diff --git a/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLELayout.tsx b/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLELayout.tsx
index 23da8b105..efee6163f 100644
--- a/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLELayout.tsx
+++ b/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLELayout.tsx
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ export const NLELayout = memo(function NLELayout({
 
   // Lightweight reload: change iframe src instead of destroying the Player.
   // refreshPlayer() saves the seek position and appends a cache-busting _t
-  // param, avoiding the full web-component teardown + crossfade that the
-  // key-based path uses.
+  // param — the Player instance stays alive so the adapter is available for
+  // saveSeekPosition() to read the current time before the reload.
   const prevRefreshKeyRef = useRef(refreshKey);
   useEffect(() => {
     if (refreshKey === prevRefreshKeyRef.current) return;
@@ -352,7 +352,6 @@ export const NLELayout = memo(function NLELayout({
             onCompositionLoadingChange={setCompositionLoading}
             portrait={portrait}
             directUrl={directUrl}
-            refreshKey={refreshKey}
             suppressLoadingOverlay={hasLoadedOnceRef.current}
           />
           {!isFullscreen && previewOverlay}
diff --git a/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.test.ts b/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.test.ts
index 260906579..5cdbd9d77 100644
--- a/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.test.ts
+++ b/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.test.ts
@@ -112,17 +112,9 @@ function renderPreview() {
 }
 
 describe("getPreviewPlayerKey", () => {
-  it("keeps the same player identity when only refreshKey changes", () => {
-    expect(
-      getPreviewPlayerKey({
-        projectId: "timeline-edit-playground",
-        refreshKey: 1,
-      }),
-    ).toBe(
-      getPreviewPlayerKey({
-        projectId: "timeline-edit-playground",
-        refreshKey: 2,
-      }),
+  it("uses projectId as key when no directUrl", () => {
+    expect(getPreviewPlayerKey({ projectId: "timeline-edit-playground" })).toBe(
+      "timeline-edit-playground",
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.tsx b/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.tsx
index ebb3b95f5..7e829d398 100644
--- a/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.tsx
+++ b/packages/studio/src/components/nle/NLEPreview.tsx
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ interface NLEPreviewProps {
   onCompositionLoadingChange?: (loading: boolean) => void;
   portrait?: boolean;
   directUrl?: string;
-  refreshKey?: number;
   suppressLoadingOverlay?: boolean;
 }
 
@@ -30,7 +29,6 @@ export function getPreviewPlayerKey({
 }: {
   projectId: string;
   directUrl?: string;
-  refreshKey?: number;
 }): string {
   return directUrl ?? projectId;
 }
@@ -91,15 +89,12 @@ export const NLEPreview = memo(function NLEPreview({
   onCompositionLoadingChange,
   portrait,
   directUrl,
-  refreshKey,
   suppressLoadingOverlay,
 }: NLEPreviewProps) {
-  const baseKey = getPreviewPlayerKey({ projectId, directUrl, refreshKey });
+  const activeKey = getPreviewPlayerKey({ projectId, directUrl });
   const viewportRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const stageRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-  const [retiringKey, setRetiringKey] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [stageSize, setStageSize] = useState(() => resolvePreviewStageSize(0, 0, portrait));
-  const retiringTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
 
   const zoomRef = useRef<PreviewZoomState>(loadInitialZoom());
   const [settledZoom, setSettledZoom] = useState<PreviewZoomState>(() => zoomRef.current);
@@ -119,7 +114,6 @@ export const NLEPreview = memo(function NLEPreview({
     return () => {
       if (settleTimerRef.current) clearTimeout(settleTimerRef.current);
       if (hudTimerRef.current) clearTimeout(hudTimerRef.current);
-      if (retiringTimerRef.current) clearTimeout(retiringTimerRef.current);
     };
   }, []);
 
@@ -204,8 +198,6 @@ export const NLEPreview = memo(function NLEPreview({
     [applyTransform],
   );
 
-  const activeKey = baseKey;
-
   const applyInitialZoom = useCallback(() => {
     const z = zoomRef.current;
     if (Math.abs(z.zoomPercent - 100) > 0.5 || Math.abs(z.panX) > 0.1 || Math.abs(z.panY) > 0.1) {
@@ -213,16 +205,6 @@ export const NLEPreview = memo(function NLEPreview({
     }
   }, [writeTransform]);
 
-  const handleNewPlayerLoad = () => {
-    onIframeLoad();
-    applyInitialZoom();
-    if (retiringTimerRef.current) clearTimeout(retiringTimerRef.current);
-    retiringTimerRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
-      setRetiringKey(null);
-      retiringTimerRef.current = null;
-    }, 160);
-  };
-
   useEffect(() => {
     const viewport = viewportRef.current;
     if (!viewport) return;
@@ -405,32 +387,17 @@ export const NLEPreview = memo(function NLEPreview({
             }}
             data-testid="preview-zoom-stage"
           >
-            {retiringKey && (
-              <Player
-                key={retiringKey}
-                projectId={directUrl ? undefined : projectId}
-                directUrl={directUrl}
-                onLoad={() => {}}
-                portrait={portrait}
-                style={{ position: "absolute", inset: 0, zIndex: 0, opacity: 1 }}
-              />
-            )}
             <Player
               key={activeKey}
               ref={iframeRef}
               projectId={directUrl ? undefined : projectId}
               directUrl={directUrl}
-              onLoad={
-                retiringKey
-                  ? handleNewPlayerLoad
-                  : () => {
-                      onIframeLoad();
-                      applyInitialZoom();
-                    }
-              }
+              onLoad={() => {
+                onIframeLoad();
+                applyInitialZoom();
+              }}
               onCompositionLoadingChange={onCompositionLoadingChange}
               portrait={portrait}
-              style={retiringKey ? { position: "absolute", inset: 0, zIndex: 1 } : undefined}
               suppressLoadingOverlay={suppressLoadingOverlay}
             />
           </div>