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Cannot scroll through iMovie transitions on MacBook Air.

I am unable to access all of the transitions on iMovie since the latest update. Its cuts off the 3rd row of transitions and scrolling does absolutely nothing. I can scroll through the other options; backgrounds, titles etc but not transitions.

I have already restarted my MacBook several times and there are no other updates available.

The attached image shows where iMovie cuts off the transitions. Tabbing through them doesn't work, the scrolling function doesn't work and I have had to copy and paste my commonly used transitions from previous videos but this doesn't always work.

Is anyone else having this problem and does anyone have any idea on how to fix it?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.1

Posted on Dec 12, 2023 6:02 AM

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Posted on Dec 13, 2023 12:00 PM

We are having the same problem. It just started recently. We also tried the advise given here, but it did not work.


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9 replies

Dec 12, 2023 8:11 AM in response to GraciousBee23

Sometimes with an upgrade iMovie transitions can go awry, that cause iMovie to behave improperly. Oftentimes this type of issue can be cured by deleting/resetting preferences. To delete/reset preferences close and then open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new empty library. Reopen your old library to get back to your projects. Now see if all of your transitions will display. Possibly you may need to reboot to set the changes.  Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that will not cause data loss or disruption to your project.


You can also try creating a new project and see if that cures the issue.


-- Rich

Dec 12, 2023 9:42 AM in response to Rich839

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately it didn’t work. I’ve even deleted and reinstalled the iMovie app (which took forever) and even that didn’t work. I’m surprised that no one else appears to be reporting on this issue, because I can't be the only one if it is update related.

Since I do remember part of the names of the transitions I use, I can use the search function to find them, so at least I have a way to get them when the copy and paste function stopped working.

Dec 12, 2023 10:12 AM in response to GraciousBee23

I don't know whether your iMovie app's failure to scroll the transitions is related to the upgrade. There have been some glitches related to the Sonoma upgrade, but I have not seen the scrolling issue reported on this forum.


In case it is related to Sonoma, make sure that you are upgraded to the very last update of Sonoma, as glitches often are ironed out with successive updates.


Try doing a Window/Revert to Original Layout and see if that cures it.


Try opening iMovie in a new or different library. Do that by opening iMovie while holding down the Option key and selecting to create or open a new library.


Another thing you can try is to open iMovie in your Mac's Guest account.


All else failing, try contacting Apple Support and talking to the techs there. They have the ability to remotely access your computer, that we do not have here.


-- Rich






Jan 7, 2024 4:33 PM in response to GraciousBee23

Just went searching on the web to see if I could find any details on this exact issue and discoverd this thread from the last month. Have likewise deleted the app, reinstalled, etc. Nothing has worked. Also began experiencing the issue after the last update. The only workaround I have found is to position the cursor at the top of the timeline window (the bottom third of the screen) and condense the window down so that I can see all the transitions. I can then slide the window back up to its normal size. Not ideal, but sufficient for now.

Cannot scroll through iMovie transitions on MacBook Air.

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