SketchUp 2025 Won't Open and Hangs

[UniquelyCreated]

@dennisbishop

Hi! I’m here because Trimble support sent me.

My setup looks like this:

MacBook Air, 13-in, 2024
Apple M3
Memory 16 GB / 1 TB (588 GB available)
macOS Sequoia 15.4 (production)
I’m running NordVPN and point it at US servers (usually Seattle)

So far, I have:

1. deleted all associated files in ~/Library/Application Support and ~/Library/Preferences

2. Re-installed Sketchup 2025 from scratch

3. Rebooted my system in safe mode and performed steps 1 and 2

4. Created a new user on my system and repeated steps 1, 2, and 3.

When I launch a fresh install of SketchUp 2025, my OS verifies it and confirms I want to run it. Then it just hangs and requires force quitting it. I’ve let it sit for over an hour hoping it might sort itself out but it doesn’t.

Can anyone offer assistance in getting 2025 running?

Thanks for laying out your setup and steps so clearly — super helpful! Based on what you’ve described, you’ve already covered many of the usual suspects for resolving SketchUp launch issues. Since it’s still hanging on launch even after a fresh install and user account, we’re likely dealing with a deeper compatibility or networking issue, especially with your macOS Sequoia 15.4 and VPN setup in the mix.

Let’s walk through a few next-level steps to troubleshoot this:

1. Check Console Logs During Launch

To pinpoint where it’s hanging:

• Open Console.app (Applications > Utilities).
• In the search bar, type SketchUp right before launching the app.
• Try launching SketchUp, then watch for any errors, crashes, or “code signature” issues.
• If you see any red errors or crash reports related to SketchUp, copy and share the first few lines, or let me know what you find.

2. Test Without VPN

Sometimes SketchUp does a license/authentication handshake on first launch that can hang behind VPN firewalls.

• Quit NordVPN entirely (not just disconnect, but quit the app).
• Reboot SketchUp.
• If it launches now, we can whitelist it or use split tunneling for future use.

3. Try Terminal Launch (Get Crash Feedback)

Run SketchUp from Terminal to capture crash output:

1. Open Terminal.app.
2. Paste:

bash

CopyEdit

/Applications/SketchUp\ 2025/SketchUp.app/Contents/MacOS/SketchUp

3. Press Enter and see if anything appears when it tries to launch — this may give us direct error output (e.g., missing framework, denied permissions, etc.).

4. Reset Full Disk Access and Permissions

macOS may be silently denying a resource SketchUp needs.

• Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access
• Add:
  • SketchUp
  • SketchUpWebHelper
  • Trimble Connect
  • Terminal (for testing)
• Also go to Accessibility, Files & Folders, and Automation — and check all SketchUp-related items.
• Then try launching again.

---

5. Rosetta 2 & Architecture Mismatch

SketchUp 2025 should be Apple Silicon native, but some dependencies might trigger Rosetta or fail if not properly linked.

Try reinstalling Rosetta just in case:

bash

CopyEdit

/usr/sbin/softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license

6. Disable App Translocation (Gatekeeper Quirks)

Sometimes macOS isolates apps from running normally.

• Open Terminal and run:

bash

CopyEdit

xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SketchUp\ 2025/SketchUp.app

This removes the “quarantine” flag that macOS places on downloaded apps.

Want to give those steps a try and report back what you see?