The fastest way to delete a Premiere Pro project

To delete a project in Premiere Pro, close the project first, then go to File > Open Recent > right-click the project name and select Delete. If the project doesn't appear in your recent list, navigate to your file system (Finder on Mac, File Explorer on Windows), locate the project folder, and delete it there. Premiere Pro projects are just folders containing your editing files, so deleting the folder removes the entire project.

The reason you close the project first matters: Premiere Pro locks certain files while a project is open, and trying to delete a locked file can fail or leave orphaned data behind. Closing cleanly prevents that problem.

Key Takeaways

  • Close your project in Premiere Pro before attempting to delete it, because open projects lock files that cannot be removed.
  • The quickest method is File > Open Recent, then right-click the project name and select Delete from the context menu.
  • If your project does not appear in the recent list, use your computer's file manager to navigate to the project folder and delete it manually.
  • Deleting a Premiere Pro project removes the entire folder, including all media links, sequences, and settings stored inside it.

Deleting from the Open Recent menu

After you close a project, the fastest deletion route is through Premiere Pro's Open Recent menu. Click File at the top of the screen, then hover over Open Recent. A list of your recent projects appears. Find the project you want to delete, right-click it, and select Delete from the menu that appears.

This method works only if the project still appears in your recent list. Premiere Pro keeps roughly the last 20 projects there, so older projects may not show up. If your project is missing from the list, skip to the file manager method below.

Deleting through your file manager

If your project does not appear in Open Recent, you can delete it using your computer's built-in file manager. On Mac, open Finder. On Windows, open File Explorer. Navigate to the location where you saved your Premiere Pro project folder.

Premiere Pro projects are stored as folders with a .prproj file inside. The folder name is usually the same as your project name. Right-click the entire project folder and select Move to Trash (Mac) or Delete (Windows). On Windows, you may be asked to confirm the deletion; click Yes.

Do not delete individual files inside the project folder unless you know exactly what you are removing. The .prproj file is the main project file, but the folder also contains cache files, preview files, and links to your media. Deleting the whole folder ensures nothing is left behind.

What happens when you delete a project

When you delete a Premiere Pro project folder, you remove the project file itself, all your sequences, all your edits, and Premiere Pro's internal cache and preview files. The original media files (your video clips, audio files, and images) are not deleted — they remain wherever you stored them on your computer or external drive.

This is important because it means you can safely delete a project without losing your source footage. If you want to keep the media but start fresh with a new project, deleting the old project folder does exactly that. If you want to delete both the project and the media, you will need to delete the media files separately through your file manager.

Recovering a deleted project

Once you delete a project folder, it goes to your Trash (Mac) or Recycle Bin (Windows). You can recover it by opening Trash or Recycle Bin, finding the project folder, and restoring it to its original location. This works as long as you have not emptied the Trash or Recycle Bin.

If you have already emptied the Trash or Recycle Bin, recovery becomes much harder and may not be possible without specialized data recovery software. For this reason, if you are unsure about deleting a project, move it to an archive folder instead of deleting it outright. You can always delete it later once you are certain you no longer need it.

Cleaning up linked media and cache files

Deleting a project folder removes Premiere Pro's internal files, but it does not touch your original media or the cache files Premiere Pro created while you were working. If you want to free up disk space, you may want to delete these separately.

Your media files live wherever you originally imported them from — usually a folder on your hard drive or external drive. You can delete these manually through your file manager if you no longer need them. Premiere Pro's cache and preview files are stored in a separate location: on Mac, look in ~/Library/Caches/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files; on Windows, look in Users > [Your Username] > AppData > Local > Adobe > Common > Media Cache Files. You can safely delete everything in these folders to reclaim space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting a project delete my original video files?

No. Deleting a Premiere Pro project removes only the project folder and Premiere Pro's internal files. Your original video clips, audio files, and images remain on your computer or external drive. You must delete those files separately if you want to remove them.

Can I undo a project deletion?

Yes, as long as you have not emptied your Trash (Mac) or Recycle Bin (Windows). Open Trash or Recycle Bin, find the project folder, and restore it. If you have already emptied the Trash or Recycle Bin, recovery is difficult without data recovery software.

What if Premiere Pro says the project is in use?

This means the project is still open in Premiere Pro or another application has locked it. Close Premiere Pro completely, wait a few seconds, then try deleting again. If the error persists, restart your computer and try once more.

Should I delete the cache files when I delete a project?

You do not have to, but deleting cache files frees up disk space. Cache files are safe to delete and Premiere Pro will recreate them if needed. They are stored separately from your project folder in Adobe's cache directory.