SketchUp 2017 Freezing and Lag Problems

Ufuk ŞEN

May 6, 2021Updated: November 9, 20264 min read1

The SketchUp freezing problem hit many users with the 2017 release. On some computers the program stuttered and ran sluggishly even with small files. That’s because SketchUp 2017 joined the list of programs that need a good graphics card. In this article we explain the causes of the problem and the fixes we tried.

We wrote this article in the SketchUp 2017 days. But most of the steps we describe still help in newer versions today. The graphics card and its driver are still the most common cause we see.

Why does SketchUp freeze?

SketchUp leans heavily on the graphics card when it draws the model on screen. If the card is weak or its driver is old, the display loses its smoothness. Low memory and a slow disk make the problem worse. In short, freezing usually comes from a mismatch between hardware and software.

SketchUp’s home page and help section also covered this topic separately. In the section titled “If you’re having trouble installing or running SketchUp Pro 2017”, they listed the following requirements.

Recommended system for SketchUp 2017

These were the recommended specs SketchUp published at the time:

2 GHz or faster processor
8 GB or more of RAM
700 MB of free disk space
A 3D graphics card with at least 1 GB of memory that supports hardware acceleration

The graphics card driver also had to support OpenGL 3.0 or later. SketchUp set this requirement because 2017 and later versions demanded more power from the graphics card. The specs for current versions are different. Check the SketchUp system requirements page for your version.

Steps to fix SketchUp freezing

The step that fixed the problem for the most users was updating the graphics card driver. Download the driver from the card manufacturer’s website. For NVIDIA cards, for example, the NVIDIA driver page is the right place. Restart the computer after updating.

The second step concerns the OpenGL setting. In SketchUp 2016 and earlier, Window > Preferences > OpenGL had a hardware acceleration option. Unchecking this box solved the problem for many users. But this setting applies only to older versions.

If your graphics card is powerful, you can try the opposite too. Set the anti-aliasing value in the same window to 8x. That gives you a cleaner image in the drawing area while you model.

SketchUp OpenGL settings screen for fixing freezing — The SketchUp window with the OpenGL settings

The dual graphics card problem on laptops

Laptops usually have two graphics cards. One is the integrated card inside the processor, the other is the more powerful dedicated card. SketchUp sometimes starts on the weak card by mistake. The program then runs slowly even on a good computer.

The fix is quite simple. The first time you open it, right-click the SketchUp icon. Then choose the option to run it with the high-performance graphics card. You can also set the dedicated card as the default for SketchUp in the graphics card control panel.

Small habits that reduce freezing

Keep the file light: Purge components and materials you don’t use.
Turn shadows on only when needed: Shadows and fog slow down the display.
Use components: Making repeated objects components lightens the model.
Trim your extensions: Disable extensions you don’t use.

We covered ways to lighten the file in our article on reducing file size. To speed up the program in general, take a look at our guide to speeding up SketchUp. If you’re thinking about a new computer, our render computer article will help.

If you run into different problems in different versions, let us know in the comments. Our old article on SketchUp 2017 extensions is still available in the archive.

What if SketchUp keeps freezing?

If the stuttering continues after you’ve tried every step, look at the problem more closely. First check whether it happens in every file or just one. If it happens in only one file, the problem is most likely in the model itself. In that case, cleaning up the file and organizing the components is usually enough.

If every file is equally slow, focus on the hardware. Open Task Manager and watch memory and graphics card usage while SketchUp runs. If memory is constantly full, adding RAM is a good fix. If the graphics card falls below the requirements, it’s time to consider a new card.

Finally, keep SketchUp up to date. New versions and maintenance updates fix many performance problems. But before you switch versions, check that your extensions are compatible with the new one.