What is the Uncategorized folder?”Presets sitting directly in a source folder, with no subfolder, are listed under Uncategorized. Revealing it opens that source folder itself.
Still stuck?
Section titled “Still stuck?”Send details straight from the panel with Menu > Submit feedback, or see Contact and include your After Effects version, operating system, Preset Browser version, and a description of what happened.