> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://lightworksguide.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Lightworks Crashes: Diagnose the Trigger Without Risking the Project - URL: https://lightworksguide.net/fix/crashing/ - Published: 2026-10-23T09:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-28T17:05:27.000Z - Author: Lucas Bennett - Tags: fix When Lightworks closes unexpectedly, protect the project, record the exact action and collect the available logs before changing preferences or updating. Then hold Shift at launch: if the Project Browser opens, startup works and you can gather logs before reopening that project; if Lightworks still closes first, it's a startup failure. That split decides which evidence you can reach. The aim is a small, useful support case. A crash after one effect adjustment does not show that the effect is defective, and a project that opens once has not necessarily recovered. Stop reproducing the failure once you have enough evidence. ## Identify what actually stopped - **Lightworks disappears or reports an unexpected close:** record the last action, any exact message and whether the same action repeats the failure. - **The window stays open but stops responding:** record that as a hang. If the interface still responds enough to show background tasks, note their status; do not call an unfinished task a crash. - **The whole computer restarts or shuts down:** preserve the time and any operating-system message, and stop repeated reproduction. Include the system event in your support request rather than assuming a Lightworks preference explains it. These are different observations, not diagnoses of memory, heat, drivers or power. LWKS asks for [what you did, what happened and the involved media format](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/troubleshooting-common-problems?ref=lightworksguide.net). Record the installed Lightworks version and revision, OS version, relevant hardware, licence and third-party plugins alongside that account. ## Protect the project before comparisons Keep the affected project and original camera files intact. If you can reach the Project Browser, I'd make a separate archive with the documented [project-card Archive action](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net) before changing the edit, so later comparisons run on a copy. If Archive is unavailable, check whether that project has a running background task and let it finish; the [project-card actions are restricted while tasks run and also depend on permissions and project type](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net). If it remains unavailable, preserve the existing files and ask support instead of forcing the operation. 1. Right-click the intended project, choose **Archive**, and set a separate destination and identifiable name. 2. Inspect the local, linked and proxy media choices. Include the originals needed for the comparison; proxies alone do not preserve all source material. 3. Choose **New** for a separate archive, rather than overwriting the only earlier backup. Start the archive and wait for its background task to finish. 4. Use **Restore Project** in the Project Browser. When the original still exists, the [restore offers a new project instead of silently overwriting live work](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/archiving-and-restoring-work?ref=lightworksguide.net). Identify the restored copy clearly and use that copy for comparisons. An archive can omit media: [offline files are excluded with a warning](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/archiving-and-restoring-work?ref=lightworksguide.net), and linked files left out must remain available separately. Check those choices before relying on the copy. The [backup and restore guide](https://lightworksguide.net/learn/backup-restore/) covers completeness in more detail. If the copy cannot open, preserve the archive and report that result; repeated restores are not a repair strategy. If the Project Browser is inaccessible, skip these in-app steps. With Lightworks closed, preserve existing project files and media at their known locations without moving, renaming or deleting the originals. If their location is uncertain, collect the reachable evidence below and ask support before changing the data. ## Separate startup failure from reopening a project Hold **Shift while starting Lightworks**. The [documented startup option opens the Project Browser instead of reopening the last project](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/troubleshooting-common-problems?ref=lightworksguide.net). It bypasses reopening; it does not repair that project. **If the Project Browser opens:** collect the available system logs through [Settings → Information](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/application-preferences?ref=lightworksguide.net) before opening the failing project again. Record that Shift reached the browser. If opening the affected project then closes Lightworks, you have narrowed the failure to that reopening context; media, project state, effects and the environment can still be involved. **If Lightworks still closes before the browser:** report an application-startup failure. Steps that start inside the browser are out of reach in this state, so use any existing log folder you can locate, or report that logs are unavailable. Do not open or modify projects merely to satisfy a collection checklist. After an unexpected close, [the next launch may offer to upload logs for analysis](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/troubleshooting-common-problems?ref=lightworksguide.net). Keep that report when it appears; a missing prompt doesn't point to any cause. ![Project Browser settings with Information expanded and Reveal system logs highlighted](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/crashing-body1-redo-v2.webp) If Shift launch reaches the Project Browser, open Settings and use Information → Reveal system logs before reopening the failing project. ### Collect existing logs without the browser The [LWKS FAQ lists these Logs folders when support asks for a zipped folder](https://lwks.com/faqs?ref=lightworksguide.net). Substitute your actual account name for `USER ACCOUNT`: - **Windows:** `C:/Users/Public/Documents/Lightworks/Logs`. - **macOS:** `/Users/USER ACCOUNT/Lightworks/Logs`. - **Linux:** `/home/USER ACCOUNT/Lightworks/Logs`. The Windows path needs a version caveat. Current [v2026 storage documentation distinguishes fresh installs under the user's Documents folder from upgrades using Public Documents](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net). That confirms a changed data root; it does not give the exact Logs subfolder for every fresh installation. If the listed folder is absent, tell LWKS your build and install history and request the appropriate location; do not create a folder or guess that an empty location proves no log exists. Once Lightworks is closed, copy the existing folder to a separate location and zip the copy for the support request, keeping the original intact. Note the time of the failure so support can distinguish it from older records. This is evidence preservation, not a promise that every failure writes a report. Diagnostic files in a Logs folder and the project data called “logs” in an archive are different collection tasks. ![A recovery archive contains project data and required media; copied diagnostic logs accompany a support report](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/crashing-body2-redo-v2.webp) Keep the recovery archive for the edit. Copy and zip the existing diagnostic Logs separately for support. ## Compare one action on a protected copy Only continue if the application opens and you have a protected copy. Start with the same action, media and relevant sequence settings that preceded the failure. Record what you changed and what happened; do not change the file, project, effect chain and export preset all at once. I'd test the protected copy of the affected project for the same trigger first, since it keeps the context of the original failure. A new small project is a separate comparison: use [Create Project in the selected Project Space](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net), give it a diagnostic name, and use the same copied source file and triggering action where that comparison makes sense. If the same file and action fail there too, the smaller case still includes media, action and environment dependencies. If only the affected project fails, its context matters. Neither result identifies a unique cause. ### If importing one file is the trigger Distinguish browsing a folder, selecting a file, importing it and playing the imported clip. Record which step fails. Check whether the original file opens outside Lightworks, then inspect its actual source format, dimensions, frame rate and audio channels. A familiar filename extension alone does not settle compatibility. The [Import panel identifies unsupported or unlicensed formats and converts some formats automatically](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/importing-media?ref=lightworksguide.net). I'd run the [import-media checks](https://lightworksguide.net/editing/import-media/) on that one file before converting a whole folder, which would change every input at once. If you compare a different, known compatible file, keep the import action and project unchanged; success only shows that those inputs behave differently. ### If playback or an effect adjustment is the trigger Note the sequence and repeat point, then compare the same action on the protected copy. Where one effect is involved, I'd rather [disable that effect while preserving its settings](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/effects-overview?ref=lightworksguide.net) than remove it, so the comparison changes exactly one thing; repeat only as needed. Keep the media and other effects unchanged. A changed outcome narrows the investigation to the effect chain or its interaction with that input and build; it doesn't prove the effect's code is at fault. ![Colour Correction bypass toggle off above an unchanged Transform 3D effect](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/crashing-body3-redo-v1.webp) On the protected copy, bypass one suspected effect; keep its settings and the rest of the stack unchanged. If the symptom is slow or unresponsive playback while jobs are active, inspect task status first. The [performance guidance recommends letting background work finish](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/performance-optimisation?ref=lightworksguide.net). Continue with the [playback guide](https://lightworksguide.net/fix/slow-playback/) for that separate task. Smooth proxy playback does not tell you whether the original media is available for export. ### If export is the trigger Separate a reported export-task failure from Lightworks itself closing. When reachable, the [Tasks page of project settings shows progress, and Tasks Log records completed work](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/batch-export-and-background-tasks?ref=lightworksguide.net). Preserve the actual status or error text and the sequence section involved. A render percentage is not a source timecode. Start with the cause the task reports: offline originals, destination space or a named failing clip. Confirm every original used by the sequence is online. For a range comparison on the copy, choose a short marked range around the repeat point while keeping the preset and destination unchanged. For a destination comparison, keep the range and preset fixed. The [export-failure guide](https://lightworksguide.net/fix/export-failed/) handles the detailed checks. Stop once you can describe a minimal failing case; repeated full-length renders add risk without necessarily adding evidence. ## Treat an update as a supported decision Compare the installed build and triggering action with the [release notes](https://lwks.com/releases?ref=lightworksguide.net). For Lightworks 2026.1, which LWKS says carries hundreds of fixes, the changes are listed in [What's New in Lightworks](https://lwks.com/whats-new?ref=lightworksguide.net), so check there first. An earlier example: the 2025.2-56356 notes identify a crash when audio-fade length exceeded track boundaries. That narrow fix can be relevant to a matching action; it does not prove what caused your case or show that every later build resolves it. Before a build change, retain the original project, separate archive, required media and a recovery plan appropriate to your platform and licence. Lightworks 2026.1 adds new information at clip and project level, and LWKS can't guarantee that a project opened there will open perfectly in an older version afterwards. The [current project guide says an upgrade creates an independent project copy](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net); subsequent changes do not flow back to the older version. Do not assume an older build can use the new copy, or that two program locations provide independent preferences and data. Without a documented relevant fix and clear recovery conditions, I wouldn't replace the only working setup before asking support. ## Take the evidence to support before resetting Send a concise account through the [LWKS forum or user-portal support route](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/troubleshooting-common-problems?ref=lightworksguide.net): exact version/revision and OS, relevant hardware and plugins, the observed event, the action and source format, the repeat point, and any task error. Include the copied logs or explicitly say they were unavailable. Describe each protected comparison and its outcome without turning it into a diagnosis. I'd hold off on preference resets, cache deletion, plugin removal and [reinstalling](https://lightworksguide.net/learn/download-install/) until that evidence is saved, because each one changes the setup the report describes. A useful report says what moves the trigger and what holds constant, with the original edit still available throughout.