User Guide Cancel

Synchronize Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud

  1. Dreamweaver User Guide
  2. Introduction
    1. Responsive web design basics
    2. What's new in Dreamweaver
    3. Web development using Dreamweaver - An Overview
    4. Dreamweaver / Common Questions
    5. Keyboard shortcuts
    6. Dreamweaver system requirements
    7. Feature summary
  3. Dreamweaver and Creative Cloud
    1. Synchronize Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Dreamweaver
    3. Using Photoshop files in Dreamweaver
    4. Work with Adobe Animate and Dreamweaver
    5. Extract web-optimized SVG files from Libraries
  4. Dreamweaver workspaces and views
    1. The Dreamweaver workspace
    2. Optimize Dreamweaver workspace for visual development
    3. Search files based on filename or content | Mac OS
  5. Set up sites
    1. About Dreamweaver sites
    2. Set up a local version of your site
    3. Connect to a publishing server
    4. Set up a testing server
    5. Import and export Dreamweaver site settings
    6. Bring existing websites from a remote server to your local site root
    7. Accessibility features in Dreamweaver
    8. Advanced settings
    9. Set site preferences for transferring files
    10. Specify proxy server settings in Dreamweaver
    11. Synchronize Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud
    12. Using Git in Dreamweaver
  6. Manage files
    1. Create and open files
    2. Manage files and folders
    3. Getting and putting files to and from your server
    4. Check in and check out files
    5. Synchronize files
    6. Compare files for differences
    7. Cloak files and folders in your Dreamweaver site
    8. Enable Design Notes for Dreamweaver sites
    9. Preventing potential Gatekeeper exploit
  7. Layout and design
    1. Use visual aids for layout
    2. About using CSS to lay out your page
    3. Design responsive websites using Bootstrap
    4. Creating and using media queries in Dreamweaver
    5. Present content with tables
    6. Colors
    7. Responsive design using fluid grid layouts
    8. Extract in Dreamweaver
  8. CSS
    1. Understand Cascading Style Sheets
    2. Laying out pages using CSS Designer
    3. Using CSS preprocessors in Dreamweaver
    4. How to set CSS Style preferences in Dreamweaver
    5. Move CSS rules in Dreamweaver
    6. Convert inline CSS to a CSS rule in Dreamweaver
    7. Work with div tags
    8. Apply gradients to background
    9. Create and edit CSS3 transition effects in Dreamweaver
    10. Format code
  9. Page content and assets
    1. Set page properties
    2. Set CSS heading properties and CSS link properties
    3. Work with text
    4. Find and replace text, tags, and attributes
    5. DOM panel
    6. Edit in Live View
    7. Encoding documents in Dreamweaver
    8. Select and view elements in the Document window
    9. Set text properties in the Property inspector
    10. Spell check a web page
    11. Using horizontal rules in Dreamweaver
    12. Add and modify font combinations in Dreamweaver
    13. Work with assets
    14. Insert and update dates in Dreamweaver
    15. Create and manage favorite assets in Dreamweaver
    16. Insert and edit images in Dreamweaver
    17. Add media objects
    18. Adding videos in Dreamweaver
    19. Insert HTML5 video
    20. Insert SWF files
    21. Add audio effects
    22. Insert HTML5 audio in Dreamweaver
    23. Work with library items
    24. Using Arabic and Hebrew text in Dreamweaver
  10. Linking and navigation
    1. About linking and navigation
    2. Linking
    3. Image maps
    4. Troubleshoot links
  11. jQuery widgets and effects
    1. Use jQuery UI and mobile widgets in Dreamweaver
    2. Use jQuery effects in Dreamweaver
  12. Coding websites
    1. About coding in Dreamweaver
    2. Coding environment in Dreamweaver
    3. Set coding preferences
    4. Customize code coloring
    5. Write and edit code
    6. Code hinting and code completion
    7. Collapse and expand code
    8. Reuse code with snippets
    9. Lint code
    10. Optimize code
    11. Edit code in Design view
    12. Work with head content for pages
    13. Insert server-side includes in Dreamweaver
    14. Using tag libraries in Dreamweaver
    15. Importing custom tags into Dreamweaver
    16. Use JavaScript behaviors (general instructions)
    17. Apply built-in JavaScript behaviors
    18. About XML and XSLT
    19. Perform server-side XSL transformations in Dreamweaver
    20. Performing client-side XSL transformations in Dreamweaver
    21. Add character entities for XSLT in Dreamweaver
    22. Format code
  13. Cross-product workflows
    1. Installing and using extensions to Dreamweaver
    2. In-App updates in Dreamweaver
    3. Insert Microsoft Office documents in Dreamweaver (Windows only)
    4. Working with Fireworks and Dreamweaver
    5. Edit content in Dreamweaver sites using Contribute
    6. Dreamweaver-Business Catalyst integration
    7. Create personalized email campaigns
  14. Templates
    1. About Dreamweaver templates
    2. Recognizing templates and template-based documents
    3. Create a Dreamweaver template
    4. Create editable regions in templates
    5. Create repeating regions and tables in Dreamweaver
    6. Use optional regions in templates
    7. Define editable tag attributes in Dreamweaver
    8. How to create nested templates in Dreamweaver
    9. Edit, update, and delete templates
    10. Export and import xml content in Dreamweaver
    11. Apply or remove a template from an existing document
    12. Edit content in Dreamweaver templates
    13. Syntax rules for template tags in Dreamweaver
    14. Set highlighting preferences for template regions
    15. Benefits of using templates in Dreamweaver
  15. Mobile and multiscreen
    1. Create media queries
    2. Changing page orientation for mobile devices
    3. Create web apps for mobile devices using Dreamweaver
  16. Dynamic sites, pages and web forms
    1. Understand web applications
    2. Set up your computer for application development
    3. Troubleshoot database connections
    4. Removing connection scripts in Dreamweaver
    5. Design dynamic pages
    6. Dynamic content sources overview
    7. Define sources of dynamic content
    8. Add dynamic content to pages
    9. Changing dynamic content in Dreamweaver
    10. Display database records
    11. Provide and troubleshoot live data in Dreamweaver
    12. Add custom server behaviors in Dreamweaver
    13. Building forms using Dreamweaver
    14. Use forms to collect information from users
    15. Create and enable ColdFusion forms in Dreamweaver
    16. Create web forms
    17. Enhanced HTML5 support for form elements
    18. Develop a form using Dreamweaver
  17. Building applications visually
    1. Build master and detail pages in Dreamweaver
    2. Build search and results pages
    3. Build a record insert page
    4. Build an update record page in Dreamweaver
    5. Building record delete pages in Dreamweaver
    6. Use ASP commands to modify database in Dreamweaver
    7. Build a registration page
    8. Build a login page
    9. Build a page that only authorized users can access
    10. Securing folders in Coldfusion using Dreamweaver
    11. Using ColdFusion components in Dreamweaver
  18. Test, preview, and publish websites
    1. Preview pages
    2. Preview Dreamweaver web pages on multiple devices
    3. Test your Dreamweaver site
  19. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues

 

 

Work seamlessly across Dreamweaver instances by synchronizing site settings, preferences, keyboard shortcuts, and workspaces with Creative Cloud.

Note:

Effective with the Dw 21.4 release, the Sync Settings feature will be disabled. You can continue to perform export and import functionality offline.

Users can use offline import and export functions to store and transfer settings between machines. Sync settings will remain functional in previous Dw public versions until April 2025, after which the service will be discontinued across all Dw versions.

new user interface
New user interface when sync settings have been disabled.

For the users who are using the previous versions of Dreamweaver

Adobe Creative Cloud subscription account lets you activate Dreamweaver on two machines. A subscription account is basically the Adobe ID account you used to purchase the subscription. Synchronization with the cloud is tightly tied with your subscription account.

The cloud sync feature helps you keep the following Dreamweaver settings synchronized between the two machines:

  • Application Preferences:
    • General: All preferences except Enable Related Files, and Discover Dynamically-Related Files.
    • Code Format: All preferences except tag libraries.
    • Code Hints: All preferences except changes done using the link Tag Library Editor.
    • Code Rewriting: All preferences.
    • Copy/Paste: All preferences.
    • CSS Styles: All preferences.
    • File Compare: This setting is synchronized only between computers running on the same operating system.
    • File Types/Editors: Only Reload Modified Files and Save On Launch.
    • Highlighting: All preferences.
    • New Document: All preferences except Default Document Type (DTD) and Default Encoding.
    • Preview In Browser: Only Preview Using Temporary File is synchronized.
    • Site: All preferences except Always Show <options> On the <Right/Left>.
    • W3C validator: All preferences except changes made using ‘Manage’.
    • Window Sizes: All preferences.
    • On Mac, the Application bar and Application frame settings.

Note: Except File Compare, all the other Preferences listed above are synchronized between computers irrespective of the operating system they are running on. For example, Mac to Windows.

  • Site settings: All site settings (except username and password) are synchronized between computers running on the same operating system. username and password cannot be synchronized.

The path and name of the local site folder is synchronized if a folder with the same name exists in the same path.

If a site does not exist on a machine, Dreamweaver creates a new site folder in the default location and all the paths are relative to this folder. You can change this path at any point in time. For all subsequent synchronizations, only the changes in the site folder are synchronized.

  • Keyboard shortcuts: The keyboard shortcuts are synchronized only between computers running on the same operating system.
  • Workspaces: Workspaces are saved when you quit Dreamweaver and are then synchronized with the cloud. If you want to synchronize Workspace changes without exiting Dreamweaver (in the current session), click Save Current in the Workspace menu and then manually synchronize the settings (Preferences > Sync Settings).

Workspaces are synchronized only between computers running on the same operating system.

  • Code snippets: All code snippets are synchronized between computers running on the same operating system.
Note:

You can choose not to synchronize a specific setting, for example, Preferences. Deselect the required check box in the Preferences (Sync Settings) dialog box.

Synchronization with Creative Cloud is not supported in the following scenarios:

  • You have a volume license and are signed in as an anonymous user.
  • Your machine is configured to connect to the Internet through a proxy server.
  • You switch from an Administrator accout to a standard user account.

Important: For a successful synchronization, ensure that none of your settings files contain special characters (\/:*?"<>|) in the filename. Files containing special characters in their names are not synchronized and Dreamweaver displays an error.

First-time synchronization

When you launch Dreamweaver on the machine you installed it first, the Sync Settings dialog box appears:

Sync Settings Now

Synchronizes the settings with the cloud immediately.

Always Sync Settings Automatically

Synchronizes the settings automatically. For more information, see Automatic Synchronization.

Disable Sync Settings

Disables synchronization.

Note:

You can enable synchronization at any point in time using the Preferences dialog box.

Advanced

Opens the Sync Settings options in the Preferences dialog box.

Sync Settings in Preferences dialog box
Sync Settings in Preferences dialog box

On your second machine, the following dialog box appears when you launch Dreamweaver:

Sync Settings. Sync Settings Now.

Sync Cloud

Brings in the settings on the cloud. Application preferences in the second machine are overridden with the settings on the cloud. Site settings in the cloud are added to the ones on the second machine.

Sync Local

Changes made to preferences and site settings on the second machine are retained and are pushed to the cloud as well.

Always Sync Settings Automatically

Synchronizes the settings automatically. For more information, see Automatic Synchronization.

Advanced

Opens the Sync Settings options in the Preferences dialog box.

The following scenarios help you understand the difference between Sync Cloud and Sync Local options:

Scenario 1

You change the Preferences on the first machine and sync those changes with the cloud. On the second machine too, you change the Preferences. Then, when you click:

Sync Cloud

Changes to Preferences on the first machine are synchronized with the second machine. The changes you made on the second machine are lost.

Sync Local

Changes to Preferences on the second machine are retained and are also synchronized with the cloud. The next time you synchronize the first machine and choose Sync Cloud, these changes are reflected on the first machine.

Scenario 2

Sync Cloud

Changes to site settings on the first machine are ‘added’ to the settings on the second machine.

Sync Local

Changes on the second machine are retained and are synchronized with the cloud. The next time you synchronize the first machine and choose Sync Cloud, the new site gets added to the settings on the first machine.

Note:

Any settings in Preferences that you change while the synchronization is in progress do not take effect.

Import settings from previous versions of Dreamweaver

If you had synchronized Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud even once in the previous version of Dreamweaver, the new version of Dreamweaver displays the following dialog box upon first launch:

Import settings into Dreamweaver 2014. Creative Cloud.
Import settings into Dreamweaver 2014

  • To import settings that are stored on Creative Cloud, click Import Sync Settings

Note: This option is not made available to you at a later point in time. 

  • To synchronize the settings in the current Dreamweaver instance with Creative Cloud, click Sync Local.
  • To synchronize settings automatically hereafter, select Always Sync Settings Automatically.
  • To view advanced sync settings options, click Advanced.

If you had not synchronized the settings with Creative Cloud using the previous version of Dreamweaver, the options described in First-time synchronization are displayed.

If you want to import settings at a later point in time, you can do so using the Preferences dialog box. 

  1. Select Edit > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box.

  2. Click Sync Settings in the Category list.

  3. Select Import Sync Settings, and click Close.

    Import settings from previous versions of Dreamweaver

  4. Quit Dreamweaver and launch it again to apply the imported settings.

Important: The options that you choose in the Settings To Sync section are not applicable for importing settings saved on the cloud. All settings saved on the cloud are imported and the local settings are overridden when you choose the Import Sync Settings option.

Edit preferences for sync settings

Using the Preferences dialog box, you can choose the settings that you want to synchronize, specify conflict resolution settings, enable automatic synchronization, or trigger an on-demand synchronization.

  1. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Dreamweaver > Preferences (Mac).

  2. Click Sync Settings in the Category list.

  3. In the Settings To Sync section, click the setting you want to synchronize.

  4. In the Conflict Resolution list, click an option to resolve conflicts during synchronization. For more information, see Resolve conflicts during synchronization.

  5. To enable automatic synchronization every 30 minutes, click Enable Automatic Sync.

  6. To synchronize the settings at any given point in time (on-demand synchronization), click Synchronize Settings Now.

    (13.1) If there are updates on the cloud that are downloaded onto your computer, the Sync Settings Now button changes to Apply Updates. You can choose to apply the updates immediately or close the Preferences dialog box to apply the updates at a later point in time. If you make any changes to the Dreamweaver instance on the computer before applying the updates, a conflict can arise, which is resolved based on the Conflict Resolution Settings.

  7. Click Apply to save the changes you made to the sync settings preferences.

  8. Click Close to exit the Preferences dialog box.

Automatic Synchronization

You can enable automatic synchronization in one of the following ways:

  • Select Always Sync Settings Automatically in the Sync Settings dialog box.

Note: The Sync Settings dialog boxes appear only when you access Dreamweaver for the first time after installing it on your machines. For subsequent synchronizations, use the Preferences dialog box.

  • Select Edit > Preferences (Win) and Dreamweaver > Preferences (Mac), and then select Sync Settings > Enable Automatic Sync.

When you enable automatic synchronization, Dreamweaver checks for changes on the cloud every 30 minutes and synchronizes the settings automatically if there is a change.

Manual synchronization

  • Click Sync Settings Now in the Sync settings dialog box.
  • Click Edit > (your Adobe ID) > Sync Settings Now.

If there are updates available on the cloud, they are downloaded onto the computer. The Sync Settings Now button changes to Apply Now. You can choose to apply the updates immediately or at a later point in time. If you make any changes to Dreamweaver settings before applying the downloaded updates, a conflict can arise, which is resolved based on conflict resolution settings.

  • (On Mac) Dreamweaver > Sync Settings Now and on Windows, Edit > Sync Settings Now.

Resolve conflicts during synchronization

When there is a difference between the settings on the machines and the cloud, the conflict is resolved based on the Conflict Resolution settings in the Preferences dialog box.

If the Conflict Resolution is set to My Preference, a dialog box appears when a conflict arises:

If you select the Remember My Preference option, the option you choose (Sync Local or Sync Cloud) gets selected in the Preferences dialog box.

IMPORTANT: If you press Esc to close the Conflicting Settings dialog box, the Sync Local action is executed.

Access resources on Creative Cloud directly

You can open, select, or save files on Creative Cloud directly from the Dreamweaver user interface. Install the ‘Creative Cloud Connection Preview’ utility from http://creative.adobe.com.

When you install this utility, the Creative Cloud Files option (highlighted in the screenshot) becomes available in the Open, Save, and Select dialog boxes of Dreamweaver.

 Adobe

Get help faster and easier

New user?