"Unable to Start Camtasia" Error After Stopping a Recording

Problem

After stopping a recording in Camtasia, one of the following error messages appears:

This error has been reported in versions 2021-2024 of Camtasia and is not specific to a singular version. 

Solution

We have confirmed that this error is due to the most recent Windows 10 update, Build 19045.5011, as shown in the screenshot below: 

Specifically, the error happens when the following update in that version is installed (KB5044273):

You can confirm what version of Windows 10 that you're running by doing the following:

  1. Click on the Start menu and enter the following: winver
  2. Run the command that pops up there and it should give you a window showing the Windows version the computer is running

If you are on Camtasia 2024, 2023 or 2022, please update to the latest version, as this issue has been fixed in that version. (version 2024.1.1 and later and version 2023.4.9 and later, and version 2022.5.7 and later) 

If you're on the version of Windows shown above (Build 19045.5011) and experiencing the Unable to Start error, we have the following workarounds to use while we continue to work with Windows Support to resolve this issue: 

Option 1: Load the Recording from the Save Location

When you get one of the errors above after stopping a recording, the recording should still be saved to your set recording location. You can follow the steps in this video to retrieve the recording and load it into a project: 

Option 2: Run Camtasia as Admin

We understand that in some corporate environments, running Camtasia as administrator is not possible. If you do have admin privileges on your machine, right -click and choose Run as Admin when launching Camtasia. Running as admin should avoid the issue after the recording stops. 

Option 3: Roll back the Windows updates or update to Windows 11

The final workaround as of this time is to either roll back the following Windows 10 update that caused this issue: 

Or if you're able to, update to Windows 11. We understand that both of these options are not always able to be performed on managed company computers. If you fall into that category and can't update or roll back the Windows version, then we suggest using Option 1 above.