Autodesk products on macOS hang, crash, or freeze during launch

Autodesk Support

Oct 8, 2023

Products and versions covered

Issue:

When launching an Autodesk product on a Mac and signing in to use the software, the program becomes unresponsive or does not launch at all. In some instances the program may open but take much longer than expected to load. The program may shut down unexpectedly, with the following dialog window appearing:
 
Autodesk Sign-In Module Error Report
A software problem has caused Autodesk Sign-In Module to close unexpectedly.

User-added image

Environment:

  • macOS High Sierra
  • macOS Mojave
  • macOS Catalina
  • Data migration using Time Machine or Migration Assistant

Causes:

After performing a data migration, the critical system file /private/etc/hosts is missing or corrupt.
Or a Trial of AutoCAD/AutoCAD LT for Mac will be switched to a subscription.

Solution:

Test antivirus software, if any

If antivirus software is in use, this can interfere with the program. Try to disable/uninstall it temporarily and then test the program again.

Install the latest available update for the software, the AdskLicensing and the AdSSO component from the Autodesk Account.

  1. Sign in to Autodesk Account,
  2. Download the latest available update for the software, the Autodesk Licensing Service (AdskLicensing) and the Single Sign On Component (AdSSO) and install them.

Repair or restore the hosts file in the system by following these steps

  1. Open Go > Go to Folder...
  2. Type /private/etc and hit ENTER. 
  3. Open the file hosts with TextEdit. It should show as follows:
User-added image

If the file cannot be opened, is grayed out, shows its size as 0 KB, and/or contains different or unrecognizable text compared to the above, recreate it using the following steps: 

  1. Delete the existing hosts file.

  2. Copy the following text into a new TextEdit document: 
    ##
# Host Database
#
# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface
# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.
##
127.0.0.1 localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost

  3. Once the text is copied into the file, select Format - Make Plain Text and do not include a file extension (be sure to un-check the box "If no extension is provided use .txt").

  4. Name the file "hosts" and save it in the /private/etc/ directory (enter an admin password if prompted). If the file will not save directly to the /private/etc/ directory, save the file to another location such as the desktop and then manually drag-and-drop it into the /private/etc directory (provide an admin password). To open the /private/etc directory, click the Go menu in the Finder and then Go To Folder, and then type in /private/etc.

  5. ​​Close and reopen the hosts file in TextEdit to double-check that it looks correct. If needed, repeat the steps above and ensure to save the file as plain text, without an extension, and to use the name hosts.

  6. Run the Autodesk software and verify that it launches properly.
If the issue persists, try creating a new user and run the software from there.

Products:

AutoCAD for Mac; AutoCAD LT for Mac; Maya;

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