TechNote (Archived)

Re-creating the Dreamweaver user configuration folder on Windows

If Dreamweaver starts behaving unpredictably, this can be an indication that the Dreamweaver user configuration folder has become corrupt. Dreamweaver (version MX and later) allows multiple users to log in to a machine and customize Dreamweaver to their liking. For example, each user can have different snippets, menu options, extensions, spelling dictionaries, etc. These customizations are saved in each user's configuration folder in Windows. To test for a corrupt user configuration folder, try the following:

Exit from Dreamweaver if necessary.
Open Windows Explorer by right-clicking the main Start button and selecting Explore.
In Windows Explorer, browse to the following folder (this example assumes Dreamweaver 8):

C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 8

Note: To see this folder, you may need to make the following change in Windows Explorer:
Tools > Folder Options > View > Advanced Settings section> Files and Folders section > Hidden Files and Folders > turn on "Show hidden files and folders".
Re-name this folder to an arbitrary name, such as "OLD Dreamweaver 8." Once the user configuration folder has been renamed, Dreamweaver will no longer be able to find it and Dreamweaver will automatically create a new user configuration folder with the default settings.
Launch Dreamweaver and see if the problem still occurs.
If the problem is resolved after re-creating the user configuration folder, you can delete your old user configuration folder, but save any files you may have customized and try to transfer them over to the newly created user configuration folder. See Backing up and restoring Dreamweaver settings (TechNote 18736). Note that these customized files may be the source of the problem. If the problem is reintroduced after copying old files back in, go through steps 1-5 again to get a clean user configuration folder, then transfer customized files one at a time, testing for the problem after each file is transferred, to identify the problem file.

Note: If you have Dreamweaver extensions installed, it is not recommended to move existing user configuration subfolders back into the new user configuration folder since extensions can write files to various subfolders in the Dreamweaver user configuration folder. Instead, extension users should start from the new user configuration folder and reinstall extensions using the Extension Manager installer one at a time. Test each extension individually after installing it, so that you can identify any problematic extensions.

Optional step

If the steps above don't solve the problem, then go back through the steps above again, but insert the following step after step4:

WARNING: If you edit the Windows Registry incorrectly, you can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Adobe does not guarantee that problems that you cause by editing the registry incorrectly can be resolved. Edit the registry at your own risk.

Backup the Dreamweaver user configuration registry key, delete it, and then restart Dreamweaver to see if it fixes the problem. To do this choose Start button > Run > type in "regedit". In the Registry Editor, find the following key (this example uses Dreamweaver 8):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 8

Select the Dreamweaver 8 folder and choose File > Export (so that it is backed up), and then delete it (Edit > Delete).