Why Has Cricut changed to offline?

Hello, My Crafty Friends,

Abbi Kirsten from https://www.abbikirstencollections.com/ sent me an email on January 29th, 2020 and I was surprised to find that it was super helpful information. So I am passing this info along to you the email that was sent me. (If you want to follow her link is below)

If you are among those who love and use a Cricut machine or are planning to own one in the future then this blog is for you.

It seems many crafters in the Cricut world are panicking because of the new Cricut Design Space download switching to the offline desktop app on January 30th, 2020.

I am here to put your mind at ease. Below are the most FAQs and even some troubleshooting help that can aid you in an easier transition.

If you are feeling overwhelmed or nervous about this change the best thing you can do is educate yourself. Start with this video here and get the new software downloaded.

Why is Cricut changing to offline?

The biggest question about the Design Space change is why? If you are happy with your program why does it have to change?

Well, Design Space may be great now online but Cricut wants to ensure it continues to be great for many years! Moving their platform to offline will allow them to enhance user experience in a way that they can’t do when they are tied to content web browser updates and systems that may not support the functions they wish to roll out.

And one huge benefit of this is that Design Space will also auto-update for you!

I know some of you are HIGHLY skeptical and maybe even frustrated right now. I PROMISE you it will all be okay and you will likely be very grateful for this change down the road. Let’s look at some other common questions about the new Cricut Design Space download.

Is the new offline app free?

Yes, absolutely. Cricut software has always been free and will continue to remain cost-free.

How do I install the Cricut Design Space Download for Desktop?

Good question! If you haven’t already done this you can install the desktop app right here. (note: This will only work for Windows 10 and higher) You can easily follow the prompts to have the program installed in a couple of minutes.

Which computer is the Cricut Design Space download compatible with?

Cricut Design Space works for Windows 10 (and higher) and Mac computers. It DOES NOT work with Google Chromebook.

Windows Users – Make sure your software is updated to Windows 10 so the new app can be successfully installed and run smoothly.

Mac Users – make sure your software is also up-to-date

What will happen to my app on my iPad, iPhone or Android device?

Absolutely nothing! Here’s the funny part that most Cricut users are not aware of. The app for mobile devices is already offline! In other words, they are basically making desktop users match the same software as mobile device users.

What will happen to my Cricut Access subscription?

Nothing at all. Your Cricut Access AND any images you have purchased will automatically be transferred to the new app. Easy peasy – nothing you have to do.

What happens to my saved projects?

You guessed it..nothing! The saved project will also seamlessly redirect to the new desktop app.

Can I continue to use the online version?

After January 29th, 2020 the online version will automatically redirect you to the new offline desktop app.

How do I download Image Files for Offline Use?

If you ever want to use images when you are not connected to Wifi then select an image and click download in the far left corner. Once it has been successfully saved for offline use you can load, edit and cut the image without internet access!

Troubleshooting Tips

Why is my app running so slow? Why doesn’t the app load at all?

I am apart of more than 50 Cricut Facebook groups and run one myself (JOIN HERE!) and my newsfeed is constantly flooded with complaints about this change to the Cricut software.

It’s totally understandable that when something isn’t working for you frustration will set in. But the good news is there is help!

If you are someone who is experiencing issues such as the app not opening or running very slow the very first thing you need to do is make sure you have the latest version of software on your Windows or Mac computer. For 99% of people, this is the problem and can be quickly resolved.

However, if you have already updated your software and are still having issues then I recommend uninstalling and re-installing the software after you updated your computer.

You also need to be sure that you have at least a 2G of space free on your hard drive.

What if I did all that?

If you have checked the boxes above and still experience issues, then please contact Cricut Member Care here. They are awesome about helping!

Inside the new desktop app, they also have a help bubble at the bottom left-hand side. This helps you easily communicate what your issue is by selecting a subject, category and they even allow you to draw on the screen to point of specific problems!

My screen is blank when I load the app

According to Cricut, this can be resolved by clearing your cache and relaunching the app.

Design Space is running slow

Cricut suggests performing a “force-reload” if this occurs. Do this by selecting View > force-reload.

I can’t see all my projects or images?

In the event that images seem to be missing, close the app and relaunch it after you have checked that the internet connection is working. Until an image is saved for offline use the internet is still required to load images saved from the cloud. Remember to watch this video to see how to save your projects/images for offline use!

That’s it for now on the new Design Space desktop app! If you have another question, don’t forget to check out Cricut’s troubleshooting help too!

So there we have it, a quick guide to warm you up to the new Design Space for desktop.

If you want to return to this info be sure to Pin the post here.

Next week I have some new freebies coming your way and a super big announcement!!

See you then!

XO,

Abbi.