Problem Using Storyline via VMware on a Mac

Feb 03, 2014

Heyyy!  I am trying to use Storyline on a MacBook Pro using VM fusion; virtual machine on a Mac. The problem I am having is that every time I click on anything within Storyline, the program freezes anywhere from 30 seconds up to two minutes.  Obviously this is not conducive to what I am trying to accomplish.  The IT team where I work has dutifully checked my computer's memory and other possible issues; however, there does not appear to be anything wrong with the computer itself.  I am wondering if the program (Storyline) keeps freezing because I am attempting to use it via VM fusion?

If anyone can assist me with providing any technical specifications for Storyline so that I can access and utilize Storyline effectively and efficiently, it would be truly appreciated.  I am on a MacBook Pro and using VM fusion (VMware).  Perhaps Storyline is not compatible with VM fusion? 

It may be noteworthy to mention that I am using the 30 day free trial to ascertain if this program would be effective for creating asynchronous trainings for a company with almost 1,000 employees, and continues to grow.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated assistance. 

B.Turner

2U, Inc.

4 Replies
Christine Hendrickson

Hi there Beatrice and welcome to E-Learning Heroes!

We don't officially support working through a virtual environment, but I wanted to see if I could provide some suggestions and resources that may help.

I do, very rarely, have to test different versions of the software through VM. Though I'm not a fan, it does work. However, I'm also running a native installation of Windows. From what I've seen, VM does not like to be installed or run an installation of a virtual machine through anything other than the main hard drive. So, if you have this on any type of partition, try changing it. 

Here are the Storyline minimum requirements for running the software:

Articulate Support - System Requirements for Articulate Storyline

Do you have any access to Parallels? If so, I'd recommend trying that instead. 

If you're able to use Parallels, please review these best practices for working with Articulate software. Some of those tips may also help with VM.

Thanks and welcome again!

Steve Flowers

I've run SL on a few different machine configurations through VMWare fusion. This includes running on a Macbook Air (WinXP, 4G Ram)-- it ran OK on the MBA. 8G should be plenty. You might try uninstalling and reinstalling Storyline. I've heard of a few instances where stuff would freeze up or not run properly on a bum installation. 

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