Because export happens entirely in your browser tab, the render depends on the tab staying open, active, and adequately resourced for however long the encode takes. A stall usually traces back to something interrupting that, not a fault in the compilation itself.
Most likely cause: the tab lost focus or the device went to sleep
Switching away from the tab for a long time, letting a laptop lid close, or letting the system go to sleep can pause or interrupt an in-progress render, since the rendering work happens in that specific tab. This is more common on laptops with aggressive power-saving settings than on desktops.
Second cause: the tab was closed or refreshed mid-render
Closing the tab, or the browser crashing, stops the render outright — there's no background render that continues after the tab is gone. A refresh during rendering has the same effect.
Third cause: memory pressure from a long or heavy project
Longer compilations, higher resolution exports, or many other tabs and apps competing for memory can slow a render to the point where it looks stalled even though it's technically still working, especially near the higher end of clip count and duration.
How to fix it
- Keep the tab open and in focus
Don't switch away, minimize the window, or let the device sleep while a render is in progress.
- Close other tabs and apps before exporting
Free up memory and CPU ahead of time rather than mid-render, especially on a laptop.
- Disable sleep/screen lock for the export
Adjust your device's power settings temporarily so it doesn't sleep partway through a longer render.
- Restart the export from the same project
If a render does stall out, your project and edit plan are saved, so you can reopen it and start the export again rather than rebuilding anything.
There's no server-side rendering queue behind this — closing the tab mid-render stops it completely. Treat export like an active task that needs the tab to stay open, not a background job you can walk away from.
Choosing settings that render more reliably
| Situation | What helps |
|---|---|
| Long compilation near 90 seconds with many clips | Close other tabs/apps first, and expect a longer render time |
| Older or lower-powered laptop | Export at 720x1280 instead of 1080x1920 if reliability matters more than maximum resolution |
| Working on battery power | Plug in before exporting rather than relying on battery through a long render |
Preventing it next time
- Export when you can dedicate the tab and device to the task rather than starting a render and immediately switching to other work.
- Trim your project down before exporting rather than exporting an overly long draft you plan to fix later.
- Check current resolution and duration guidance in the app if you're consistently seeing stalls on longer projects.
When it isn't a stalled render
If the render finishes but the resulting file is unexpectedly large, that's a separate export-size issue — see the export file too large page.