diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.test.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.test.ts
index 72028e41b..640d90f52 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.test.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { appendAutoDetectedVideoAudio } from "./extractVideosStage.js";
+import { appendAutoDetectedVideoAudio, shouldCopyExtractedFrames } from "./extractVideosStage.js";
 import type { ExtractedFrames, VideoElement } from "@hyperframes/engine";
 
 function makeVideo(overrides: Partial<VideoElement> = {}): VideoElement {
@@ -81,3 +81,14 @@ describe("appendAutoDetectedVideoAudio", () => {
     expect(composition.audios).toHaveLength(1);
   });
 });
+
+describe("shouldCopyExtractedFrames", () => {
+  it("copies frames on Windows (symlinkSync throws EPERM without Developer Mode)", () => {
+    expect(shouldCopyExtractedFrames("win32")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("symlinks on macOS and Linux (cheaper, symlinks allowed)", () => {
+    expect(shouldCopyExtractedFrames("darwin")).toBe(false);
+    expect(shouldCopyExtractedFrames("linux")).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts
index 012a1b904..7f133b789 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,18 @@ export interface ExtractVideosStageResult {
   videoExtractMs: number;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Whether the extract stage should COPY frames into the compiled dir instead of
+ * symlinking them. Windows without Developer Mode / Administrator can't create
+ * symlinks (`symlinkSync` throws EPERM), which failed local video renders; copy
+ * there instead. Elsewhere symlinking is cheaper, so keep it. (The distributed
+ * `plan()` path already forces copying for a different reason — a self-contained
+ * planDir — by passing `materializeSymlinks: true` explicitly.)
+ */
+export function shouldCopyExtractedFrames(platform: NodeJS.Platform): boolean {
+  return platform === "win32";
+}
+
 export async function runExtractVideosStage(
   input: ExtractVideosStageInput,
 ): Promise<ExtractVideosStageResult> {
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
index 824f4a625..0854bae35 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
@@ -110,7 +110,10 @@ import {
 import { type HdrPerfCollector, type HdrPerfSummary } from "./render/hdrPerf.js";
 import { runCompileStage } from "./render/stages/compileStage.js";
 import { runProbeStage } from "./render/stages/probeStage.js";
-import { runExtractVideosStage } from "./render/stages/extractVideosStage.js";
+import {
+  runExtractVideosStage,
+  shouldCopyExtractedFrames,
+} from "./render/stages/extractVideosStage.js";
 import { runAudioStage } from "./render/stages/audioStage.js";
 import { runCaptureStage } from "./render/stages/captureStage.js";
 import { runCaptureStreamingStage } from "./render/stages/captureStreamingStage.js";
@@ -1350,6 +1353,9 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
           composition,
           abortSignal,
           assertNotAborted,
+          // Copy (don't symlink) extracted frames on Windows — symlinkSync throws
+          // EPERM there without Developer Mode/admin, which failed local renders.
+          materializeSymlinks: shouldCopyExtractedFrames(process.platform),
         }),
     );
     const {