If you’re new to Premiere Pro and the whole export process, you might wonder, “Where is my project or video actually saved?” It’s a common question when starting out!
Premiere Pro has default save locations, but once you change it once, it’s all in your hands. Typically, the last save location you used becomes the current one. So, if you’ve finished your project and hit “save” without thinking about where it’s going, chances are it’s saved in the same spot as your last project. If you’re unsure, you can always use your computer’s search function to track it down.
Where to find Premiere Pro export project
Knowing exactly where to save your project right from the start is always a good idea. Ideally, you should pick a folder where all your project materials are stored. But if you forget, check your last project location. It may be in your desktop, downloads, or last used folder. Also, you can check Premiere Pro’s default project folder:
| WINDOWS | MAC |
| C:\Users\[YourName]\Documents\Adobe\Premiere Pro\[Version]\ | User/Documents/Adobe/Premiere Pro/[Version]/ |
How to set a save location for a project in Premiere Pro
It is always better and calmer to choose the places to save projects yourself so that there are no unexpected and unwanted “surprises”. Premiere Pro has two situations where you can choose where to save your project:
Situation 1: When creating a new project
When you’re starting a new project, open Premiere Pro, select “New Project”, and in the “Location” field, you’ll see the last place you saved a project. Click “Browse” to choose where you want to save this one.
Situation 2: Changing the save location for an existing project
If you’ve already started a project and realized you didn’t set the correct save location, don’t worry! You can change it at any time by going to the top left menu, selecting “File,” then “Save As…”, and choosing a new location.
An Alternative Way to Change the Save Location
If you prefer, you can move your project file and all its associated folders to a new location on your computer. Just make sure to close the project in Premiere Pro first. After moving everything, reopen the project, and Premiere Pro will relink the files for you—so you won’t lose any of your edits!
Where to find Premiere Pro export video
If you didn’t manually choose where to export your video, Premiere Pro will automatically save it in the last folder you used. So, to find your file, just think back to where you saved your previous video. If that doesn’t help, you can search your computer for the file with the search function.
| WINDOWS | MAC |
| Open File Explorer → Click “Quick Access” → Check “Recent Files | Open Finder → Go to “Recents” tab |
If this is your first project and you haven’t set an export location before, the exported video is likely saved in the same folder as your project file. You can also check your “Downloads” folder or your desktop—those are common places where Premiere Pro might save your video.
That said, I highly recommend manually selecting your export location every time. It helps keep everything organized, easy to find, and just makes you a more professional, responsible, and disciplined video editor!
How to set an export location for your video in Premiere Pro
To choose your own export location, open the export window. You can get there through the top left menu or by using the handy shortcut (Command+M on Mac or Control+M on Windows). I always recommend using shortcuts to save time!
Once the export window pops up, you’ll see a line showing where the video will be saved. To change it, just click on the video’s name (blue text), which is located right above that line. A new window will open, allowing you to change the file name and, most importantly, choose the folder where you want to save the video. Click “Save”, then export your video. Done!
Pro Tips
If you’re wasting time looking for files – it’s time to fix that. Experienced video editors stay organized for a reason — it saves them time and stress. Here are my tips to avoid problems with exporting in Premiere Pro once and for all:
- Project folder
Create a special folder just for your video projects. This will help you quickly find any project you need. Here’s an example of how your folder path could look:
| WINDOWS | MAC |
| C:\Users[YourName]\Documents\Premiere Projects\Project Name | User/Documents/Premiere Projects/Project Name |
You won’t need to remember where each project is. Everything will be in one place. Simple, fast, and convenient.
- Export folder
Same idea here. Make a folder just for your exported videos. Of course, you can make a new export folder for each project — but I recommend having one main export folder for all video. This will save time and you won’t have to choose a new location every time you export. Super handy! - Clear file names
This rule is a must, especially if you follow the first two tips. Always name your project so that you understand what the project is. The same goes for your videos. I suggest giving your exported video the same name as your project — or something clear enough so you don’t have to open the video to know what it is. - Double check everything
Before you click “Save” or “Export”, always check the file name and where it’s being saved — even if you’re using the same folder every time. And after exporting, make sure everything saved correctly and is in the right place.
do you know how to change the location permanently, so that you don’ have to choose the location each time?
If you have a folder that you’ve reserved for your projects (or exported videos) you just need to choose it manually the first time you save something. After that, whenever you create a new project, Premiere will automatically use that same folder as the default save location. That goes for both project files and exported videos. Just make sure not to delete that folder, and you’ll be good to go.