Who is this article for?

Administrators who manage and configure workflows.

Administrator permissions needed.

This article explains how to troubleshoot issues with Workflow Designer crashing or closing unexpectedly when you attempt to attach a diagram to a workflow.

Issue

When attaching a diagram to a workflow, Workflow Designer crashes or closes. 

The most common cause of this issue is a missing or incomplete URL in the system preferences. This occurs when the https:// protocol prefix is accidentally removed from the URL Domain field.

To verify your system URL configuration:

1. Open your Workflow Designer XML file in Workflow Designer.
2. Go to Edit.
3. Select Preferences.
4. Check that your system URL includes the full protocol prefix (for example, https://yourdomain.com).
   If the prefix is missing, add it.
5. Confirm your login name is correct.
6. Click OK to save any changes.

Troubleshooting

If crashes persist after verifying your URL configuration, the issue may be caused by other things.

File location or access permissions

Files stored in deeply nested or restricted directories can cause access issues that result in application crashes without error messages.

To resolve file location issues:

1. Move your workflow file (.QTWFD) to a simpler location such as your Desktop or C:\ root directory.
2. Restart Workflow Designer.
3. Attempt the attach process again from the new location.

Note

Ensure you are working with .QTWFD files (editable design files) in Workflow Designer, not .QTWF files (runtime export files).

System requirements

If the application crashes before any dialog appears, this suggests a system-level compatibility issue rather than a file-specific problem.

To verify system requirements:

1. Confirm that the required .NET Framework version for your Workflow Designer version is installed.
2. Right-click the Workflow Designer shortcut.
3. Select Run as administrator.
4. Verify your operating system is compatible with your Workflow Designer version.

If issues persist after these checks, reinstall the Client Tools using the Client Tools installer and restart your server.

Testing with other user accounts

Configuration issues may be user-specific rather than system-wide. Testing with a different user account can help identify whether the problem is isolated to a particular user profile.

To test with an alternative account:

1. Log in to the system using a different user account that has appropriate permissions.
2. Open Workflow Designer.
3. Attempt to attach a diagram to a workflow.

If the diagram attaches successfully under a different user account, compare the URL Domain settings between the two accounts to identify any discrepancies.