Troubleshooting Editor

The following sections explain how to troubleshoot and prevent problems with the Unity editor in different situations. In general, make sure your computer meets all the system requirements, it's up-to-date, and you have the required user permissions in your system. Also make backups regularly to protect your projects.

Versions

You can install different versions of the editor in different folders. However, make sure you backup your projects as these might be upgraded by a newer version, and you won't be able to open them in an older version of Unity. See the manual page on installing multiple versions for further information.

Licenses of add-ons are valid only for the Unity versions that share the same major number, for example 3.x and 4.x. If you upgrade to a minor version of Unity, for example 4.0 to 4.1, the add-ons will be kept.

Activation

Internet Activation is the preferred method to generate your license of Unity. But if you are having problems follow these steps:

  1. Disconnect your computer from the network, otherwise you might get a "tx_id invalid" error.
  2. Select Manual Activation.
  3. Click on Save License Request.
  4. Choose a known save location, for example the Downloads folder.
  5. Reconnect to the network and open https://license.unity3d.com/
  6. In the file field click Browse, and select the license request file.
  7. Choose the required license for Unity and fill out the information requested.
  8. Click Download License and save the file.
  9. Go back to Unity and select Manual Activation if required.
  10. Click on Read License and then select the downloaded license file.

If you still have problems with registering or logging in to your user account please contact support@unity3d.com.

Failure to Start

If Unity crashes when starting, check the following:

Performance and Crashes

If the editor runs slowly or crashes, particularly on builds, this might be caused by all of the available system resources being consumed. Close all other applications when you build the project. Clean up the system using its utilities, and consult the Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (MacOS) to find out if there are processes using lots of resources, for example memory. Sometimes virus protection software can slow down or even block the file system with its scanning process.

Project Loss

There are many factors that can destroy a project, you should constantly backup your projects to prevent unfortunate accidents. When in MacOS, activate the TimeMachine using an external hard disk reserved for this sole purpose. After a loss you can try any of the file recovery utilities that exist, but sometimes this is irreversible.

Re-installation

Follow these steps to reinstall the editor:

  1. Uninstall Unity. When in MacOS, drag the Unity app to trash.
  2. Delete these files if present:
    • Windows:
      • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Pace Anti-Piracy\License Files
      • C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\PACE Anti-Piracy\License Files
    • MacOS:
      • HD/Library/Application Support/PACE Anti-Piracy/License Files
  3. Restart the computer.
  4. Download the latest version from our website, since your original install might be corrupt: http://unity3d.com/unity/download/archive
  5. Reinstall Unity.

Page last updated: 2013-03-07