Auto-Save trigger behavior during application hangs

Answer the exact question first

When After Effects (AE) freezes but the process is still alive, the Auto‑Save mechanism will only run if its dedicated thread is not blocked. If the freeze is caused by a deadlock or a long‑running script that occupies the same thread pool, the Auto‑Save timer will not fire and no new recovery file will be written.

Likely explanation

AE’s Auto‑Save feature is implemented as a background task that periodically writes a copy of the current project to a user‑chosen folder. The task runs on the same thread pool that handles UI updates, scripts, and plug‑in processing. A freeze that stalls this pool – for example, a heavy render request or a plugin that never yields – keeps the timer from firing. If the pool is free, the OS can still schedule the Auto‑Save thread, and the file will be created even though the UI is unresponsive.

Confirmed facts

• Auto‑Save writes a new file at the configured interval as long as its thread is scheduled.
• Disabling Auto‑Save or setting the interval to 0 stops the timer entirely.
• The recovery folder is local to the machine; network mounts can affect file timestamps.

Steps to verify in your case

1. Open AE Preferences → Auto‑Save and confirm the feature is enabled and the interval is set (e.g., 5 minutes).
2. While the UI is frozen, open the Auto‑Save folder (you can locate it in the Preferences dialog).
3. Check the timestamps of the most recent files. If a new file appears after the freeze began, Auto‑Save was still running.
4. If no new file is present, the Auto‑Save thread was blocked.
5. After the freeze resolves or you restart AE, open the last Auto‑Save file to recover your work.

Ask for missing diagnostic detail

To tailor the recommendation more precisely, please let us know:

• Which version of After Effects you are using.
• Whether Auto‑Save is enabled in the current project.

These details can affect thread scheduling and recovery file availability.