Frequently Asked
Questions.

This is a very simple process and one that requires you to just install the latest version of Lightworks into the same directory you installed the original version. By default Lightworks is installed here:

Windows: C:/Program Files/Lightworks
Linux: /Home/USER ACCOUNT/Lightworks (Linux)
Mac: Drag and drop the Lightworks.app to the Applications folder within the DMG overwriting the previous installation with the latest version.
To confirm the version of Lightworks you are running check the version and revision number at the bottom of the Project Browser screen after starting Lightworks.

Windows: You can uninstall Lightworks using the Uninstall function in Control Panel->Uninstall a Program. Simply select Lightworks and click Uninstall.

Linux Debian distros: Open a Terminal window and type: sudo apt-get remove lightworks

Linux RPM distros: Open a Terminal Window and type: dnf remove lightworks (you will need to have the correct system privileges for this to work)

Mac: Drag the Lightworks.app to the Bin

Head to: https://lwks.com/lightworks-previous-versions-v2020-v2021-v2022

Here you will find download links for all versions previous to the current mainline version. 

You can also find the link labelled as 'Previous Versions' in the site footer under Resources. 

This error message suggests you are trying to run the Linux Lightworks 64bit installer on on a 32bit system. (amd64 is the official name of 64bit systems, which Ubuntu uses) Only 64bit Linux systems are supported. There are currently no plans to produce a 32bit version of Lightworks for Linux on 32bit systems.

Open Lightworks to the project browser
Click the 'Settings' button
On the panel that opens, Click the dropdown arrow next to 'Language'
Click 'Customise'
On the panel that opens, click the settings icon (three vertical dots)
Select 'Revert to default wordings'.

There are several things to check with regards to Lightworks not starting:

1. Make sure you are running the latest version of Lightworks (2025.1 or higher) from the Downloads page.

2.That the graphics card drivers are installed and working correctly. Please make sure that a "standard VGA" driver is NOT installed.

3. That the sound card is installed and working correctly, ie, you can hear audio coming from the system. Please make sure that speakers/headphones are connected and that the audio is enabled.

4. Intel 945/G33/G31 graphics chipsets are no longer supported. If you have one of these graphics cards, please upgrade it to resolve this issue.

5. That your DirectX is up to date. Please download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35

6. If you are running Windows Defender, please disable it and reinstall Lightworks.

This error means that the DirectX drivers on your system need updating. To resolve the issue download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35

This message is simply a warning. To remove the warning, please follow the instructions documented here: https://forum.lwks.com/threads/-.30483/post-30487

You will lose your license if the hard drive is replaced. First you will need to install Lightworks on the new hard drive and activate the Free version of Lightworks. To help us assist you, please fill in the form provided here: https://lwks.com/report-a-problem telling us the name of the system Lightworks Create/Pro has been applied to, along with any other relevant changes to the system.

This error message means the version of Lightworks you are attempting to activate is out of date. You will need to download and install the latest version of Lightworks (2023.1 or higher) from here: https://app.lwks.com/downloads. You will then be able to activate Lightworks successfully.

This error message means the version of Lightworks you are attempting to activate is out of date. You will need to download and install the latest version of Lightworks (2023.1 or higher) from here: https://app.lwks.com/downloads. You will then be able to activate Lightworks successfully.

Please also check the Date/Time on your system clock and make sure it is set correctly. Any alterations/inconsistencies in Date/Time may cause this error.

We are working to add this functionality. In the meantime, if you need to activate your Lightworks license offline, you can contact the team here: https://lwks.com/report-a-problem

This indicates that Lightworks is unable to contact our licence server directly to issue the licence. Please make sure to update to the very latest version of Lightworks (2023.1 or higher) from here: https://app.lwks.com/downloads and attempt activation again.

If you connect to the Internet via a proxy server on the system please open port 443 TCP on all Firewalls and allow access to els.lwks.com If there is no Internet connection on the system you can either temporarily add one for the duration of the activation (1min)

This error message means the version of Lightworks you are attempting to activate is out of date. You will need to download and install the latest version of Lightworks (2023.1 or higher) from here: https://app.lwks.com/downloads. You will then be able to activate Lightworks successfully.

In order to start using Lightworks you will first need to have registered an account with us here: https://app.lwks.com/sign-up Once your account is registered successfully, you can use your Username/Email and Password to sign in to the Lightworks application.

The list of codecs that Lightworks supports can be found here: https://lwks.com/lightworks-tech-specs Just beacuse a file is in an . AVI or .MOV container does not necessarily mean it will import into Lightworks. .AVI and .MOV files are simply containers that can contain a wide variety of codecs within them. We recommend you to download and install MediaInfo from: https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo Instructions for using and posting your information regarding MediInfo can be found in this Forum Post: https://forum.lwks.com/threads/how-to-post-mediainfo.235619/#235619

The Free version of Lightworks has restricted file output limited to YouTube/Vimeo 720p. In order to export at higher resolutions you will need to upgrade to either Lightworks Create or Pro. Please visit this page: https://lwks.com/lightworks-comparison/ to compare Lightworks Free, Create and Pro.

If you are checking back your exports in Windows Media Player, it is highly unlikely it has the codecs available to play the exported video. We would recommend downloading VLC media player from here: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ This is a free media player that supports most codecs.

When you purchase a Lightworks Create/Pro license you can decide whether to activate a Windows, Linux or Mac system.

Yes, with every purchase of Lightworks Create/Pro (Year/Perpetual) we issue a complimentary second activation which can be used on a second system. The reason we do this is because there is currently no way of moving an activated Lightworks Create/Pro license from one system to another. The second activation can be used in this event to activate the replacement system should the need arise.

You will only lose the license file locally on the system. Install Lightworks and sign in with your Username and Password you will then be issued with the same license file again. If you receive an error or your Lightworks CreatePro license is not restored correctly, please fill in the form provided here: https://lwks.com/report-a-problem telling us the name of the system Lightworks Create/Pro should be applied to, along with any other relevant changes to the system.

Please install and activate the Free version of Lightworks on the new system, you can then contact the team here: https://lwks.com/report-a-problem who will be able to assist further.

The Free license can be activated on as many systems as you require, the license does not need to be moved from one system to another.

Yes. The Free license will expire every 90 days but can be renewed by simply signing back into the application with your Username and Password.

If you have paid for a subscription using a credit card (PayPal is not applicable) then please sign in to your account on https://app.lwks.com/login and go to "Update Billing Details".

The Lightworks Create/Pro Perpetual license does not have an expiry date and can be activated at any time. Once activated, the software will no longer need an internet connection and can be used indefinitely.

The Lightworks Create/Pro Perpetual license will work for the current release version (2025) which includes all minor version updates. When the next version is released (2026) a license upgrade will be required.

This can be done by visiting this page: https://app.lwks.com/myproducts/subscription and clicking the 'Auto-renewal' toggle, which will disable any future payments and licenses.

Simply sign in to the User Portal and download the latest version. The new package can be installed to the old location, to overwrite the earlier installation. Your projects will be available still. Alternatively, the package can be installed to a new location and run alongside.

Yes. Projects created with all versions of Lightworks will be compatible.

First you will need to cancel the auto-renewal for the Create license by visiting this page: https://app.lwks.com/myproducts/subscription and clicking the 'Auto-renewal' toggle, which will disable any future payments and licenses. You can then proceed with purchasing Lightworks Pro

Sign in to the User Portal and visit My Products > Perpetual

https://app.lwks.com/myproducts/perpetual

There you will see purchase options for regular upgrade and upgrade plus TotalFX.

Head to: https://lwks.com/lightworks-previous-versions-v2020-v2021-v2022-v2023

Here you will find download links for all versions previous to the current mainline version. 

You can also find the link labelled as 'Previous Versions' in the site footer under Resources. 

Please visit http://forum.contourdesign.com for the latest installer version.

Only Windows and macOS. Some users report success getting the driver to work on Linux, please search our Forum for potential solutions.

Please make sure you have set the Contour Control Panel to the ‘EditShare Lightworks’ profile. This will target the Lightworks program core executable (named - ntcardvt.exe) at both the Windows 32 & 64-Bit default OS installation paths of:

32-bit installation path > C:Program Files (x86)Lightworks
64-bit Installation path > C:Program FilesLightworks
If you have installed Lightworks in a custom install path you will need to manually select the ntcardvt.exe in the install directory.

Ensure you have the correct installer package for your macOS release version.

You will need to load the appropriate keyboard mapping file from within Lightworks.

1. Open Lightworks, enter a current project or create a new one if one does not exist.
2. On the Lightworks ‘Tools’ bar, open the ‘Editor preferences’ panel at the bottom of the panel
3. On the Preferences panel choose ’Import’
4. Browse to the appropriate xx.prefs file for the operating system you are running, select it then press ‘OK’ to apply.

- Mac: LWKS Contour Shuttle Key Mapping_OSX.prefs
- Windows: LWKS Contour Shuttle Key Mapping_Win.prefs

Yes, as long as the driver is supported and you target the ntcardvt.exe in the install directory, it will work.

This info can be found on the Lightworks Tech Specs page: https://lwks.com/lightworks-tech-specs

The TotalFX package requires a Lightworks Pro license active on the system.

This is most likely due to an older version of Lightworks being installed. Please update to the latest version of Lightworks 2023.1 or higher.

Yes. Please visit https://app.lwks.com/downloads/lightworks/beta read the terms and click the button to agree to join the Beta testing.  This will upgrade your account to give you access to the Beta downloads

Please see recommended system specs here: https://lwks.com/lightworks-tech-specs

Please post all Lightworks feature requests in the appropriate section of the Lightworks Forum. We welcome all feature requests and are happy to hear new ideas from users.

Windows: C:/Users/Public/Documents/Lightworks/Logs
Linux: /home/USER ACCOUNT/Lightworks/Logs
macOS: /Users/USER ACCOUNT/Lightworks/Logs

Select the 'Assets' tab (top left hand corner) on this panel you will see the "Sequences" filter, select this to see ALL the sequences within your project. Double click your sequence to open it in the sequence viewer.

You can, although we require that you use the Lightworks logo at the end of your video, which you can download here. 

We would also ask that you put a link to https://lwks.com in the description of anywhere the video is publicly posted. 

The macOS version of Lightworks only supports devices that are set to 48Khz only, any other rate can cause audio distortion or playback issues (running too fast or too slow) This issue can be resolved by opening the 'Audio MIDI Setup.app' within the 'Utilities' folder on the Mac and changing the 'Format' of the selected audio device to '48,000 Hz'