Premiere Pro extensions greyed out or not showing: fixes

Why are Premiere Pro extensions greyed out or not showing?

On the pages we checked on 3 November 2026, Adobe doesn't publish a list of causes for a greyed-out or missing extension, so this guide won't invent one. What Adobe does publish is how extensions are built, packaged, installed and cached. A panel can fail to load at any of those points, so work through them in order.

A Premiere Pro extension is one of two kinds:

• A CEP extension is a panel built with Adobe's CEP SDK and delivered as a ZXP file.
• A UXP plugin uses UXP, the framework Adobe has built into Premiere and other Creative Cloud apps.

The two install differently, so your first job is to find out which one you have.

Not sure how a panel differs from a script or an effect plug-in? Our explainer on plug-ins vs scripts vs extensions covers the file types. Its CEP part applies to Premiere panels too, because the same ZXP installers serve After Effects and Premiere Pro.

1. Find out if the panel is CEP (a .zxp) or UXP.
2. For a ZXP, confirm it was installed with a tool that still works.
3. Check that the extension's folder is in a CEP extensions folder.
4. Clear the CEP cache, then reopen Premiere Pro.
5. Check what the panel itself needs: a companion app, a licence or a host version.

If none of that helps, contact the maker's support. The aescripts ZXP Installer page, for example, asks you to read its FAQ first and then open a support ticket.

Is my extension a CEP panel or a UXP plugin?

Look at the file you downloaded. A .zxp file is a CEP extension. Adobe's CEP-Resources page says extensions built with its CEP tools must be packaged as ZXP files to be seen and loaded by Extension Manager. If the maker's instructions talk about UXP, follow Adobe's UXP route instead.

Adobe's Premiere UXP page calls UXP (Unified eXtensibility Platform) a framework built into Premiere and other Creative Cloud apps. The UXP Developer Tool creates plugins from templates and loads them, and a pre-compiled template plugin can be loaded straight into it. UDT is aimed at people building plugins. As an editor, follow the install route the plugin's maker gives you.

The rest of this page is mostly about CEP, because that is where the ZXP files, folders and cache live. The pages we checked don't say which Premiere Pro versions take CEP and which take UXP. If you suspect a mismatch between your panel and your Premiere version, ask the maker.

If your download turns out to be a preset or a template rather than a panel, see importing Premiere Pro presets or using Premiere Pro templates instead.

How do I install a ZXP after Extension Manager's end of life?

Use a third-party ZXP installer. Adobe's CEP-Resources page lists an "Extension Manager End of Life" announcement under its installation tools. Under Other Tools it links two installer sites, zxpinstaller.com and install.anastasiy.com.

The aescripts ZXP Installer is free, as its page stated when we checked on 3 November 2026. It installs CEP extensions for After Effects and Premiere Pro, and it works with any ZXP, not only ones bought from aescripts. Here are the steps as far as its page describes them:

1. Download the .zxp from the extension's maker.
2. Open the aescripts ZXP Installer.
3. On a Mac, drag and drop the .zxp onto it. On Windows, the page says you install by double-click.
4. If the normal install fails, use the fallback custom install option. aescripts says it should work where other installers fail, Adobe's own included.
5. Restart Premiere Pro and look for the panel again.

The installer's page doesn't publish where the custom install option sits, which Premiere versions it supports or whether it handles UXP. If a ZXP installs without an error but still doesn't show, go on to the folder check below. For a longer walk-through of both formats, see our guide to installing Premiere Pro extensions (ZXP and UXP).

If you build panels yourself, Adobe lists ZXPSignCMD as its command-line tool for packaging and signing ZXP files.

If your panel is Animation Composer or Premiere Composer, see our guide to installing Animation Composer and Premiere Composer.

Where are Premiere Pro extensions installed on Windows and Mac?

CEP extensions sit in one of two folders: one for your user account, or one for every user on the computer. Adobe's panel install script lists both on each system. The script was written for Photoshop panels, but the paths are Adobe's CEP paths, not Photoshop ones.

Open both extensions folders and look for a folder named after the extension:

• It's in neither. The install didn't finish. Run the installer again, or use its fallback custom install.
• It's there. Note which folder holds it. The user folder serves only the account that installed it. On a shared or work computer where you sign in as someone else, that explains why one account sees the panel and another doesn't.

The all-users paths sit in system locations (Program Files on Windows, the top-level Library on a Mac). The per-user paths sit inside your own account. If an installer gave you the choice, the folder you find the panel in shows which option it used.

How do I clear the CEP cache for Premiere Pro extensions?

Quit Premiere Pro, open the cep_cache folder, remove the cache folders that match the extension that won't load, then reopen Premiere. The folder is AppData\Local\Temp\cep_cache\ inside your Windows user folder, or ~/Library/Caches/CSXS/cep_cache/ on a Mac.

We suggest this because Adobe's own panel install script does it. Its clean-cache step builds these two paths from your home folder and removes the matching folders as part of installing. The script doesn't say that a stale cache greys out a panel. Treat this as a clean-up step, not a guaranteed fix.

1. Quit Premiere Pro and any other Adobe app that might load the same panel, such as After Effects.
2. Open the cep_cache folder for your system, using the path above.
3. Delete the folders whose names match the extension.
4. Reopen Premiere Pro and open the panel again.

Leave the extensions folders themselves alone during this step. Deleting from them removes the extension, not its cache, and you would have to install it again.

Why does one extension stay greyed out when the others work?

If the install, the folder and the cache all check out, the panel may be waiting for something only its maker documents. Read the maker's install page for three things.

• A companion app. Some panels work alongside a desktop app that must be installed, and sometimes running. mouzeclick's panels are one example (see below).
• A licence or sign-in. A panel that checks a licence may not respond until you activate it in the maker's app or account.
• A host version. The maker may support only some Premiere Pro versions. The Adobe pages we checked don't say which versions take CEP or UXP, so use the maker's own list.

It also helps to try the same panel in another Adobe app it supports. If it loads in After Effects but not in Premiere Pro, the files are there and the problem is specific to Premiere, which is worth telling the maker. If you are choosing new panels rather than fixing old ones, our Premiere Pro plugins by job guide lists what each one does.

Do Premiere Pro extensions work on Apple silicon Macs?

The Adobe pages and the installer page we checked say nothing about how CEP panels behave on Apple silicon, and we won't guess. Before you assume an install problem on a newer Mac, check the extension maker's page for Mac support.

For mouzeclick, which we make:

• The Mac app runs on macOS 12 or newer, on Apple Silicon and Intel.
• Its Premiere Pro panels run on a Mac too, except the Windows-only parts listed in the next section.
• Apple hasn't notarized the Mac app yet, so the first time it opens, macOS asks you to allow it.
• It needs to be switched on under Accessibility and Input Monitoring.

Our four-step Mac install covers both, including the Open Anyway step under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Security.

Why is a mouzeclick panel missing in Premiere Pro? (we make it)

We make mouzeclick, so this section is about our own panels. They are extensions, installed by the mouzeclick app, and they open under Window › Extensions. They are not effect plug-ins. If one is missing or won't respond, work through these checks. The full list of panels and what each does is on our all-in-one Premiere Pro extension page.

1. The bridge isn't installed. In the mouzeclick app, open the Tool wheel page and press Install Premiere bridge (or Install After Effects bridge). Restart Premiere Pro, then open the panel from Window › Extensions. One bridge panel serves Premiere Pro and After Effects at once.
2. The app isn't running. Keep mouzeclick running in the tray (Windows) or the menu bar (Mac) while you work. mousecut, mouzegrade and mouzmic also need mouzeclick installed on the same computer.
3. There's no connection. mouzeclick needs the internet while it runs, because the licence and profiles live in your account. If the connection drops, the shortcuts pause and the mouse acts normally until it returns.
4. You're on a Mac and looking for a Windows-only part. The workspaces are part of mouzeclick on Windows. The Mac app doesn't include them, so "mouzeclick workspace" won't appear on a Mac. Studio's Captions and Retakes tabs are Windows only too.
5. The panel files are old. On Windows, mouzeclick keeps its Premiere Pro and After Effects extension files up to date by itself. In-app updates are Windows only for now.

On version support:

• mouzeclick publishes no minimum Premiere Pro version.
• The panel files support Premiere Pro 2020 (14.0) or later, and After Effects CC 2018 or later.
• Every panel was run tool by tool in Premiere Pro 26.5.1 and After Effects 26.5 on Windows.

Check your own version with the 3-day trial, no card. The setup steps and a card for every panel are on the extensions page. The Windows-only workspace has its own workspace page, and the Tool wheels are on the Premiere Pro and After Effects tools page.

What should I send support if the extension still won't load?

Send the maker a short, complete report. It saves a round of questions. Include:

• the extension's name and the file you installed (.zxp, or the UXP route the maker gave)
• the installer you used, and whether you tried its fallback or custom install
• which CEP extensions folder the extension ended up in: user, all users or neither
• whether you cleared the matching cep_cache folders and restarted Premiere Pro
• your Premiere Pro version and your system: Windows 10 or 11, or macOS and whether the Mac is Apple silicon or Intel
• whether the same panel loads in another Adobe app it supports

For mouzeclick, write to [email protected]. Priority email support comes with every key. Say whether you are on Windows or Mac, and whether the bridge shows as installed on the app's Tool wheel page.

Questions people ask

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-03. Prices and features change: each link goes to the maker's own page.

1. aescripts: ZXP Installer
2. Adobe CEP-Resources on GitHub (ZXP packaging, Extension Manager end of life, ZXPSignCMD)
3. Adobe generator-panels installPanels.py (CEP folders and cache)
4. Adobe: UXP for Premiere Pro
5. Adobe: UXP starters and samples (UXP Developer Tool)

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