How to Navigate Current Silhouette Issues & Website Updates – What to Do Now

If you have not seen the many thousands of posts on social media, then this may be news to you. Silhouette has been updating their websites. Both the Silhouette America website and the Silhouette Design Store website have been undergoing a major update where all the data has to be transferred from one system to another. Silhouette has run into issues with the site updates.

Updated 7/9/24 10:30 am CDT – Website & Library issues

User’s are starting to receive this email from Silhouette about a “fix” for the library (photo below). It is a slow roll out as described in the email dated 6/25/24.

Silhouette version 4.5.807 that is referenced, was released on Friday, July 5, 2024 as the “fix” under Open Beta version on the Silhouette website.
This is all new territory for all of us and we have no idea what will happen or what will come in the future. So far we’ve seen mixed results.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Do nothing until you get an email from Silhouette that your account is enabled. If you do try to sync before getting the email, then most likely your account is not enabled yet and it won’t work anyhow.
• if you decide to test v4.5.807 – turn off and unplug all of your Silhouette machines and DO NOT connect to them until you decide if you are going to keep this version.
  v4.5.971+ have firmware updates required for newer model machines and is another reason we were not recommending that update. Neither v4.5.791 or v4.5.807 have much testing by users and we reported several bugs in .791.
  If you decide to keep v4.5.807 – you will need to process those firmware updates if it notifies you. There is no way around that unless you use older software – which means the library and new files may not successfully sync.
• or wait and see what happens going forward

I honestly don’t like the fact that a software update is released and users are forced to update if they want their library to sync, but it’s not my call.

If you received the email and after following Silhouette’s instructions still have issues with the library syncing, files not downloading, download failed, logging into the websites, credit balances, subscriptions, or shopping in the Silhouette Design Store you will need to email Silhouette at support@silhouetteamerica.com as the email instructs.

For the best results you can expect from Support, be as detailed in the email and explain the steps that you have taken and provide any photos that help explain your issue as well as what you currently see. This will hopefully help them understand what your particular issue is.

I wish this were different, but please understand we are all experiencing the issues together.

Even if your library is still not syncing, I do have resources that can help for you to still be able to use your Silhouette software and machines….

• 3 Ways to Use Silhouette without the Library
• How to Direct Download from the Design Store video HERE
• Library Extractor for Windows and MAC
  Please read all the notes.
  This will extract library files that were synced to the computer prior to the website issues. It will not contain any files that have not successfully synced to the library.
  However, it does extract user created files too!
  I have tested this and it worked for me.

Please continue reading below for additional information that has been shared during this entire process. It has been a long 50 days as I type this of the mess, but we are all experiencing the issues together.

*****

Silhouette users who are signed up for email notifications were sent an email on May 21, 2024 notifying them of this update. Here is a copy of the email notice I received.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Update: email sent to users on 6/24/24 5 pm CDT

Update: email sent to users on 6/14/24

Update: email sent to users on 5/30/24 “We are aware of the issues being encountered with the new websites. We apologize for any inconvenience and frustration this may have caused. Rest assured we are working diligently to resolve these problems and will have everything up and running smoothly soon. Our intent with this upgrade is to improve your experience and the offerings we provide. 
We thank you for your patience and understanding.”

The emails are only be sent out to those subscribed to receive their emails. Many users also found that the email ended up in their spam or junk folder, or the email provider marked it as spam and it was not received.

Silhouette also put up a notice on the websites that they were under maintenance starting at midnight on 5/22/24 and hoped it would be complete at 7 am MST on 5/22/24.

Unfortunately, technology did not follow their schedule and we are now (7) 9 days out and it is still not functioning properly.

So here we are…

I am going to provide some information below and will continue to update this post as things progress, so it may be a good one to bookmark for future reference.

Now “hold onto your butts” because this is a lot of information to share below….
(side note: we saw a car decorated as a Jurassic Park tour car last weekend and that saying was on the back window. The entire vehicle was decked out including a dinosaur riding on the dash – so it’s fresh in my mind)

Silhouette Website Updates

Updates 6/14/24 from Silhouette Secrets+ – Recommendations

• Do NOT try to sync the library! Syncing has been turned off the past week or so, so it will not work while they continue to work on it.
• Turn the library to “Working Offline”.
  Click the Library tab.
  Click your name in the top left.
  Make sure there is a red checkmark next to Working Offline.
  No red checkmark = not set to work offline.
• Do not click the Sync button. I know that is a repeat but we’ve been repeating ourselves thousands of times.
• Download any files directly from the Silhouette Design Store – video on how to do that HERE
• If you are getting an error accessing the Design Store – type “Silhouette Design Store” into a Google search and use that link that comes up. Do not use auto suggested links as some are not working since the change over.
• You can continue to use your Silhouette software and machines!!! Find out how HERE ​
• Start thinking about storage options for the future!!!
  Once this is over and we see how things will be in real time, I will put out information on “What to Do Now”. But, I cannot begin to do that until I know how the changes will affect the Design Store and what the functionality will be.
  I use an external hard drive, well actually, I use 2. One is my everyday working hard drive and the other is my backup of that hard drive and I try to backup weekly.
  It will depend on how many files you save and how much you save on the size of storage you need or how often you back up your files, but I’d recommend at least once a month.
  Find out more on backups HERE
  *this is good information to save for the future!!!

UPDATE 6:00 PM CDT 6/9/24
Please read entirely.

Updates are still in process and they do not expect them to be fixed until sometime later this week….. that’s an estimate at this point.

DO NOT try to sync your libraries – it will not work as it’s been turned off while they are trying to fix it. If your library happens to sync, it’s a fluke and they might be testing things and have turned it back on for a short time.
We have recommended this entire time to keep the library at Working Offline. That means you should see a red check mark next to Working Offline in the Library menu when you click on your name.
If there is no red checkmark, it is NOT set to Working Offline completely.

Sales tax – sales tax charged “should” be fixed. Sales tax will be charged in all states that require that sales tax be charged in. It’s the law!!! It should only apply to purchases made with a credit card or Paypal. Anything covered by your subscription credit completely, should not be charged sales tax. If you go over your credit balance, you will be charged tax on that because it’s over the credit balance. There may still be issues here and there because they are NOT done fixing it.

Design Store sale – is 50% off but you may need to click on the actual item and the Quick Add to cart in order to see the sale price accurately. I did report that.
Check out how to direct download your files from the Silhouette Design Store while these updates are being fixed HERE.

Free files – do NOT use the link in the email that Silhouette sent. It is not showing properly. I reported that too.
Go directly to silhouettedesignstore.com and log in, then it should show properly.

Silhouette Design Store Access – we’d recommend that you DO NOT use the button in the Silhouette software to access the Design Store. Use a web browser and log in for best results. There are issues with accessing it through the button in the software.

Logging in to the Design Store – you WILL need to log in each and every time you visit the Design Store. Yes, we all know it’s a pain in the butt…. but it’s better than it was before during this mess, so I count that as a win right now. We need the little wins!!!
Type in your email and password each time. DO NOT use the computer’s autofill for best results as we’ve seen issues with that too.

Cannot log in – you can try a password reset but there are no guarantees. If you cannot log in, then you will most likely have to wait until the mess is fixed.

Please continue reading below for additional information and specifics on the issues users are encountering during these updates.

Update 6/24 10:00 am CDT
updates ongoing…..
New video on how to direct download Silhouette Design Store files on the Silhouette Secrets+ YouTube channel HERE.

Update 6/5/24 8:30 am CDT
Updates are still ongoing. Issues reports are listed below.

Update 6/4/24 5:30 am CDT
Updates are still ongoing. Many different issues reported and being experienced by users and myself.
– new designs not downloading properly
– Silhouette library will not sync
– maximum number of devices reached error
– passwords not working (make sure you are accessing the Silhouette Design Store from a web browser, not the button in the software. And do not use an autofill on the computer for the password for best results)
– credits and subscriptions not showing properly (they will address this as soon as the updates are functioning properly and they can get into the system to start fixes)

I do feel that a lot of the issues will resolve themselves once the websites are fully functional and stable. Right now, it’s having a major issue syncing the massive amounts of user data to each user’s Silhouette software.

Currently, I have 2 computers that the library is all messed up. I try to sync each day and it gives me a new error. I have tried every trick in my tool box to see if it will work and some have just made it worse.
If your Silhouette library is showing up, I’d recommend turning it to Working Offline (instructions below) and do not try to sync it until this is all over.
If your Silhouette library is not showing properly, I do not have a solution for a “fix” at this time. I’ve tried it all and it has just made my 2 computer libraries worse.

I will continue to update when I start seeing things change.

Update 6/2/24 4:20 pm CDT
The updates are still in process and I am still seeing as well as experiencing issues. Lots of issues reported by users and they are not all the same.
I hope for more progress this week.

I was able to shop in the Silhouette Design store last night and it was faster, however, I had mixed results on syncing to my library on 2 computers. My test computer, is a mess. It did say it was synced but only shows the new files I purchased as Download failed and 200 free with machine designs. The 2nd computer I tried to sync, which before had my full library synced on, has not deleted everything but the free with machine and the new files I bought last night. However, those files all show as fully synced and do not show as Download failed.
My 3rd working computer is set to work offline and I am not risking it at this moment.

I am recommending that users do not try to sync their libraries or it can have a mixed result.

Update 6/1/24 11:00 am CDT
As I type this to try to provide more information, the Design Store is not loading for me at all – I get a 504 error…. but if you can get it to load, the following information may be relevant.

Seeing all kinds of odd behaviors as listed below. Nothing is consistent and users should expect to see odd things if they are trying to sync, buy designs, or download designs.
There is nothing we can do but wait to see what happens.

NEW!!! Direct Download option of Silhouette Designs. Click on heart or person icon in the top right of site. On the left side, select Downloads. Click on the thumbnail of design and it should open the downloads window. However, it is not easy to search through your designs for a specific file and you may spend more time scrolling and waiting on pages to load. Might work in a pinch, but will take time to process.

However, note that the site is super slow and the more users try to access it will affect the results. This is a catch 22 – it’s not functioning properly yet, but they also need traffic in order to see how that function is working and to be made aware that it is not going to hold up to the “normal” flow of user traffic. Please be aware of this and understand that at this moment, all I can guarantee is that it is NOT working properly and is super SLOW, if you can get the site to even load.

At this point, the only thing we can count on is…. it is going to take time for it to all be “normal” again.

Update 5/31/24 6:00 pm CDT
We are starting to see some changes occurring. Some users have been able to log in and see their designs. However, we are also seeing a lot of strange and misfit information too!
I do not think it’s over, but at least a step in the right direction.
Some of the things we are currently seeing are:
– file names not matching thumbnails
– only free files showing
– some not able to log in
– download failed on files when library syncs
– new files are not showing download failed
– Silhouette Design Store is slow
– syncing is super slow
– website in and out at time
I don’t think it’s over, but a few more good reports than there were earlier today!!!

——–

What we do know:

• the websites are currently undergoing updates
• anything that “talks” to the Silhouette servers can be affected
• Silhouette is aware and is continuously working on it
• Silhouette Support has been bombarded with complaints & user issues
• Silhouette Support cannot “fix” anything at the moment until the website updates are finished
• No one can do anything to “fix” it at the moment until the website updates are completed and stable
• I have been reassured that the data is still there and Silhouette can see it, but we as a user may not be able to “see” it during this update because of the issues they are working through
• I do believe that most of the issues we are seeing will be resolved when the Silhouette websites are 100% fully functional and stable. Most of the issues “should” work themselves out on their own once the systems are stable.

What is affected?

It might be easier to list what is not affected. Currently anything that has to “talk” to the Silhouette server to receive data may be affected. This includes the Silhouette library, Silhouette Design Store, and everything in between.

The Silhouette Design Tab and the cutting machine capabilities are all offline, so they should be able to still be used. However, we’ve already had reports starting today that the software is crashing when the library is trying to log back in or sync.

What can you do?

First, don’t panic. It won’t help anything and it will not “fix” it.

I am going to list some things that you can do to hopefully continue working in your Silhouette software below and I will update this as it progresses.

1 – If it’s possible, turn off the WIFI/internet from your computer for the next step. This will ensure that it will not try to “talk” to the servers before you complete the next step.

2 – With WIFI/internet disabled on the computer, open the Silhouette software, click on the Library tab in the top right corner and then click on your name in the top left corner of the library. Check the box next to Work Offline.

Now you “should” be able to use the Silhouette software without it trying to connect to the servers. You should be able to turn on the WIFI/Internet on your computer again.

Continue using your Silhouette Studio software and machines to cut projects as needed. You will be able to open any .studio files that you have saved from an external source such as your hard drive. If you have the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition upgrade or higher, you will be able to also open other file types such as a SVG file, which is a cut file as well.

If your Silhouette library is still showing, you will be able to use any files currently in the library (if it’s not showing at all, please continue reading below)

Save any files you are designing to an external source by using File > Save As > Save to Hard Drive and select a location.

3 – Click on your name in the top left corner and select Library Export. Save that file to your computer or an external source with the current date.

4 – Click on your name in the top left corner and select Export User Created Files. Save that file to your computer or external source with the current date.

Both steps 3 & 4 can be performed if your library is still showing and I am only recommending as a precaution. As a note, these are 2 steps that we recommend users are doing on a regular basis anyhow.

5 – Do NOT log out of the Silhouette library.

6 – Do NOT try to sync the Silhouette library.

7 – At this time, I do NOT recommend shopping in the Silhouette Design Store.
The more users who are trying to access the Design Store website or trying to sync their accounts is bogging down the system.
Having multiple web pages open on your computer trying to access designs “faster” in the Silhouette Design Store is not helping anyone.

8 – At this point and time, Silhouette Support cannot do anything to “fix” the issue. They are in the same boat as we are while we wait for the company in charge of the migration to figure their stuff out.
Silhouette Support has received thousands of emails, many of which are complaints about how users don’t like the colors, the headers, the look in general, etc. All of those emails will take time to answer, but currently there are no answers until the websites are functioning properly again.

Silhouette Support is responding to the thousands of emails and here is an example that does confirm they are aware of the issues and continuing to work on it.

“Thank you for your email. We are sorry to hear of the issue encountered.
Thank you for your continued patience. we have worked diligently over the weekend to get the website back to normal operation. Some things may still be non-functioning as the data that is being transferred from our old website to the new one is massive.
Rest assured , none of your libraries have disappeared and will soon be functional once all of the data is transferred.
You can expect some functions to be back to normal while others are not. The website will be very slow while all of the data is still transferring as well as the web traffic we are experiencing from customers trying to log in, change passwords and sync their libraries.
We apologize for the delay in getting the website back to 100%. We are continuing working on this behind the scenes and we have a dedicated team that has worked through the weekend, the holiday and nights in order to move this process along.
Again, we appreciate your patience and hope to have all sites back up and functioning as normal soon.
We hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have any other questions.”
Silhouette Support Team

9 – Do NOT uninstall and reinstall the Silhouette software. At this point, if you do, you may not be able to get it reinstalled and set up again. It will not “fix” this issue.

At this time there is nothing anyone can do to speed this up. The company in charge of the migration is working on it and we just have to wait. It is 15+ years of data that is being moved and stabilized onto a new system.

No one wants to be in this situation, especially Silhouette. But, at the moment we are in it and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

What to do if your Silhouette library has disappeared?

Updated Information 5/31/24
We have received reports that some users have been able to get their libraries to sync. However, reports go back and forth on it will sync and then kick them out again, and then they get error notifications. Users are still having issues and behavior is unknown.

If your library does sync, we would highly recommend that once that is complete, change the Silhouette library to “Working Offline” as explained above. We would recommend not trying to sync again until the websites are completely functioning and stable or you risk losing the library again.

—–

5/29/24 – original publication
Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done right now.

The Silhouette library “talks” to the Silhouette servers and if it cannot communicate with the server, it cannot pull the data it needs to show you the library.

I have been told that Silhouette can see the user information and all the information is still out there, but users just cannot “see” it in the library currently due to the upgrades.

I know it won’t help at all and will just make some users angry, but try not to panic. Panicking will not help the situation and it will only add to your stress. Silhouette is aware and they are trying to fix it.

I do believe that once the Silhouette website updates are complete that a lot of these issues will “fix” themselves and we can get back to our projects.

At this time, I am NOT recommending that users import a backup of the library into the Silhouette software simply because I have no idea how that might be treated once the Silhouette websites begin functioning again.
It is possible it could duplicate the entire library, throw an error because it “thinks” the cloud storage is full, or freak it out altogether and do something different. It may cause more issues and take longer to resolve than if we just wait it out.

What to do if your Silhouette upgrade disappeared?

Unfortunately, the answers don’t get any happier. At the moment, there isn’t much you can do. In order to activate the upgrade, the software has to “talk” to the Silhouette server to get that data.

Your choices are:

• try to activate the upgrade again under Help > Apply Upgrade – enter only your email and password
• wait until the Silhouette websites are functioning again

If you do try to log in and activate the software upgrade again, please be aware that it may or may not work. If it cannot connect to the Silhouette servers to get that information, then it won’t work and you do risk the Silhouette library trying to sync and disappearing.

But, if you are trying to activate the upgrade to open SVG files, it may be worth the risk to still continue to work with the Silhouette software. Only you can make that decision.

What to do if you received an email that there was an error with your payment

With the systems down and not functioning properly, I know many have received emails that there was an error with their payment. This is probably not something to do with your actual payment method, but caused by the updates. At this point, we don’t know

Here is how I suggest you proceed:

1 – I would check with your payment source and see if the payment did actually go through. If it did grab a screen shot or photo of that. Gather the information you can from your payment source.

2 – Contact Silhouette Support with the information & provide a detailed description of what has happened. However, understand that Silhouette Support is backlogged with user emails and they currently cannot do anything to “fix” the issue until the system is back completely. At this time, all they can really do is respond with a message like I showed above.

So my recommendation is to add this to your to-do list to contact Silhouette Support when the websites are back online, functioning, and stable if you do not see that the issue has been resolved under your Account on the website.

Please understand that it will take time for all the issues to work out once the Silhouette websites are updated, functioning, and stable. The more information you can provide in your email to Support the faster the issue can be addressed.

What to do if you had credits expire during this down time?

At this point and time, there is nothing that anyone can do to fix that during this migration time frame. Silhouette is waiting on the company who is migrating all the data to get it stabilized and they cannot make any changes during that time.

Once the Silhouette websites are functioning properly and stable, they will begin addressing these issues and the expired credits is on their list. I have submitted the issue to several at Silhouette and they are aware. They want to fix it, but have to wait just like we do.

As mentioned, Silhouette Support is bogged down with complaints about everything from hating the new colors to actual real issues. I’d recommend making an note of what credits expired and once this is all said and done, compose a nice email to Silhouette providing the information you have.

Two things to remember here:
1. Silhouette Support agents have no control over this either, but they are taking the brunt of all the nasty emails and people yelling at them
2 – “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” – a please and thank you can go a long way. I’ve seen some of the emails that are being sent as users share online, they are not nice at all.
Your email may make all the difference in that person’s day!
I understand we are all frustrated, but it’s not their fault, they are just doing their job to respond to as many support requests as they can in their work day, including all the ones complaining about the colors of the website.

When will the updates be done?

At this point, we are on day (7) 9 and they had hoped it would be done overnight on 5/22. That did not happen, so the best answer I have for that is something I say to my kids when they ask when dinner will be ready….

It will be done when it’s done.

It is not what any of us want to hear, believe me – I know!

I am just as frustrated, if not MORE than you are! We have fielded thousands and thousands of comments, posts on social media, emails, and messages in regards to this. We CANNOT fix it either and all we can do is provide the information that we are seeing and experiencing.

I have been a Silhouette user for 11+ years now and this is the first time this has ever happened. They are changing system completely and things happen. It is not the norm and rarely are we ever down this long.

Now, a bit of humor because if I don’t laugh at something I might scream….

A few designs from my Silhouette library that you may want to grab once everything is back to “normal”.

This pretty much describes the last week as we have tried to navigate these issues and respond to thousands of user posts, comments, emails, and messages.

As a note, I grabbed that design before the typo could be fixed in the Silhouette Design Store a long time ago and have kept for my own use. I had planned to make a sign for my studio with it at some point. It fits in with the Swift Creek Customs logos I designed.

And after this is all over and done with, we might all need badges.

Note: I have NOT linked these designs as I am staying off the Silhouette Design Store website until the issues are resolved as I advised above.

We are all in the same boat… up a creek without a paddle…. we will get through it! Hopefully the information provided above can help most users.

I have also compiled a long list of issues we have seen or experienced and have sent that off to several of my contacts at Silhouette. They are aware of the issues and will continue to work through them as they can. The most important factor right now is getting the Silhouette websites functioning and stable, then other issues can be addressed. Hopefully, many of those issues will be resolved simply by the website functioning properly again.

Additional Resources:

• Silhouette Studio Upgrades
• Opening a SVG file
• Activating a Silhouette software upgrade
• Recommended Design and Font sites (not Silhouette Design Store right now)
• Silhouette Backups
• Important Information This Month – I highly recommend that all users follow these steps after all the updates are finished
• A to Z Silhouette Guide
• Silhouette Classes

Note: this blog post will be updated as information changes

I don’t even know how to sign off on this post…. to all my fellow Sh*t Creek members – hopefully we will have a resolution soon!

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