I am using Katalon Studio 10.4.3 with Java 23 on Windows.
When I freshly open Katalon and run a Test Suite, it executes successfully and generates the report without any issues. However, when I try to run another Test Suite afterward (without restarting Katalon), it gets stuck on: “Preparing to build your project”
After waiting for a long time, Katalon becomes Not Responding, and I am forced to end the task and restart Katalon to continue.
Has anyone else faced this issue with the latest version?
Are there any recommended workarounds or configuration changes?
You’re experiencing a specific issue with Katalon Studio 10.4.3 where:
First test suite run: Executes successfully
Second test suite run (without restart): Gets stuck on “Preparing to build your project” and becomes unresponsive
Key Finding: Java 23 Compatibility Issue
Your use of Java 23 is likely the primary cause. According to Katalon documentation and community reports, Katalon Studio officially supports Java 17 only. Java 23 is not supported and can cause compatibility issues, including hanging and unresponsiveness during test execution.
Secondary Issue: Known Hanging Bug in 10.4.3
The release notes for Katalon Studio 10.4.3 document several fixes related to hanging issues:
Fixed an issue where moving multiple test cases up/down in test suite causes KS to hang
Fixed an issue where opening or switching custom keywords causes prolonged loading
Fixed an issue where renaming object or test case folders causes KS to hang
Fixed an issue where dragging and dropping objects causes KS to become unresponsive
While these specific fixes don’t directly address consecutive test suite execution, they indicate that version 10.4.3 had multiple hanging-related issues that were addressed.
In Katalon Studio, go to: Window > Preferences > Katalon > Java
Set the JRE to Java 17
Click Apply and Close
Restart Katalon Studio completely
Step 2: Clean Up Your Project
After switching to Java 17, perform a project cleanup:
Go to File > Clean up…
Select your project
Click OK
Restart Katalon Studio
Step 3: Test Consecutive Runs
Run your first test suite
Without restarting Katalon, run your second test suite
Monitor if the “Preparing to build your project” issue persists
Step 4: If Issues Continue - Additional Troubleshooting
If the problem persists after switching to Java 17:
Increase Heap Memory:
Go to File > Settings > Katalon > Execution
Increase the heap size (try 2048 MB or higher)
Clear Katalon Cache:
Close Katalon Studio
Navigate to: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Katalon\Katalon Studio
Delete the .metadata folder
Restart Katalon
Disable Antivirus Temporarily:
Some antivirus software can interfere with Katalon’s build process
Temporarily disable it to test
Remove Extra Profile Files:
Navigate to your project’s profiles folder
Delete any extra .glbl files (keep only default.glbl)
Restart Katalon
Key Considerations
Java Version Compatibility:
Katalon Studio 10.4.3 is built on Eclipse 4.33 and requires Java 17
Java 23 introduces breaking changes that are incompatible with Katalon’s underlying framework
Even though Java 23 may appear to work initially, it causes issues during consecutive executions due to memory management and class loading differences
Why It Works on First Run:
The first run initializes the JVM and loads all necessary classes
Subsequent runs attempt to reuse the same JVM instance, which can cause conflicts with Java 23’s stricter memory management
Hanging During “Preparing to build”:
This phase involves Gradle compilation and dependency resolution
Java version mismatches can cause the Gradle daemon to hang or become unresponsive
Next Steps: Please switch to Java 17 and report back if the issue persists. If you continue to experience problems after implementing these solutions, you may want to create a support ticket with Katalon.
recommended workaround is to switch back to a supported Java version (Java 17 or 11) and try to restart Katalon
most people seeing this issue report it goes away immediately after downgrading Java.
also worth disabling auto-update and background build tasks if you’re running large projects