# Why Does Procreate Keep Crashing? Expert Troubleshooting Guide - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/why-does-procreate-keep-crashing-expert-troubleshooting-guide/ - Published: 2024-03-16 - Author: Jordan Brown - Categories: [Software & APP](https://33rdsquare.com/category/software-app/) --- Are you a digital artist frustrated by Procreate constantly crashing on your iPad? You‘re not alone. Many users experience this issue, which can interrupt your creative flow and even lead to lost work. As a professional illustrator who uses Procreate daily, I‘ve encountered my fair share of crashes. Over time, I‘ve learned to troubleshoot the app and minimize the frequency of these disruptions. In this expert guide, I‘ll dive deep into the most common reasons behind Procreate‘s instability and arm you with actionable solutions to keep the app running smoothly. Whether you‘re a seasoned pro or just starting out with digital art, this comprehensive resource will help you spend less time troubleshooting and more time creating. Let‘s get started! ## Top Reasons Procreate Crashes ### Device Limitations One of the primary culprits behind Procreate crashes is simply asking too much of your iPad. Procreate is a powerful, resource-intensive app, especially when working with large, complex canvases. If your iPad doesn‘t have enough RAM or processing power to handle the task at hand, the app may become unstable and crash. This is more likely to occur with older iPad models that may struggle to keep up with the demands of newer versions of Procreate. According to Savage Interactive, the developers of Procreate, the app requires an iPad manufactured in 2015 or later, running iOS 13.2 or newer. For the best performance, they recommend using one of the following models: - iPad Pro (all models) - iPad Air (3rd generation and newer) - iPad (8th generation and newer) - iPad mini (5th generation and newer) If you‘re using an older device that meets the minimum requirements but find Procreate crashes frequently, it may be time to consider upgrading to a newer, more powerful iPad. In the meantime, you can optimize performance by working with smaller canvases and limiting the number of layers in your projects. ### Outdated Software Another common cause of crashes is running an outdated version of Procreate or iPadOS. As with any complex software, bugs can slip through that cause instability and unexpected behavior. These issues are usually addressed in subsequent updates, so it‘s crucial to keep both Procreate and your iPad‘s operating system up-to-date. Additionally, compatibility problems can arise if the version of Procreate you‘re using isn‘t compatible with your iPad‘s OS version. To check if updates are available, open the App Store, tap on your profile picture in the top right corner, and scroll down to the "Available Updates" section. If you see Procreate listed, tap "Update" to install the latest version. To check for iPadOS updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, tap "Download and Install" and follow the prompts to complete the process. Keep in mind that updating your iPad‘s OS is a significant change that can take some time, so make sure your device is plugged in or has a sufficient charge before proceeding. ### Too Many Apps Running in the Background Your iPad has a limited amount of RAM that must be shared between all running apps. If you have multiple apps active in the background while using Procreate, they can consume valuable memory resources needed for the app to run smoothly. This is especially true if you‘re running other creative apps that are also resource-intensive, such as Adobe Fresco or Affinity Designer. To minimize the risk of crashes due to low available RAM, get in the habit of completely closing apps you‘re not actively using. Don‘t just minimize them to the background – swipe up on the app preview in the multitasking view until it disappears off the top of the screen. This frees up the RAM that app was using, making it available for Procreate. ### Low Storage Space Even if you have plenty of RAM for Procreate to work with, insufficient free storage on your iPad can still cause performance issues and crashes. Procreate needs a certain amount of open storage to function properly, particularly for auto-saving your work. If your iPad‘s storage is full or nearly full, auto-save may fail, putting you at risk of losing your work in the event of a crash. To check your iPad‘s storage usage, go to Settings > General > iPad Storage. If you‘re running low on space, consider offloading unused apps, deleting unwanted media files, or moving files to iCloud or another cloud storage service. Aim to keep at least 2-3 GB of storage free at all times to give Procreate and other apps room to work. ### Corrupt Procreate Files In some cases, Procreate may crash when attempting to open a damaged or incompatible file. This is more likely to occur with very old files created in early versions of the app, or with files imported from other devices or applications. While Procreate is very good at maintaining backwards compatibility, there are limits to what it can handle. To minimize the risk of crashes due to corrupt files, periodically clear out old files that you no longer need from your Procreate gallery. If you have projects that were created in other apps, consider recreating them as new files within Procreate itself instead of importing them. And always make sure you have backups of your most important work, just in case! ### Rare Software Bugs Finally, there‘s always the possibility that a crash could be caused by a previously unknown bug introduced in the latest version of Procreate or iPadOS. While the developers rigorously test each update before releasing it, some issues inevitably slip through the cracks. The good news is that these kinds of bugs are usually quickly patched once they‘re reported and identified. If you suspect you‘ve encountered a software bug, the best thing you can do is report it to Savage Interactive so they can investigate and resolve the issue. You can contact their support team directly from within the Procreate app by going to Actions > Help > Ask a Question. Be sure to include as much detail as possible about the circumstances of the crash and attach your iPad‘s crash log if prompted. ## General Troubleshooting Steps Now that we‘ve covered the most common culprits behind Procreate crashes, let‘s go over some general troubleshooting steps you can take to get the app up and running again: 1. Force close and restart Procreate. If the app becomes unresponsive or laggy, your first course of action should be force closing it from the multitasking view and relaunching it. 2. Power off your iPad completely. If you‘re still having issues after relaunching Procreate, try shutting your iPad down entirely and restarting it. This clears out the RAM and gives you a clean slate to work with. 3. Check for app and OS updates. As mentioned earlier, running the latest versions of Procreate and iPadOS is crucial for stability. If updates are available, install them before launching the app again. 4. Free up device resources. Close any other apps running in the background and delete unneeded files to free up storage space and RAM. Restart your iPad again before relaunching Procreate. If none of these steps resolve the issue and Procreate continues to crash regularly, it‘s worth reaching out to Savage Interactive‘s support team for further assistance. They can analyze your crash logs to pinpoint the source of the problem and provide more targeted troubleshooting advice. ## Tips to Minimize Procreate Crashes In addition to knowing how to troubleshoot crashes when they occur, there are some proactive steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of Procreate becoming unstable in the first place: 1. Work with canvas sizes appropriate for your iPad model. If you‘re using an older or less powerful iPad, stick to smaller canvases and limit the number of layers in your projects. Conversely, if you have a top-of-the-line iPad Pro, feel free to take advantage of its capabilities with larger, more complex files. 2. Avoid running other intensive apps in the background while using Procreate. If you need to switch between multiple creative apps, close out of each one completely before launching the next. 3. Regularly clear out old or unwanted files from your Procreate gallery. A bloated gallery full of unused files not only takes up valuable storage space but can also slow down the app‘s performance. 4. Stay up-to-date with the latest versions of Procreate and iPadOS. Enable automatic app updates in your iPad‘s settings to ensure you always have the most current version of Procreate, and don‘t ignore those pesky OS update notifications! 5. Take breaks during long creative sessions to give your iPad a chance to rest and cool down. Intensive use over an extended period of time can cause your device to overheat, which in turn can lead to performance issues and crashes. 6. If Procreate is consistently unstable on your current iPad, consider upgrading to a newer model with more RAM and processing power. While this is a significant investment, it can make a world of difference in the app‘s performance and your overall user experience. ## Dealing With the Aftermath of a Procreate Crash Even with the most diligent maintenance and care, the occasional Procreate crash is still bound to happen. It‘s an incredibly frustrating experience, especially if it leads to lost work. However, all is not necessarily lost! Procreate automatically saves your work at regular intervals, so you should be able to recover at least a recent version of your project. To access the auto-saved files, go to the Gallery, tap on the crashed project‘s thumbnail, then tap on the "Recovered" button that appears at the top of the screen. This will open a list of available auto-saves for that file, with timestamps for each version. In addition to relying on auto-saves, I highly recommend getting into the habit of saving your work manually at frequent intervals. To do this, tap on the Actions menu (the wrench icon), and then tap "Save." You can also enable the option to show a Quick Menu button for faster access to common actions like saving. If you experience a crash and are unable to recover your work using the methods above, don‘t panic! As a last resort, you can try checking the Files app on your iPad for any backups that may have been created. To do this, open the Files app and navigate to "On My iPad" > "Procreate." If you‘re lucky, you may find a recent backup of your file here. In the unfortunate event that a crash leads to a total loss of work, take a deep breath and try to move forward. Remember that even the most experienced digital artists deal with crashes and lost work from time to time – it‘s an inherent risk of working with technology. Use it as a learning opportunity to refine your backup and saving strategies for the future. ## Conclusion Procreate is an incredibly powerful and versatile tool for digital artists, but like any complex software, it‘s not immune to occasional crashes and stability issues. By understanding the common causes of crashes and following the troubleshooting steps and best practices outlined in this guide, you can minimize the frequency and impact of these disruptions on your creative process. Remember to keep your software up-to-date, manage your device‘s resources wisely, and develop good saving habits to protect your work. While crashes may be inevitable from time to time, they don‘t have to derail your artistic flow. Stay calm, troubleshoot methodically, and don‘t let the occasional hiccup discourage you from continuing to create amazing art with Procreate! I hope you found this guide helpful in demystifying Procreate crashes and arming you with the knowledge and tools to tackle them head-on. Happy illustrating! --- Source: [Why Does Procreate Keep Crashing? Expert Troubleshooting Guide](https://33rdsquare.com/why-does-procreate-keep-crashing-expert-troubleshooting-guide/)