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To use Premiere Pro on a Mac, confirm that your Mac and your Premiere version meet Adobe’s requirements, create a project, import footage, arrange clips in a sequence, save, and export with Export Media (Cmd+M). The steps below follow that order. The compatibility figures come from Adobe’s technical requirements page, last updated September 29, 2026, and they apply to the Premiere 26 releases listed on that page.
Check compatibility before you install
Adobe’s requirements page covers Premiere versions 26.0, 26.2, 26.3, 26.3.2, 26.5, 26.5.1, and 26.5.2. If you run a different version, look up that version’s requirements rather than assuming these figures apply. The table compares Adobe’s minimum with its recommended tier.
| Item | Adobe minimum | Adobe recommended |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | macOS 15 Sequoia | macOS 26 Tahoe or later |
| Processor | Intel 8th generation or newer with AVX2, or Apple silicon A18 or later | Apple silicon M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, or newer |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB unified memory for Apple silicon |
| Installation space | 8 GB free, plus extra free space during installation | Not stated on the requirements page |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 | Not stated on the requirements page |
| Storage layout | Application cannot be installed on removable flash storage | Fast internal SSD for the application and cache, plus one additional high-speed drive for media |
Two points deserve attention. First, Adobe describes the minimums as aimed at HD editing and reserves its recommended tier for HD, 4K, or higher-resolution work. Second, the processor row is internally inconsistent as written: the minimum names Apple silicon A18 or later, while the recommended tier names M1-series chips and newer. Read the live page for the current wording before you buy or upgrade hardware.
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- HAPPILY EVER FASTER — Along with its faster CPU and unified memory, M5 features a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
- BUILT FOR APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Pro delivers the same exceptional performance whether it’s running on battery or plugged in.
- APPS FLY WITH APPLE SILICON — All your favorites, including Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud, run lightning fast in macOS.*
Keyboard shortcuts you will use
These are Adobe’s default Mac bindings for the actions covered in this guide.
| Action | Mac shortcut |
|---|---|
| New sequence | Cmd+N |
| Save | Cmd+S |
| Import | Cmd+I |
| Import from Media Browser | Opt+Cmd+I |
| Undo | Cmd+Z |
| Export Media | Cmd+M |
Adobe lets you create or edit shortcuts. If a key does nothing, your binding may have been changed or a preset may be active. Open Premiere’s Keyboard Shortcuts settings to check and restore the defaults.
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- FAST RUNS IN THE FAMILY — The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip brings next-generation speed and powerful on-device AI to personal, professional, and creative tasks. With all-day battery life, double the starting storage,* and a breathtaking Liquid Retina XDR display, it’s pro in every way.*
- BUCKLE UP — Along with a next-generation CPU, faster unified memory, and up to 2x faster SSD storage,* M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance and on-device training capabilities. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
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Step 1: Set up your storage
Put the application and its cache on a fast internal SSD, as Adobe recommends. Keep your footage on a separate high-speed drive so that media reads do not compete with the app’s own disk activity. An external SSD is optional, and Adobe does not endorse a particular brand, interface, capacity, or model. Choose a drive based on how much footage you expect to store and how quickly you need to read it.
Adobe states that the application cannot be installed on removable flash storage, so install it on the Mac’s internal drive.
Rank #3
- FAST RUNS IN THE FAMILY — The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip brings next-generation speed and powerful on-device AI to personal, professional, and creative tasks. With all-day battery life, double the starting storage,* and a breathtaking Liquid Retina XDR display, it’s pro in every way.*
- BUCKLE UP — Along with a next-generation CPU, faster unified memory, and up to 2x faster SSD storage,* M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance and on-device training capabilities. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
- BUILT FOR AI — Apple silicon, and every major component that powers it, is designed to run demanding on-device AI workloads like LLM inference and training. And Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Pro delivers the same exceptional performance whether it’s running on battery or plugged in.*
- MACOS RUNS APPS FAST — All your go-to apps run lightning fast in macOS, including built-in apps like FaceTime and Messages. Plus, built-in virus protection and free software updates help keep your Mac running smoothly and securely.
Step 2: Create a project and save it
- Open Premiere and start a new project from File > New > Project.
- Name the project and choose a location you can find again. Many editors keep the project file in the same folder as a copy of the media it uses, so the whole job travels together.
- Press Cmd+S to save. Save again after each significant change, and before you import large batches of media.
Adobe’s help documentation treats project creation and file organization as separate parts of the workflow, so a clean folder structure from the start saves trouble later.
Step 3: Import and organize footage
Use File > Import, or press Cmd+I, to bring in files you already know the location of. To browse a drive without importing everything, use Import from Media Browser (Opt+Cmd+I). Adobe notes that import behavior can depend on the media type and the project settings, so if a file does not appear as expected, check its format against the project’s settings before assuming the file is damaged.
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- SUPERCHARGED BY M5 — The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and powerful on-device AI to personal, professional, and creative tasks. Featuring all-day battery life and a breathtaking Liquid Retina XDR display with up to 1600 nits peak brightness, it’s pro in every way.*
- HAPPILY EVER FASTER — Along with its faster CPU and unified memory, M5 features a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
- BUILT FOR APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Pro delivers the same exceptional performance whether it’s running on battery or plugged in.
- APPS FLY WITH APPLE SILICON — All your favorites, including Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud, run lightning fast in macOS.*
After import, create bins for footage, audio, and graphics. Bins are folders inside the project panel. Grouping assets now makes it much easier to find a specific clip during editing.
Step 4: Build a sequence and edit
A sequence is the timeline on which you assemble your edit. Press Cmd+N to create a new sequence, or drag a clip onto the timeline to let Premiere create one that matches it. Premiere is a nonlinear editor, so you can rearrange, trim, and replace clips in any order without re-rendering the whole timeline each time.
Best Value
- SUPERCHARGED BY M5 — The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and powerful on-device AI to personal, professional, and creative tasks. Featuring all-day battery life and a breathtaking Liquid Retina XDR display with up to 1600 nits peak brightness, it’s pro in every way.*
- HAPPILY EVER FASTER — Along with its faster CPU and unified memory, M5 features a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
- BUILT FOR APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Pro delivers the same exceptional performance whether it’s running on battery or plugged in.
- APPS FLY WITH APPLE SILICON — All your favorites, including Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud, run lightning fast in macOS.*
Arrange and trim clips
- Drag clips from the project panel onto the timeline in the order the story needs.
- Review the result in the Program Monitor, which shows what the sequence will export.
- Trim unwanted frames at the start and end of each clip, then press Cmd+Z to undo any change that did not work.
Proxies are optional
Adobe documents proxy creation and attachment for larger or harder-to-edit media. Proxies are lower-resolution stand-ins that you edit with, and Premiere swaps the full-resolution files back in at export. Most beginner projects do not need them. Consider them only if playback stutters with your footage after you have confirmed that storage is set up as described above.
Step 5: Save and export
- Select the sequence you want to export in the project panel or on the timeline.
- Press Cmd+S to save the project.
- Press Cmd+M to open Export Media.
- Choose a format and preset that fit where the video will go. Adobe’s help documentation covers export options, basic video settings, encoding, presets, and social-media exports separately, and no single preset fits every destination.
- Check the output name and location, then start the export.
Adobe’s documentation does not promise a particular export time or quality outcome for a given setup, so test a short section with the settings you intend to use before you render a full project.
Where to check current details
- Adobe’s technical requirements page, last updated September 29, 2026, for compatibility and hardware figures.
- Adobe’s keyboard shortcuts page, last updated January 7, 2026, for the Mac defaults above.
- Adobe’s Premiere FAQ, last updated March 5, 2026, which describes Premiere as a “powerful, customizable, nonlinear video editor that lets you edit your way.”
- Premiere Desktop Help, Adobe’s current help index for export, encoding, and proxy topics.
These figures are Adobe’s own product requirements and recommendations. They are not independent performance tests, so treat them as a starting point for checking your Mac, not as a guarantee of speed.
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