Tool bar disappear on Sketchup2023

My colleague has a problem with using SketchUp2023 on windows10.After he added tool bars and closed SU and reopen it, they are gone. He is using note PC(as main one) and another display and mainly using another display with opening SU. Should he open it on the screen of note PC? It would be great if someone give me some advice.

hello,

usually, to save toolbars position, you have to save the model file once before closing. try positioning a few (to avoid doing all over again for nothing), save the model (even if empty) anywhere, and try to open sketchup again.

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Hi paul, he did as you said, but it didn’t work.
After he closed and reopened SketchUp on the screen of his note PC, tool bars had been still on it.
So, we will see how it goes for a while.
Thank you for your advice anyway.

This may be a permissions issue related to how sketchup was installed.
A repair may fix it.
With sketchup amd layout closed find the downloaded installation file. Probably in the Downloads folder. A new copy can be downloaded from Here if needed.
Select the file, right click on it and choose Run as Administrator (or the equivalent in your language) follow prompts and choose repair when given the option.
Once done cold boot the computer. (Turn off and turn on again rather than Restart.)
Doing this will not change extensions etc it fixes things in the background.

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Does the [menu] Window > Preferences show?
There is a tab with Workspace with ‘reset workspace’ option.
If that that panel is of screen, too, one might get it back with the Alt+Spacebar method.
When the toolbars are rearranged, closing or exiting SketchUp should remember the positions.
They are stored in a preferences json in the AppData, which doesn’t get restored by doing a repair (or remove) of the installation.

Most of the times, detaching the second monitor and starting SketchUp again will work, too.

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Or by resetting the workspace.

Mike is referring to this when he says Alt+Spacebar method.

Correct, all the settings that are stored in the json preferences files are loaded upon opening SketchUp, changes made during the session (of that instance) are stored back when closing/exiting that session.

The wording is getting confusing.
I was just trying to say that reset workspace doesn’t reset toolbars.

Hi Box, it would be difficult to run as Administrator as PC belongs to the company. it means we’re not arrowed to touch the system. thanks for your advice.

Hi Mike, there is ‘reset workspace’ button on Preference. But my colleague said, after he closed and reopened SketchUp on the screen of his note PC, tool bars had been still on it. so we will see how it goes. If the same thing happens again, we will try to do as you said. thanks for your advice.

thanks for your explanation. And I understood it.

All the more reason to get the company IT department to Run the Installer as Admin. IT tend to limits things deliberately and permissions is one that can make sketchup behave strangely.

I think you’re right. we’re should ask IT department. Thank you again.

I am the IT department. Tried the ALT Space Bar M Arrow trick and it sticks to the already open sketch up window. I reset workspace, I ran the repair on the installer. Still no Large Tool Bar Set. I use one external monitor and I disconnected for travel. Where is my Tool BAr?

well it’s for PC only, not mac.

on mac, you can sometimes have “dissapearing” toolbars or panels too, basically when you close sketchup and reopen it, mac os will move anything that is outside of the “safe zone”. say your toolbar is too big and sticks out of the screen, it’ll be moved back in or, at times, kicked out to a different screen.

I use a mac and a pc. I am on my PC right now. Razer 15" Laptop. Usually the ALT Space bar works for missing menus in Sketchup. I just tried repairing as admin. No luck. I just uninstalled SketchUp 2023 and am going to download the latest 2023 version and see if that works. I’ll let you know. THis has always been an issue for sketch up and I usually drag my windows over to my monitor screen and save there. Best practice when taking laptop with me.

It would help us help you if you completed your forum profile. What version of SketchUp? What versions of the operating sytems? What graphics cards?

Just un-installed and re-installed newest version. Still no tool bars.

I will update. I have a
Razer Blade 15" Laptop -
Windows 11 - 10.0.22621 Build 22621
Sketchup Version 23.1.319
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with MaxQ Design
Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630

Updated Info. Thanks’ Dave R

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Uninstalling and reinstalling the program doesn’t touch the file that stores the locations of the toolbars. The ALT+SpaceBar thing is for the various windows if they are loose on the screen; Model Info, Preferences, etc.; not the toolbars.

Since you’ve tried other things and they didn’t work for you, first, close SketchUp. Then go to User/AppData/Local/SketchUp/SketchUp 2023/SketchUp and rename the file called PrivatePreferences.json to something like OLDPrivatePreferences.json. Then find the installer, probably in your Downloads folder, right click on it. Choose Run as Administrator from the right click menu. If asked, choose Repair. After that, open SketchUp. You should be able to enable the Large Tool Set and have it appear on your screen.

Note that renaming or deleting PrivatePreferences has effect on all of your toolbars so you’ll need to rearrange them but it will reset the location for the Large Tool Set. After you’ve arranged the toolbars work on a model file a little or make a new one and save it to ensure the new PrivatePreferences file gets updated.