Storyline 360 Crashing & System Memory Alerts (New Laptop)

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for reaching out, and I'm sorry you're running into these issues! You can review our system requirements below, but I'm also opening a case on your behalf to connect you with a support engineer that can help troubleshoot why these errors are appearing.

• Combined System Requirements for All Articulate 360 Apps

Be on the lookout for a reply soon!

I was having the exact same issue with a new laptop with an 11th gen Intel Processor and it was solved by updating the Xe graphics card, but I have a new problem with Storyline being laggy that started this week. I suspect it is also related to the new processor, I don't think Storyline has been optimized to work with this processor yet. I have had nothing but problems with Storyline since I got this new laptop.

Keep in mind Storyline is a 32-bit application being run in emulation by your 64-bit operating system. The topic has been discussed for the last several years, with no resolution:

64bit and Multithread Workloads for Storyline

Where 64-bit application?

64-Bit Storyline 360

Thank you for pointing this out, Joseph. Disappointing to see, but answers so many questions I have had. Honestly, I never even considered that Storyline was a 32-bit application because that is such an asinine idea. Especially considering that Storyline's closest competitor is half the price, 64-bit, and compatible with a Mac. Looks like I won't be renewing my license.

Good to know too. SL3 and SL360 crashes many times per day for me on a new Windows laptop. It actually ran better on my Mac with Parallels. Wish I hadn't switched...

I'm having the same problem with a new 11th generation Intel laptop with an Intel Iris Xe graphics card.  It crashes several times a day. I am rebooting constantly.  Today when it crashed and I tried to save the file, I got this error: "The project file could not be saved. Object reference not set to an instance of an object." Most of the time, I have to use Task Manager to end process and can't save the file.

Is there a resolution?  It's making it very hard to get work done.

Hello Sally! I apologize for the issues you are experiencing. 

We found that memory leaks could occur when saving projects on machines with Intel Iris Xe graphics (Intel 11th Gen Core series processors or later).  

We're actively working with Intel engineers to understand and fix the issue. In the meantime, some people found that it helps to change the course thumbnail on affected projects.

I hope that workaround helps you for now, and we will update this thread as soon as we have more information. 

I have the same issue and it is very challenging to work like this.
Storyline 360 is constantly acting up and it is a common case where I lose my work progress. And if you want to avoid that, you need to save manually very often. However, this leads to error messages that doesn't allow you to save and the file crashes. It is extremely frustrating. 
The workaround is not working for me.
I hope that there will be a solution very soon!

I changed the course thumbnail, as suggested by Articulate tech support,
and so far Storyline hasn't crashed. I also disabled some apps on startup
that I didn't need running in the background.
https://articulate.com/support/article/Storyline-Memory-Leaks-When-Using-Machines-With-Intel-Iris-Xe-Graphics

Thank you, Sally!
I tested that workaround few weeks ago but unfortunately the issue persist.  

I just found this thread today. On my new machine--that I just found out has the Iris Xe processor--I'm experiencing crashes for seemingly arbitrary reasons with an "out of memory" error message when it crashes, i.e. I get the red X and a prompt to send an error report. It's crashed when I've been typing, adjusting a shape width, publishing, clicking the next button in a preview, etc.

The only action that seems to minimize this is to close and reopen Storyline very frequently, sometimes once an hour or more. I've applied the recommended solution for Iris Xe processor machines (link), so that may help as a temporary solution. I manually save constantly in anticipation of a crash, and this has protected me from this issue many times. I have 32GB of RAM, so memory isn't the problem.

If moving to 64-bit might fix this (and the other 32-bit related issues), it'd be great to see Articulate make this move, especially with their flagship product.

I've submitted a feature request for a 64-bit move. Though it's been requested for years, I figure another feature request for it might help this become a reality for Storyline.

There seems to be so many problems with Storyline but this one is just unacceptable.

I have a 2021Spectre HP and I am constantly having to reboot it when working with Storyline because Storyline keeps crashing. It does not give a reason why. The other major issue I have is I am unable to publish to Articulate Review on many occasions for my SMEs to review the work in a timely manner.

I don't really expect a response to this but I think I need to put this out there so others are aware that something is seriously wrong with this software. Based on my experience in using Articulate I am slowly becoming disillusioned in its capabilities on how efficient it really is.  If I had purchased/subscribed to any other tool which caused me so much inconvenience I would have ditch it by now.  Based on what I have read on this forum overall I do not think the whole truth is being said. 

I am an Instructional Designer, I am not a Software Engineer.

Hello All - my colleagues and I are also experiencing frequent crashes without warning, especially when attempting to preview or publish. We have had extra RAM added to our laptops but to no avail. Still keeps crashing. As I'm not a software engineer either, I have now asked our IT department to follow up with Articulate, to figure out what could be causing this. It's impacting our efficiency significantly. 

Hi Balint!

So sorry to hear that you and your team are experiencing crashes when trying to preview and publish a Storyline 360 course. I understand how frustrating setbacks like this can be, and would be happy to help you work through the issue!

I have a few follow-up questions regarding the situation so I can understand what you are experiencing a little better.

• Are the crashes occurring across all of your Storyline files or just one in particular?
• Are you working from a shared drive? If so, I would recommend saving your files on your local drive before creating, editing, and publishing them in order to avoid erratic behavior.
• Are you receiving an error message when Storyline crashes? If so, it'd be helpful if you could provide a screenshot or details of what it says.

If you would be willing to share one of the project files that causes Storyline to crash, I'd be happy to take a closer look and test the behavior on my end. You can share it here in the discussion or privately through a support case.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Kia ora Steven,

Thank you for your responsiveness and offering to investigate further - that's very helpful indeed.

In response to your follow-up questions:

• The crashes occur across all Stroyline files - hence I'm not attaching any particular one.
• I work from my local drive
• There's no warning or error message, it just crashes

Many thanks again - and let me know if you require any computer specs. In the meantime, I raised a ticket internally at my company too, as it is really becoming an IT remit. 

Best wishes,

Balint

>There's no warning or error message, it just crashes

I had a similar problem with storyline - and after 2 weeks trying and testing, I have reinstalled Windows 10 and this solved my problem

Hello Jürgen! Thanks for picking up on this thread and sharing your solution. I will suggest this to our IT department - we are all becoming IT in the end eh? Thanks again. 

I'm having the same/similar problem. I'm running SL on a Dell Latitude. 11th Gen Intel i5 core. 16G RAM, 64-bit OS with Iris Xe graphics. It's a work computer so I can't add RAM etc. Mine has crashed everytime I screen record. I am able to complete the screen record, select the option- Try it etc and begin adding it to a slide. It crashes and closes when its about 75% done adding the asset to the slide. It closes with no error message. Then the screen recording is gone. In the past 2 weeks I've only successfully gotten it to complete and ADD 1 screen recording. This is very problematic because I'm in the process of making a series of walkthroughs for our company software. I NEED the ability to have user interaction.

Any help is appreciated.

Hi Melissa,

Thanks for reaching out! I understand that Storyline crashes when trying to add a screen recording to your project. I'd be happy to work with you to figure out what is going on.

When inserting a screen recording as a video, it will create a new slide with the video in it. If you're not seeing that after clicking on insert, it's likely that your Storyline is not working properly.

I recommend we try repairing Storyline 360 to see if it will fix the issue. Follow the steps in this article:

• How to Repair Articulate Storyline 360

After doing the repair, try recording your screen again and inserting it again as a video.

I hope this helps. Let me know if that doesn't resolve the issue.

Unfortunately, this did not resolve the issue. I was able to complete one
small screen recording after the reinstall. Now I am unable to do so again.
I have 2 peripheral monitors connected to my laptop and I've tried changing
which screen I'm recording to see if that was the issue, but now it does
not seem to be the case.

Hi Melissa!

Thanks for following up and sharing the feedback. Sorry to hear that repairing your Storyline application did not improve the behavior.

Not to worry! I've opened a support case on your behalf so our support engineers can take a closer look into this issue. You're in great hands working one on one with them and they should be reaching out shortly!

Also, it looks like part of your e-mail signature came through when you replied via e-mail. You can remove that if needed by clicking ‘Edit’ beneath your response.

• Here’s a quick Peek video if you need help!