3 Easy Fixes to Unsupported Compression Type in Premiere Pro

Take a closer look at the Media Cache folder if Premiere Pro doesn’t allow file import

3 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Adobe’s Premiere Pro is an industry standard when it comes toconsumer-grade video editing softwareand most of it has to do with its widerfile formatsupport and ease of use.

However, some users have reported that they are unable to import audio files like MP3, MP4, AVI, or AVCHD due to a very particular error related to unsupported compression type in Premiere Pro.

What does unsupported compression type mean?

The fullerrorreadsthefilehas an unsupported compression typeand occurs when you try to import any media file. However, some specific formats – such as AVI – tend to be more affected than others.

Now, the original file can be easily blamed for being incompatible with the AVI format. However, other culprits can interfere such as cache accumulation or folder-related glitches.

Let’s quickly go through some of the most common scenarios:

Now that you know what you’re up against, you should also know that this is a common issue and mostly occurs due to the incorrectfile format. In this article, we take a look at the best possible solutions to fix it.

Why can’t I import MP3 or MP4 files in Premiere Pro?

Before we begging the actual troubleshooting, we advise you to check if you are using a trial version of Adobe Premiere Pro.

Adobe Premiere Pro may not function properly with some file formats when the trial version is active. If you have the license for the product, make sure it is activated.

1. Make changes to the file and/or folder

2. Clear Media Cache Files and Database ✅

Click on theEditmenu and selectPreferences.
Select theMediatab from the left pane.
Close the Adobe Premiere Pro app and any other Adobe program running on your computer.
Open the File Explorer and navigate to theMedia CacheFilesandMedia Cache Databaselocations, one by one.
Rename the folders, Media Cache File, and Media Cache.
Now launch Adobe Premiere Pro again and go toEdit > Preferences > Media.
Click the Clean button for theMedia Cache Databasefolder.
Close and re-launch Adobe Premiere Pro and attempt to import the file with the error and check for any improvements.

3. Change the File Extension

You can also use thebest audio converter softwareto convert your mediafilesto a supportedformat.

And if nothing seems to work, try to reinstall Premiere Pro. After uninstalling it, make sure you remove any leftover junkusing registry cleaning software. Finally, you can proceed with the reinstallation.

That’s it! We hope you managed to fix the unsupported compression type Premiere Pro error with one of these solutions.

3 Easy Fixes to Unsupported Compression Type in Premiere Pro#

What does unsupported compression type mean?#

Why can’t I import MP3 or MP4 files in Premiere Pro?#

1. Make changes to the file and/or folder#

2. Clear Media Cache Files and Database ✅#

3. Change the File Extension#