Forum Discussion
Storyline 3 Error: Available Memory is Low
We are getting this error on a machine that is running Windows 10. It is an HP Z600 workstation, has dual Xeon processors and 32Gb of RAM. Storyline is the only application running. Every time we get this error it is not possible to save the file (we are lucky to get a file recovery though).
This error only occurs with Storyline 3. When we check the memory availability, we have more than 28Gb free.
Grateful to know if anyone else has such issues?
Les
Hi Leslie,
Try opening this folder in Windows Explorer, and delete all the files in it: %appdata%\Articulate\Storyline
That should free up some space. If you're still having trouble, reach out to us here. Our Support Engineers will help you troubleshoot further!
Also running into the same issue on Storyline 3 with most projects we are working on. It is a major issue. Cleanup the folder helps but does not fully resolve it. When exactly do you expect to release the fix to Storyline 3? Is it going to be 64 bit based so that you can use the full extent of the memory on the computer? Do you have a beta version of Storyline 3 that can be used in the meantime?
I've just discovered this thread after searching for several days for any clue to why storyline 360 has been running so slowly and clunkily (is that a word?) recently. I was thinking that something in the last update or two must have introduced a bug? But in seeing this tip from Alyssa - I found this folder (Win 10 system) C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Articulate\360
Then deleted all the files inside it - there were over 6000 in there. This immediately restored a good chunk of the missing performance and cured the frustrating latency from the UI.
I can only assume that Storyline was running out of application memory or system resources in some way. Can I recommend to the Storyline dev's that if my hunch is right? (admittedly it's a guess on my part) - that they consider an automated way to purge the contents of system file locations like these....so the app keeps running more smoothly over time.
Regards (And thanks Alyssa if you're still on the team there)
So glad I stumbled upon your reply Peter - I am fighting and losing battle with SL360 - no amount of support cases or reformatting my more than capable PC has helped and I'm getting the same issue over and over and over again.
Fingers crossed your reply will make a difference to my issues too!
Well. I wish you luck. I have since discovered that Storyline re-populates this file location with a couple of thousand folders and several hundred MB of data soon as you create a new storyline project. Seems like this is just part of its normal function so maybe that is not the root of the problem...although when I cleared this folder out. UI performance instantly improved for a while.
Since then I have received some advice after logging a support case. One piece of that was to remove then reinstall SL360. Which I did 2 days ago. This also gave me back some decent UI performance and I thought it was a fix but while working on a project yesterday and creating an object from a series of .jpgs to give me 10 states, I was seeing significant sluggishness in UI response. It feels like the application really is running out of memory or something similar. I had to delete those states and will need to come up with another way to build the interaction I want.
I am using a new (6 month old) powerful computer spec’d out for 3D work so it’s all a bit baffling.
Maybe SL should be built as a 64 bit application? Or maybe that has nothing to do with it, as not everyone is reporting this kind of problem. Let me know how you go?
Oh wow, 6,000 files? My 360 folder only has about 200 files in it. I'd want our support team to take a closer look at your system to ensure everything is working the way we'd expect.
If you start seeing a build-up of files again, reach out to us here. And be sure to let me know your case number so I can follow along.
Keep me posted!
Hey Alyssa, I reformatted my PC just yesterday and have the same issues as Peter, again, cleared that folder and had over 6,000 files. Since formatting and re-installing I have only opened a maximum of 20 different SL courses...?!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Katy. Really sorry you're also seeing that low memory notice when publishing to Review.
I'm curious if you run into the same message if you try a different publish option? Can I also confirm if you tried clearing your temp folder to see if that helps? Here's how:
- Simply open Windows Explorer, type %temp% in the address field, and press Enter.
- When your temp directory opens, press Ctrl+A to select all the temp files, then press the Delete key on your keyboard.
- A few temp files may currently be in use that can't be deleted. When prompted, you can skip those.
- Try to publish your project file again.
pro-tip: we recommend working from a local hard drive, since network or flash drives are known to cause odd behavior.
Let me know – I'll be standing by!
Thank you for your response, Katie! I found the Temp folder and deleted all the files that weren't in use, per your suggestion. I still had the error message appear when attempting to publish, but I realized that my documents were syncing to a cloud-based account. I saved the course to my hard drive, and it seems to be working at this time. I am grateful for your help!
SL3 is a 32 bit app so cannot access all of that memory on the first 4gb.
Are you running out of disc space on C:\
If not you may need to open a support case.
Thanks.
We have plenty of disk space on c:
This is the same issue I've got with Storyline3. Our systems are locked down though and I don't have admin rights over the folder I need to access to clear all the superfluous files that Storyline keeps creating.
I'm also having issues with screen recording in Storyline3 which I think is linked to the system memory issue. Sometimes the recordings work fine and play fine; other times they work fine, but then present a black screen when playing or freeze completely; and then they don't work at all and won't import back into the application. As most of the training I'm designing at the moment is for new IT systems I have to use screen recording all the time. It's getting almost impossible to use it now. I have raised numerous support calls with our internal IT department which initially fixed the issue, but as I can't delete those extra files myself it's becoming a nightmare task to manage.
It's also causing Storyline3 to crash altogether and the only way to get out the system is to force a log off from the network.
Has anyone else had the same issues?
Hi all,
Today we have a new update to Articulate 360, and there was a specific fix to resolve the behavior where the preview files weren't being purged from the temporary folders.
This update was a big one, and included a number of important fixes and new features that you'll see in the release notes here. If you'd like to get started with the update just launch the Articulate 360 desktop app on your computer and click the Update button for each application. Details here.
Please let us know if you have any questions, either here or by reaching out to our Support Engineers directly.
Also, Sandra - not to worry! All these fixes will be in Storyline 3's next update. It's currently scheduled for later this quarter. We'll let you know once it's ready.
Hi Yves,
The next update of Storyline 3 is scheduled for later this quarter (so by end of March) and we'll let you know here once that is released!
The fix made in Storyline 360, will be the same one available in Storyline 3. It doesn't change Storyline to be a 64-bit application, it changes how these temp files were generated and cleaned out.
To all who suggested removing files from the AppData folder -- Thank you!
I have 32gb of RAM on my machine, 2TB of SSD space, 16gb of virtual memory allocated on the HD, working on the c:\drive exclusively, and no other applications running, and it kept telling me I was low on ram (even though my task manager said I still had 70% RAM free. I've had to use Adobe Captivate over SL the past few weeks because SL refused to let me save any work once the all of the memory-related errors appeared.
Deleted over 10,000 files from the AppData folder!! Hoping a new 64-bit version comes out ASAP, but I'll happily take a fix to the temp file protocol/RAM errors in the next version.
Thanks again!
Hi Sergio,
Thanks for that update - and I'm glad those steps helped you out! Are you also using Storyline 3? We'll let you know here once that fix is ready.
