Dreamweaver 21.5 unstable & crashing [MERGED by moderator]

[detor]

On my PC and work laptop Dreamweaver is freezing and crashing everyday since this last update, it is very annoying. Please fix this bug.

[Nancy OShea]

I don't know who your beta testers are, but they are missing things. 

By @hs4u

=========

What beta testers?

DW is static.  The only updates it receives are essential security patches.

There are no new features for beta testers to test. 

[Chris223305396c1k]

You're an 'expert'? It's quite obvious what hs4u is saying. Someone has to test the updates before they are released and it's clear that they are missing issues and the faulty updates are being released anyway. If no one is testing the updates then that says a lot about a failure on Adobe's part.

[BenPleysier]

This is what Copilot has to say on the subject:

The latest version of Adobe Dreamweaver—May 2025 release (version 21.5)—is mostly a maintenance update focused on security and stability rather than new features. Here's a quick rundown:

:wrench: What's New in Version 21.5

• Upgraded third-party libraries to patch known security vulnerabilities
• Bug fixes and performance improvements, especially for legacy issues
• Continued support for core web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript

🧭 General Direction

• Adobe has placed Dreamweaver in minimal maintenance mode, meaning no major feature development is planned
• The tool remains stable for designing and managing dynamic websites, but it's not evolving rapidly

🧩 Alternatives Gaining Traction

Given the slow pace of updates, many developers are exploring alternatives:

• Wappler – a low-code editor with strong visual tools and dynamic capabilities
• VS Code – lightweight, extensible, and free, with live preview extensions
• Pinegrow, Webflow, and Squarespace – for more visual or template-driven workflows

If you're still using Dreamweaver for HTML/CSS-heavy projects, it’s functional—but if you're looking for innovation or modern frameworks, it might be time to explore other options.

[whcressall]

Then circumstantial evidence would suggest that these security patches break existing code Q.E.D.

Even security patches require validating and stability testing. Does Adobe not do this?

Our coders do. That's mostly what they deal with. But different product and YMMV.

[KellSacc]

Same here. ~Kelly

[Rodrigo79]

I just went back to 21.4 as 21.5 kept getting stuck on my iMac., even after reseting the preferences. I must make a note though, that after the preferences reset, it worked fine for a two or three days. Then started crashing again.

[Chris223305396c1k]

I'm having the same issue. My computer is completely up to date.

[Fatfreddy666]

Yep same here, constant crashing on a managed Windows 11 laptop, everything up to date and maintained so probably another bug laden release from Adobe. Looks like Sublime or Visual Studio may be the way forward for stability, both productivity and sanity-wise.

[surfingmtber]

I am having the same issues with 21.5.  How do you revert to an earlier version and why are we paying a monthly fee for flawed software? Win 10 fully upated.

[glenn-p]

Dreamweaver is basically discontinued. I reverted to 21.4 and the problems went away. I don't plan on updating it again (if there is another update). To revert to 21.4, I backed up my sites (a good idea but I didn't have any issues) and then used Creative Cloud to revert to the old version. The only side-effect was I lost my program layout tweaks (as if it was installed for the first time). There may be a way to back up the preferences but I didn't bother.

Here are the steps with help from Gemini:

Here’s how to export your site settings:

1. Open Dreamweaver.
2. Go to the Site menu at the top.
3. Select Manage Sites.
4. In the Manage Sites dialog box, select the site(s) you want to back up. You can select multiple sites by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and clicking on each site.
5. Click the Export icon (it usually looks like a folder with an arrow pointing out).
6. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to choose whether to back up your settings including login information, passwords, and local paths. Make sure to select the option that includes this information for a full backup. This is typically an option like "Back up my settings..." or by ensuring "Include login passwords and local paths on my machine" is checked if such an option appears.
7. Choose a location on your computer to save the .ste file(s) and give it a recognizable name.
8. Click Save.

You can install previous versions of Dreamweaver using the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application.

1. Open the Creative Cloud desktop app.
2. Go to the Apps tab.
3. Find Dreamweaver in your list of installed applications.
4. Click the three dots (More actions) next to Dreamweaver.
5. From the context menu, select Other versions.
6. A list of previous versions will appear. Find the version you want to install and click Install.

[jirip61631315]

In Adobe Creative Cloud -> Apps -> Dreamweawer -> there is an three dots icon "..." (next to Open button) with "Other versions" option, where you can uninstall current version.

[Chris223305396c1k]

I'm not going to 'reset my preferences'. This is a work computer. For the price my company pays to have access to Adobe apps, Adobe needs to fix this rather than giving us some kind of 'workaround' answer to a problem. 

[Nancy OShea]

I'm not going to 'reset my preferences'. This is a work computer.

By @Chris223305396c1k

==========

Contact your IT dept for assistance.  If needed, they can submit a help request from their Adobe Admin console.

[Chris223305396c1k]

Thanks, I appreciate your reply, but I work from home on a computer supplied by my company. I don't have time to deal with workarounds and 'fixes'. This all sounds more like Adobe absconding from their responsibility to fix the broken app that my company pays a lot of money to procure a liscense for me to use. I'm just going to use Sublime text whenever DW crashes or until it's fixed.

[Nancy OShea]

• This is a product user-to-user forum, not Adobe Support. 
• I neither make software nor work for Adobe.
• I'm just an unpaid forum volunteer and product user like you.  

When workflow is disrupted, you have to be able to pivot. 

The simplest solution is usually the best one: revert to your previous version of DW, prior to the May update. 

I'm using version 21.4 without any problems. 😁

[Chris223305396c1k]

I agree, that's why I'm using Sublime. Works fine.

[default09a7i9striw2]

Contact your IT dept for assistance.  If needed, they can submit a help request from their Adobe Admin console.
I believe help requests are constantly being sent and completely ignored by Adobe.

[Nancy OShea]

I believe help requests are constantly being sent and completely ignored by Adobe.

By @default09a7i9striw2

==========

Do you have case numbers to support your claim?

Individual users can find cases in their Support History page by signing-in below. 

https://account.adobe.com/support

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/customer-support-portal.html

[Dwight241548106hfp]

Same is happening for me, with crashes, and all templates are gone from the Assets, though they are there in the Files window.

[Nancy OShea]

1) Restart Computer and run Dreamweaver as Administrator.

2) Restore Preferences

https://helpx.adobe.com/dreamweaver/kb/restore-preferences-dreamweaver.html

3) Revert to the previous version (21.4).

[Dwight241548106hfp]

Thank you for trying to help. I was able to uninstall and then reinstall version 21.3, but both the blank Assets window and the crashes persist. I also reset Preferences, with no good effect. If you should have any other suggestions, do please let me know. I've been using Dreamweaver since Macromedia days, ca.1998, and have grown entirely used to it, but I guess I'm going to have to look elsewhere now. Best regards.

[Nancy OShea]

Where is your local site folder?  Is it on your computer's primary hard drive?

If not, move it there now and redefine your local site folder location. Go to Site > Manage Sites...

Restart Dreamweaver as an Administrative User. 

[Dwight241548106hfp]

Thanks for your suggestion. Yes, it's on the primary computer. I'm the administrator for the whole computer, but is there a setting specifically for Dreamweaver?

In any case, when I last used Dreamweaver, I think on 25 May, and since forever, it was working well — could the Administrator setting have changed in the recent upgrade?

Thanks again.

[Personal info removed by moderator.]

[Nancy OShea]

@Dwight241548106hfp 

For your protection, don't use personal email to reply to this web forum unless you remove your email signature. It contains sensitive personal information that could be exploited by bots. 

When you install new software or update your computer OS, you often have to run software as Admin the first time it's launched. That's caused by security settings in the computer's OS.  

[Dwight241548106hfp]

Thanks for that advice about personal info, I should have thought of that. I've never used a public forum before.

I've tried installing all of the available earlier versions with no difference. The problems are just that the Asset function is not working on any of them, though the template files are in the right place, and that if I click on the Asset window to try to repopulate it, the programme immediately crashes, every time. I don't really see any possible solution.

I always running all programmes as the Admin, so I don't really know what running this software as Admin means. Thanks again for your help.

I've t