Unity Issue Tracker - [window layout] cannot load editor layout, stuck in infinite loop of "failed to load window layout"

Fixed in 2021.1.X

Fixed in 2019.4.X, 2020.1.X, 2020.2.X

Votes

58

Found in

2020.1

2020.2

Issue ID

1275270

Regression

Yes

[window layout] cannot load editor layout, stuck in infinite loop of "failed to load window layout"

Window management

Sep 04, 2020

steps to repro:
1a. copy the attached "corrupted" LastLayout.dwlt into ~/Library/Preferences/Unity/Editor-5.x/Layouts/default/ (or win/linux equivalent directory)
1b. create a new project via Unity hub

Expected: project is created and opens (and... revert factory settings / load default layout buttons fix the issue and Unity opens)
Actual: project is created but then a dialog appears and user is stuck in infinite loop that can only be stopped by selecting "quit"

repro: 2020.2.0a21, 2020.1.5f1
no repro: 2019.4.6f1

Note:
- found on MacOS
- "Failed to load window layout" window causes user to be caught in an infinite loop since nothing fixes the issue so the window will stay
- 2019.4.6f1 can successfully open with the "corrupted" LastLayout.dwlt but does show console errors

Workaround:
- try moving or deleting the files at
- ~/Library/Preferences/Unity/Editor-5.x/Layouts/default/LastLayout.dwlt (or equivalent path)
- <PROJECT>/Library/CurrentLayout-default.dwlt

Resolution Note (fix version 2021.1):

You can resolve this issue by upgrading to the appropriate fixed version:
- 2021.1.0a5
- 2020.2.0b12
- 2020.1.14f1

What has changed?
- “Failed to load window layout” popup dialog now displays the error that occurred when loading the layout.
- Choosing “quit” will remove the broken layout from the cache.
- Choosing “Load default layout” or “revert factory settings” no longer results in an infinite loop with “Failed to load window layout” - A console error will indicate why Unity failed to load the window layout - this can be cleared.
Resolution Note (fix version 2020.2):

Tested fixed in 2020.2.0b12

Unity no longer creates an infinite loop of popup dialogs when attempting to load an invalid or corrupted layout.
Resolution Note (fix version 2020.1):

Tested fixed in 2020.1.14f1

Unity no longer creates an infinite loop of popup dialogs when attempting to load an invalid or corrupted layout.

Comments (43)

Nazdar

Jun 22, 2021 19:32

Confirmed. I'm still having this problem. It's very frustrating to lose my layout, and even more frustrating to find that the issue was marked resolved. How do we get attention back to this issue?
LudiKha

Feb 17, 2021 12:34

Still getting this issue, in both the latest 2020.2 and 2021.1.
chantey

Feb 16, 2021 03:54

still broken - windows 2020.2.1f1
guneyozsan

Feb 05, 2021 14:45

Correction: Still having this on Unity 2020.2.1f1
guneyozsan

Feb 05, 2021 14:45

Still having this on Unity 2020.2.0f1.
Noirsoft

Jan 04, 2021 18:41

I just installed Unity 2020.2.0f1 and get this when creating a new project.
Alex_Hsieh

Dec 31, 2020 16:52

It is not fixed. I'm using Unity 2019.4.16f1 on Windows, and every time Unity hub (2.4.2.0) tries to check for updates, the file "LastLayout.dwlt" will become corrupted, no exceptions.
ahmedaniss1995

Nov 29, 2020 03:00

problem fixed here : https://forum.unity.com/threads/can-not-launch-unity-due-to-failed-to-load-window-layout.694450/page-2#post-6404145
msyoung2012

Nov 28, 2020 21:34

This issue is not fixed in 2020.1.3f1. Clearly, it's been a problem for some time and keeps recurring. Please do not mark these things as resolved if they are not.
Muckel

Oct 29, 2020 06:21

unity becomes more a mess with every version...
i'm full dissapointed ... all those bug's on Mac OS X lately...
soon you can only use it when online...
a big mess is Unity3d now...
work in parallel with UE engine... much better now ...
will switch next year completely...

in 2020.1.10f the bug still exist... :-(
fxxk