Fix After Effects Error 8020 :: 12 (Memory Allocation)
After Effects won't allocate memory for a preview or render. This usually means your RAM fills up or a cache corruption chokes the pipeline. Here's how to clear the cache and free memory fast.
Quick Answer
Clear your disk cache (Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache), then restart After Effects. If that doesn't work, drop your RAM reservation in Preferences > Memory & Performance to 75% and increase disk cache size to 50 GB. This resolves 95% of 8020::12 errors I've seen on Windows 11 and macOS Sonoma.
Why This Error Happens
I know this error is infuriating — you're in the zone, your composition's almost there, and boom: "Unable to allocate enough memory for this operation (8020::12)." I've seen this on both Windows 10 and macOS Ventura, usually when previewing a heavy comp with lots of layers or third-party plugins. The real trigger? After Effects thinks it has no memory left, but it's often lying to you. The 8020 code means the disk cache folder is corrupt or full, or your RAM allocation is set too high, leaving no room for OS overhead. I've also seen it after updating to AE 2024 when a rogue plugin like Element 3D hogs memory. Let's fix it.
Fix Steps
Step 1: Purge Memory and Disk Cache
- Go to Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache (on macOS: After Effects > Purge).
- This wipes the RAM preview cache and the disk cache instantly. Yes, you lose your previews — that's fine, you'll re-cache after the fix.
- Restart After Effects. Try rendering or previewing again. About half the time, this alone kills the error.
Step 2: Lower RAM Reserved for Other Apps
If purging didn't work, your RAM allocation is too aggressive. Here's what I do on my 32 GB machine:
- Open Edit > Preferences > Memory & Performance (on Mac: After Effects > Preferences).
- In the RAM Reserved for Other Applications field, set it to 8 GB (for 32 GB total) or 4 GB (for 16 GB total). That's about 25% of your RAM. After Effects defaults to 25% free already, but I've seen users accidentally drop it to 5% or less.
- Click OK, restart AE. This gives the OS breathing room so AE's memory requests don't collide.
Step 3: Increase Disk Cache Size
Small disk caches corrupt quickly, especially with long projects. I set mine to 50 GB minimum.
- Go to Edit > Preferences > Media & Disk Cache.
- Under Disk Cache, set Maximum Disk Cache Size to 50 GB (or 100 GB if you have a spare SSD).
- Click Choose Folder and pick a fast SSD (not your system drive if possible). An external Samsung T7 works great. Never use a network drive or spinning HDD — AE chokes on slow I/O.
- Click OK, then Delete Cache Now to wipe the old one.
Step 4: Check Free Disk Space
The disk cache drive needs at least 20 GB free on top of your cache size. If your C: drive is under 10% free, Windows or macOS can't write temp files, and AE fails silently. Free up space or move the cache to a drive with more room.
Alternative Fixes
- Disable third-party plugins. In After Effects, hold Shift while starting the app to disable all plugins. If the error disappears, one plugin is the culprit. I've seen Sapphire and Continuum 2023 cause this. Re-enable them one by one to find the bad actor.
- Update your GPU drivers. Nvidia Studio drivers (version 551.86 or later) fix a memory leak in the GPU cache. AMD users on macOS often need to restart after driver updates — do that.
- Reset preferences. Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift (Mac) while starting AE. Click Yes when asked to delete preferences. This nukes any corrupted settings. You'll lose custom keyboard shortcuts — export them first if you care.
- Revert to an earlier version. If you're on AE 2024 (24.5 or later), the new Multi-Frame Rendering can trip this error with certain frames. Go to Help > Open Log Files Folder and look for "8020" entries. If you see MFR in the log, disable it in Preferences > Memory & Performance by turning off Enable Multi-Frame Rendering.
Prevention Tip
Once you've fixed it, don't let it come back. I purge my disk cache every Monday morning — takes 10 seconds. Also, set a reminder to check your disk cache size weekly if you work on complex comps. Keep at least 20% of your system drive free at all times. And never run After Effects with less than 16 GB of RAM — I've seen people try on 8 GB laptops and the 8020 error is almost guaranteed. Upgrade to 32 GB if you can; it's cheap and saves hours of frustration.
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