Storyline 360 won't restore when minimized

Jul 25, 2020

I've found that when I minimize Storyline 360, I often can't restore it again. I'm using a copy on my work computer, and I also have a license at home, and they both exhibit the same issue.

Thank for your help.

Dave

Pinned Reply
Eric Santos

Hi everyone,

I have some great news to share! We just released another update for Storyline 360. In Build 3.76.30446.0, we've included important fixes and new features.

One of the bugs we've fixed is: 

  • Storyline 360 could freeze when minimized.

Launch the Articulate 360 desktop app on your computer to take advantage of this update, and click the Update button next to Storyline 360. You'll find our step-by-step instructions here.

Please let me know if you need additional help!

113 Replies
Jose Tansengco

Hi Iuliana,

Sorry to hear that you hit this snag. One troubleshooting step that appears to have some success is to do a repair of your Storyline 360 installation by following the instructions listed here. If the issue persists, you can reach out to our engineering team by opening a case so we can take a closer look at what's happening with your installation. 

John Graham

I have had this issue a few times but on my current project it’s happening all of the time. I am using Articulate Storyline 3 version 3.17.27.27621.0.

I have tried a few solutions which have worked sometimes:

  • You click on the Storyline icon on Taskbar, and press Enter key.
  • Place the mouse cursor over the Storyline icon on the toolbar and wait for the thumbnail to appear above. Right click on the thumbnail and then click Maximise.
  • Alt-tab to storyline.
  • Hover over the storyline window you want, right click and select Restore.

If this doesn’t work, I have had to close Storyline and then reopen which is not ideal.

This post has been going for 2 years and can’t believe there is no solution or a fix for it.

Kelly Auner

Hi John,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing what workarounds have worked for you. We understand how frustrating this can be and appreciate feedback from our customers. This is still on our radar so I'll be sure to add your comments to the case.

You're in the right place to be in the know with any new information. Here's an inside look at how we tackle bugs when they're reported.

Jürgen Schoenemeyer

this bug is very frustrating - it happens very often (if I have open photoshop, chrome, firefox and storyline to the same time)

if I have multiple storyline instances open and the bug happens - only one storyline has the problem - the other open storyline instances not

If I close every other program, the storyline instance with the problem works again and I can save the .story file - at least i don't lose any data

my computer has 24 GB RAM, so this is not the problem

it happens with all versions of storyline 360 I had ever used

 

Joseph Francis

I'd say in the 2+ years that the problem has existed and been repeatedly reported, whatever (if anything) has been done has not come close to addressing the issue, and a new version of the software isn't going to magically fix the problem.

If Articulate isn't able to reproduce the problem in its end (not unlike when Storyline crashes when you attempt to change the Trigger conditions from Variable to Object), Articulate is not trying hard enough.

Troy Wilson

I have had this same issue happen with me.  After some trial and error, I determined that for some reason, Storyline 360 was competing with MS Word 365 and Photoshop.  If I have a Word document open or a Photoshop file open and I minimize Storyline, I cannot maximize Storyline again.  I get that same dreaded ding.  I can minimize and maximize my Word document and Photoshop file, but not Storyline.  Alt-Tab did nothing.  Once I close out the Word document and/or Photoshop, I can minimize and maximize at will.  

Wendy Schorr

And in typical Articulate fashion, there is no solution to this "bug" even TWO years later. Clearly, it's an issue. It's happened to me in multiple jobs on different computers. The behavior is always the same: I can't get the minimized version in the taskbar to populate on my screen. I have to quit the program and re-launch. It's definitely a Storyline problem because, as I said, I've had this issue happen to me over different versions for the last couple of years. Can we just get it fixed already? Very frustrating... SMH.

Kelly Auner

Hi Subramanya,

I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue as well! I'd like to ask for some additional details, so I may better help you:

  1. Do you have a single or multiple monitor setup?
  2. Does it happen when you have multiple windows and other programs open and have a video streaming?
  3. Is the issue persistent even after you've rebooted your computer?

I also wanted to share a workaround that worked for another user:

Place the mouse cursor over the Storyline icon on the toolbar and wait for the thumbnail to appear above. Right-click on the thumbnail and then click Maximise.

Jürgen Schoenemeyer

fyi - the error depends on the type of content in the clipboard

same happens with microsoft visual studio on January 2022 17.1.1

https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/I-cannot-un-minimize-Visual-Studio/1648807

(fixed 17.1.2 ?)

to test: if the bug happens, copy a char/word into the clipboard -> CF_OEMTEXT -> no problems with restore from minimized

 

 

Subramanya Mv

Thank you for your reply, Kelly!

Here are the details you asked for:

1. Yes, i do have a multiple monitor setup.

2. Yes, i usually have multiple windows and programs open including media editing tools and other applications.

3. Yes, the issue is persistent even after system reboot. 

Will try the suggested work around next time i see this issue.