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Troubleshoot a Failed Export

If Export MP4 stops, errors, or produces no file, this walks through the causes — the most common being a non-Chromium browser — and how to fix each.

Beginnertroubleshooting

#Symptom

You click Export MP4 and one of these happens: the status shows an error, the progress bar stops partway, no file appears in your Downloads folder, or you see the message "This browser cannot encode video (try Chrome)."

#Likely Causes

  • You're not in a Chromium-based browser. This is the number-one cause. HeyMotion encodes video in-browser with WebCodecs, which Safari and Firefox don't fully support for encoding. They can preview but often fail on export.
  • The tab ran low on memory (very long clip, very large embedded images, or many other tabs open).
  • A browser extension interfered with the page or downloads.
  • The browser blocked or misplaced the automatic download.
  • Hardware acceleration is disabled, so the encoder can't run.

#Quick Fix

Open HeyMotion in Google Chrome (desktop) (or Edge, Brave, or Arc — all Chromium), reload the page, and export again. That resolves the large majority of failures. If it still fails, work through the checklist below.

#Detailed Troubleshooting

Run these in order and re-test after each:

  1. Confirm a supported browser. Use Google Chrome (desktop), Edge, Brave, or Arc. If the error mentions encoding, this is almost certainly the cause. See Browser Requirements.
  2. Refresh the page. Reload HeyMotion so the WebCodecs encoder starts clean, then export again.
  3. Save your work as a preset (if signed in) before troubleshooting further, so you don't lose your configuration.
  4. Close other tabs and heavy apps. Encoding renders every frame in memory; freeing RAM helps long or large exports finish.
  5. Confirm you have disk space. The finished MP4 (H.264 / AVC, VP9 fallback) downloads to your Downloads folder; a nearly full disk can block the write.
  6. Disable conflicting extensions. Ad blockers, script blockers, and download managers can interrupt the render or the download. Try an Incognito/Guest window with extensions off.
  7. Try a shorter or smaller export. Lower the Clip length or switch to a smaller dimension to see if the failure is size-related.
  8. Check your image dimensions. Very large uploaded images embed as data URLs and can exhaust memory. Swap in a smaller source image and retry.
  9. Retry the export. Transient encoder hiccups sometimes clear on a second attempt after a reload.
  10. Contact support with details if it still fails — see below.

#Collecting Diagnostic Info

Before contacting support, gather:

  • Your browser and version (for example, "Chrome 140").
  • The template you were exporting and the dimension (16:9, 9:16, etc.).
  • The exact error text or where the progress bar stopped.
  • Whether any images were uploaded, and roughly how large.
  • Whether a smaller/shorter export succeeded.

#When to Contact Support

If you've confirmed a Chromium browser, reloaded, freed memory, and a shorter export still fails, email support@heymotion.io with the diagnostic info above. Include the template id and dimension so we can reproduce the exact graphic.

See Browser Requirements, Export an MP4, and Troubleshoot a Slow or Frozen Preview.

HeyMotion Browser RequirementsWhich browsers work with HeyMotion — a Chromium browser is required to export video, and here's why and what's recommended.Export an MP4Render your graphic to a frame-perfect MP4 entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded, and the file lands in your Downloads.Troubleshoot a Slow or Frozen PreviewIf the preview stage stutters, lags, or freezes, this covers the usual causes — heavy templates, large images, low memory, too many tabs — and how to fix each.
Last reviewed 2026-07-19 · Product version beta (July 2026) · Suggest an edit