Subkick Caption troubleshooting: common problems and how to fix them

Before anything else: the 4 usual causes

Check	Why
Premiere Pro 2025 or later	The panel and the caption templates need it. On 2024 or older, the panel doesn’t appear, or generation is refused.
Internet connection	The license is checked at every start; AI transcription and updates run online. Generation itself is local.
The right sequence is open and active	Transcription, generation and Autocut always work on the sequence in front in the timeline.
The target track is free and unlocked	Generation won’t place anything on a locked track 🔒 and asks before overwriting other clips.

Tip: most “it doesn’t work” moments are solved by saving the project (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S), making sure the editing sequence is in front, and clicking the action again.

The panel doesn’t appear or doesn’t open

What you see	What to do
Subkick Caption is missing from Window › Extensions	Update Premiere Pro to 2025 or later from the Creative Cloud app. Then quit Premiere Pro, run the installer again (install.bat on Windows, the .pkg on macOS) and reopen it.
Template not found — reinstall the plugin	A plugin file is missing: run the installer again, Premiere Pro closed.
Direct download failed — the website page just opened instead (during an update)	Download the latest version from the page that opened and install it like the first time.

Full installation steps: Install the plugin.

License and email address

Message	What to do
Activate Subkick Caption keeps coming back	Paste your key again; if you don’t have it, click I don’t have my license key to get it by email.
Unknown key. / Invalid key format	Copy-paste the key from the email (format SKCP-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX).
Confirm your email address	Click Confirm my email in the email we sent, then Retry. No email? Resend the email, or fix a typo with Not the right address?
Switch computer	The key is linked to another computer: click 💻 Use the plugin on this computer and confirm the 6-digit code sent by email (see Activate your license key).
Connection required / ⚠ Offline — connection required.	Check your connection, then Retry.
License not authenticated	An antivirus or a company proxy is altering the connection: try another network, then Retry.
Computer not identified	An antivirus or a system protection blocked the reading: restart Premiere Pro, or click Retry.
⚠ Payment failed: update your card…	Your license is on Free until the card is updated; your subscription comes back right after.

Everything about keys: Activate your license key.

AI transcription

Message	What to do
Open an active sequence in Premiere, then try again.	Click in your timeline so your editing sequence is the active one.
Pick at least one audio track (or check ‘All non-muted tracks’).	Choose the track that holds the voice.
None of the selected tracks has audio in the range to transcribe.	The chosen tracks are silent between your In/Out points: pick the voice track, or widen the range.
Audio too large to upload	Transcribe in several parts: set In/Out points around a shorter section.
⚠ Not enough credits for this duration. / Not enough transcription credits left.	Shorten the range, or import your captions instead (.srt or from the sequence — no credits). See Free, Pro and Max.
The transcription service didn’t answer in time. (with “run the same transcription again”)	Run the same transcription again without changing anything: the job already started is resumed, at no extra credits.
You switched sequences while the transcription was running.	Nothing was overwritten. Go back to the original sequence and run it again.
Audio extraction failed.	Free some disk space, then try again — or import an .srt file.
The transcription server is busy / Too many transcriptions in a row	Wait a moment, then try again.

More in AI transcription.

Importing captions

Message	What to do
Could not read the project file (.prproj). / Could not read the project’s subtitles.	Save the project (Ctrl+S) and try again, or use the .srt route: in Premiere, export your captions to an SRT file and import that file.
Lines arrive with a ⏱ and no timecodes	Typed text has no timing yet: place the playhead and set the start and end of each flagged block. See Write your own text.

See Import an SRT file or your Premiere captions.

Preview and video background

Message	What to do
Background too large / …too large for the preview (over 1 GB)	Click the button to recreate it lighter: in ⚙ › Settings › Display, set Video background quality to Low, or create it between In/Out points.
Your video background was made by a previous version	Click Create background to make it again.
The video background is being created.	Wait until it’s ready: Premiere can only do one thing at a time.
Some of your subtitles were left hidden in Premiere after the video background was created.	In the timeline, turn their track’s eye icon back on and re-enable their clips (right-click › Enable), otherwise they’ll be missing from the export.

See Layout and word placement.

Generation on the timeline

Message	What to do
Your Premiere Pro version is too old for the subtitle templates	Update to Premiere Pro 2025 (25.0) or later. Nothing was placed, no credit was used.
Missing or invalid timecodes: subtitle(s) N.	Set the start and the end of these blocks in the Text step, then generate.
The target track is locked	Click the padlock 🔒 on the left of the timeline to unlock it, then ⚡ Generate again.
Button reads Generate & overwrite	The chosen track has other clips. Confirm to overwrite, or pick a free track (click V for the first free one).
Nested sequence open — go back to your editing sequence	You’re inside the generated captions sequence: go back to your edit, then generate.
Two of your sequences share the same name	Rename one of them, then generate again.
Premiere is busy (auto-save, dialog box or render in progress?) — still waiting…	Close any open dialog and let Premiere finish; generation continues by itself.
Your subtitles were placed as ONE single clip	The automatic cut didn’t happen. Nothing is lost: razor it yourself, or generate again with the sequence open; if it repeats, restart Premiere Pro.
We couldn’t add the video track we needed	Add an empty video track above your tracks (right-click a track header › Add Tracks), then generate again.
Safe mode	After a Premiere incident, automatic cutting is paused: close and reopen the panel, and answer the window shown at startup.
Too many generations in a row	Wait a few minutes, then generate again.

Details in Generate your captions on the timeline.

Autocut (beta)

Message	What to do
Sequence too long to analyze (over 6 h)	Set In/Out points around a shorter part.
Premiere didn’t let the gaps close	Select the gaps and use Ripple Delete in Premiere.
The active sequence changed since the analysis: nothing was cut.	Reopen Autocut on the right sequence and analyze again.
Autocut could not complete.	Try again; if it happens again, copy the report shown and send it to us.

See Remove silences with Autocut.

Saving your work

The panel saves everything automatically, for each sequence of your project. If you see Your session could not be saved, save your Premiere project once (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S): the panel then has a folder for its backup copy and saving resumes by itself.

Still stuck? Write to us from the panel

1. Click ⚙ (top right of the panel), then ✉ Contact and the Send tab.
2. Describe what you were doing and what you saw.
3. Tick Attach technical diagnostic (helps fix a bug): it sends technical details about the plugin and Premiere — nothing else.
4. Click Send. Our reply appears in the panel in ✉ Contact › Inbox, and a yellow dot on ⚙ tells you it’s there.

Why it matters: the diagnostic shows us your versions and what the panel was doing at the moment it failed — it usually saves several back-and-forth emails.

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't Subkick Caption appear in Premiere Pro?

Subkick Caption needs Adobe Premiere Pro 2025 or later: on older versions it doesn't appear in Window › Extensions. Update Premiere Pro, quit it completely, run the Subkick Caption installer again if needed, and reopen Premiere Pro.

Why does Subkick Caption say “Connection required”?

Subkick Caption checks your license online each time it starts, and AI transcription runs on our server. Check your Internet connection, then click Retry. A company proxy or an antivirus that rewrites connections can also cause it: try another network.

Why did my captions arrive as a single clip?

The automatic cut in the timeline didn't happen. Nothing is lost: you can razor the clip yourself. Run ⚡ Generate again with your sequence open; if it happens again, restart Premiere Pro.

What does “Background too large” mean in Subkick Caption?

The video background used for the preview is over 1 GB. In ⚙ › Settings › Display, set Video background quality to Low, then create the background again, or create it only between In/Out points.

How do I report a bug in Subkick Caption?

Click ⚙ then ✉ Contact in the panel, describe what you did and tick Attach technical diagnostic. Our reply arrives in the panel, in the Inbox tab, and a yellow dot on ⚙ tells you when it's there.