I’ve been experiencing a strange behavior with SketchUp 2026 on macOS for some time now. I haven’t seen this commented on anywhere else on the forums, and have tried disabling all/most extensions to rule out conflicting issues. Have submitted many a bug splat as well.
When opening an existing file from the macOS finder (by double clicking) that is already open within SketchUp, the application crashes. This behavior consistently happens.
Typically when opening a file that may already be open in a running application, the focus will switch to that app and its related document window. SketchUp just crashes.
Can anyone verify this happens in 2026 on recent versions of macOS? I’d love to figure out if it’s specific to my installation, or if it’s pervasive in the wild.
There are related issues with both the Ruby and C APIs when attempting to bring focus to an already open model. (See ISS-2693 in Labs, where I reference this topic.)
I can make the problem happen in 2026, on macOS Tahoe. The exact steps are: with macOS set to use a particular version of SketchUp, open any file. Switch back to Finder and double click the same file. SketchUp comes forward, but doesn’t crash. Now do a zoom action in the model, and SketchUp crashes.
The problem doesn’t happen in later versions that I have. I can’t yet say when there will be a new update for you to try.
The problem happens with 2025 as well, but not 2024.
I didn’t give a link because you must be a SketchUp Labs program tester. And the issue has to do with programmers using the APIs to attempt opening files or bringing one of the open models into active state.
FYI, the issue with the C API is that is returns a C exception but does not crash. With the Ruby API it is a no-op, whereas in previous versions the already open model would be activated and given focus.
Dan, consider my interest piqued. I’ve signed up for Trimble Labs testing program (if that’s the one you’re referring to) and am standing at the edge of this rabbit hole with a bindle of carrots. Is this said program where I can learn more? Not sure if there’s a project I need to follow, or searchable forums or bug lists within.
In the meantime, I’ll just stick a pin in my SketchUp voodoo doll in the API crash region (groin)
in short, yes.
if / when you are accepted, you’ll get access to ressources and a secondary platform to discuss them. or so I’m told,
From what was said, you’ll then have to look for a specific issue number.
out of curiosity, what is the “normal” behaviour ? the classic “this file can only be opened in read-only mode” like on PC ? or does it simply bring focus to the already open instance (like the preview app for example, if you open a document twice)
Worse UI? I’m a SketchUp user, I have no idea what that could mean.
As for normal macOS behavior… Most Mac apps will switch focus to the application’s already open document window, and gently animate it with a “pop” to indicate the relevant window. It’s helpful when you have multiple documents open, across tabbed windows, or across multiple full screen spaces. It’s a simple mistake to attempt to open something you may have already opened on another screen. Currently I’m getting SU crashes when opening a file that is already open. When working on projects that contain multiple files, I find myself easily doing this and crashing (alot). It’s a huge waste of time, then recovering documents that were open during the crash, and verifying and resaving everything.
Yup and it was also supposedly working this way in SketchUp for Windows. But lately things got broken. Such file handling issues are usually top priority and get fixed rather quickly, as Colin indicates.
This happens if the already open file is open in another version of SketchUp than the one attempting to reopen it.
But an extension developer has said that they were relying upon the model being activated in the currently open SketchUp process, even though the API did not specifically make this a contract.
not necessary another version. I see it on same version too, with a specific way to open.
a simple try, download a sketchup file, and in your download manager, double or triple click on it.
first click will open the file, but second and third click will try too. and you’ll get 2-3 locked messages.
during training sessions, I see this a lot. they click way too much and the same file tries to open several times in the same version (not that they have different versions).
yeah ok, makes sense, until the file is completely open, trying to reopen it again quickly will prompt the “locked” message instead of popping up. like you describe.
therefore my previous question is no more, on mac it should / will return to a normal “pop” like other mac os apps, unless you try to open with a different version.
alas, no solace for my eager clickers
I found that if I had set .skp to be opened by a particular version of SketchUp, and I had several variations of that version installed (which is sometimes the case for me), it often would open another of that version, and not the one that was already open. When I only have one variation of a given version, and if the crashing issue doesn’t happen, that version is put into the foreground, and the document you double clicked on is brought to the front.
