Bug 513648 - Projects take too long to open
Summary: Projects take too long to open
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: kdenlive
Classification: Applications
Component: User Interface & Miscellaneous (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: unspecified
Platform: Other Microsoft Windows
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Jean-Baptiste Mardelle
URL:
Keywords:
: 514242 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-12-21 12:34 UTC by David García
Modified: 2026-02-09 21:20 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Video recording of the issue (1.83 MB, video/mp4)
2026-01-09 09:48 UTC, David García
Details

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Description David García 2025-12-21 12:34:48 UTC
ISSUE

Hi,

This might be my first report here, as far as I can remember, and I hope to do it right and be as informative as I can.

Since I installed version 25.12, projects take a really long time to open (in some cases, a few minutes) or they won’t open at all. I’m talking about extremely simple projects based on one clip, with no effects: just projects that I created for testing purposes.

To make sure the previous version wasn’t interfering, I uninstalled Kdenlive, deleted all remnants (though I must have omitted something, because the list of recent projects was still there) and then I reinstalled 25.12. I also reset the settings just in case.

I think this issue may have to do with the new layout system. In 25.08, I created a personal layout that, with the introduction of the new layout system, I had to recreate from scratch. Yesterday, I opened an old project and, without doing any modifications, I saved it on 25.12 just to make sure that this personal layout was also saved in the project, as indicated in the changelog for 25.12.

I’ve been opening this and other projects many times this morning: sometimes they opened after waiting for a few minutes; sometimes, they wouldn’t open at all. At some point, I deleted my personal layout, but things didn’t improve.

Every time that I opened a project, I could see Kdenlive displaying the layout and also the splash screen, but nothing happened, until I realized that, if I waited for a minute or two and then I clicked somewhere on the screen (even on the splash screen), suddenly my project was opened.

Projects created on 25.08 or earlier (before layouts were saved inside the projects) show the same behaviour.

The same happens with projects created from scratch on 25.12.

I’ve been unzipped Kdenlive 25.08.3 portable and my projects are opened instantly.


SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: Windows 11 (25H2).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AMD Ryzen 7 4800H with Nvidia 2060 and 16 GB of RAM.
Comment 1 David García 2025-12-21 14:26:24 UTC
Hello again,

I've also unzipped the portable version of Kdenlive 25.12 and things work fine here.

Therefore, my issue only happens when I use the installer version.

As I said earlier, the second time I installed 25.12, I had previously uninstalled it and even deleted some folders that were still present, and I even reset the settings, so either there was something else that I should have deleted or the source of the portable version isn't the same as the source of the installer version.

Is there anything I could try?
Comment 2 David García 2025-12-21 18:37:20 UTC
This is interesting: after running 25.12 (portable version), now 25.12 (installer version) works fine. Despite being portable, it must be sharing the same settings file as the installer version and, if this is the case, it must have changed a common setting that was causing the problem. This is weird because, as I already said, I manually reset the settings from inside the programme.
Comment 3 David García 2025-12-22 10:25:45 UTC
I knew it was strange that the issue was fixed out of blue and so I kept doing some tests. Here is a new result that I've got:

1. If I double-click on a project from the Windows 11 file explorer, the project takes a long time to open. As expected, if I wait for one or two minutes and then I click somewhere of the screen, this seems to stop something that keeps Kdenlive busy and my project is opened.

2. If I open my project from within Kdenlive (File > Open), then it opens instantly.
Comment 4 Jean-Baptiste Mardelle 2025-12-31 15:23:10 UTC
I can confirm the issue, thanks for your investigation. Will work on it.
Comment 5 David García 2026-01-01 09:24:25 UTC
Thank you! And happy New Year!
Comment 6 Jean-Baptiste Mardelle 2026-01-05 16:40:27 UTC
Git commit 4831682275f61e23647cb9ff60f6b4dda8a0345e by Jean-Baptiste Mardelle.
Committed on 05/01/2026 at 16:40.
Pushed by mardelle into branch 'release/25.12'.

Fix slow opening through file manager

M  +1    -1    src/project/projectmanager.cpp

https://invent.kde.org/multimedia/kdenlive/-/commit/4831682275f61e23647cb9ff60f6b4dda8a0345e
Comment 7 Jean-Baptiste Mardelle 2026-01-08 08:10:05 UTC
This should be fixed in the upcoming 25.12.1 version. Would be great if you could test our latest daily build to confirm:
https://origin.cdn.kde.org/ci-builds/multimedia/kdenlive/release-25.12/windows/
Comment 8 Jean-Baptiste Mardelle 2026-01-08 08:33:34 UTC
*** Bug 514242 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 9 David García 2026-01-08 19:12:23 UTC
(In reply to Jean-Baptiste Mardelle from comment #7)
> This should be fixed in the upcoming 25.12.1 version. Would be great if you
> could test our latest daily build to confirm:
> https://origin.cdn.kde.org/ci-builds/multimedia/kdenlive/release-25.12/
> windows/

It works now! Thanks so much!
Comment 10 David García 2026-01-09 09:47:51 UTC
Hi, again!

I'm afraid I've found a different case scenario where the issue is reproducible. 

Yesterday I created a simple project, which worked fine. Today, on the Windows file explorer, I changed the name of the only clip that I use in the project and then I opened my project from the Windows file explorer itself. Kdenlive gets stuck for a good while and, as previously reported, if I wait and then I click somewhere on the screen, then the project gets opened.

As previously reported, if I open this project from the Kdenlive menu, there are no issues: I get the ‘Clip problems’ window.

This has been tested with kdenlive-release_25.12-11854-windows-gcc-x86_64.
Comment 11 David García 2026-01-09 09:48:41 UTC
Created attachment 188347 [details]
Video recording of the issue
Comment 12 vkdesign 2026-01-10 07:26:03 UTC
I can confirm the issue persists on that specific scenario.
Comment 13 vkdesign 2026-01-12 06:02:20 UTC
Update:

It's in fact not fixed. I can still see flickering and infinite loading when I double click open any project. I tested with following version:

kdenlive-release_25.12-11854-windows-gcc-x86_64.exe
Comment 14 David García 2026-01-15 22:18:35 UTC
The issue is reproducible on 25.12.1 in the scenario described earlier: a project where one clip has been renamed and therefore can't be found. Instead of displaying the ‘Clip problems’ window, there's some flickering for a while.
Comment 15 Bernd 2026-01-21 05:48:15 UTC
(In reply to David García from comment #14)
> The issue is reproducible on 25.12.1 in the scenario described earlier: a
> project where one clip has been renamed and therefore can't be found.
> Instead of displaying the ‘Clip problems’ window, there's some flickering
> for a while.

If it's still reproducible, the status of the bug report needs to be changed back to REPORTED or even better to CONFIRMED. I've done that now.
Comment 16 David García 2026-01-21 08:56:45 UTC
> If it's still reproducible, the status of the bug report needs to be changed
> back to REPORTED or even better to CONFIRMED. I've done that now.

Thanks! Reporting issues in Kdenlive is still something new to me. I'll take it into account next time.
Comment 17 Jean-Baptiste Mardelle 2026-01-22 16:42:50 UTC
Git commit 05b6c1319a1b144121174f6dce7ca65516673397 by Jean-Baptiste Mardelle.
Committed on 22/01/2026 at 16:41.
Pushed by mardelle into branch 'release/25.12'.

Fix app glitch opening project with missing clip on Windows

M  +1    -1    src/dialogs/splash.cpp

https://invent.kde.org/multimedia/kdenlive/-/commit/05b6c1319a1b144121174f6dce7ca65516673397
Comment 18 David García 2026-02-04 09:52:01 UTC
(In reply to Jean-Baptiste Mardelle from comment #17)
> Git commit 05b6c1319a1b144121174f6dce7ca65516673397 by Jean-Baptiste
> Mardelle.
> Committed on 22/01/2026 at 16:41.
> Pushed by mardelle into branch 'release/25.12'.
> 
> Fix app glitch opening project with missing clip on Windows
> 
> M  +1    -1    src/dialogs/splash.cpp
> 
> https://invent.kde.org/multimedia/kdenlive/-/commit/
> 05b6c1319a1b144121174f6dce7ca65516673397

Hi!

Is there a beta version (please provide link) that you want me try or should I just wait for 25.12.2?
Comment 19 David García 2026-02-09 20:26:31 UTC
Hi,

I've just tried version 25.12.2 and the issue is fixed. Thanks!
Comment 20 Bernd 2026-02-09 21:20:16 UTC
Thanks for confirming that it is fixed in 25.12.2!

Closing as RESOLVED - FIXED