How To Set Up SharePoint Designer 2013

SharePoint Designer 2013 – a tool that is most useful a few years back, still handy in some projects, and that still gives me trouble when need to set up for any new machine. So, here is a setup process that I believe can be helpful in the future.

Here is the order of installation we are going to follow in this article,

• Pre-requisite Installation
• Service pack 1 for .Net Framework 3.0
• SharePoint Designer 2013
• Service Pack 1
• Security Update for Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013 (kb2863836)
• Update for Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013 (kb3114337)
• Update for Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013 (kb3114721)

Pre-requisite Installation

• Service pack 1 for .Net Framework 3.0

This will save you from error - Windows workflow Foundation, part of .Net Framework 3.0 must be installed to use this feature.

When you start the installation, it will take a moment to identify the features to be install. Click “Download and install the feature”.

Once installation is complete, click close.

SharePoint Designer & related updates Installation

The first step is to download the SharePoint Designer 2013. Check your system type.

• SharePoint Designer 2013 download link,
  • 64-bit (sharepointdesigner2013_64bit.exe)
  • 32-bit (sharepointdesigner2013_32bit.exe)
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/details.aspx?id=35491

Follow the below steps to install the SharePoint Designer 2013. For this blog, I will use 64 Bit download:

• Double Click on the “sharepointdesigner2013_64bit.exe” file to start the installation.
• It will extract the files first.

Once extraction is done, it will open the installation wizard. Click “Install Now”.

It will install the designer in the system. This may take a couple of minutes.

Once installation is done, click close to complete installation.

Once the SharePoint designer 2013 is installed, we need to install Service Pack 1 and other updates. Without this, I face blank workflow open or workflow, no open issues.

• SharePoint Designer Service Pack 1 download link:
  • spdsp2013-kb2817441-fullfile-x64-en-us.exe
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42009
  • spdsp2013-kb2817441-fullfile-x86-en-us.exe
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-eg/download/details.aspx?id=42015
• Double click on “spdsp2013-kb2817441-fullfile-x64-en-us.exe” to start the installation.
• It will ask to read the License terms and accept them.
• Check the “Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Terms” checkbox after reading the terms. It will enable the continue button.
• Click the “Continue” button.

It will start the installation of Service pack 1. It may take a couple of minutes to install.

Once installation is done, click ok.

Security Update for Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013,

• spd2013-kb2863836-fullfile-x64-glb.exe
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/details.aspx?id=42871
• spd2013-kb2863836-fullfile-x86-glb.exe
  https://download.microsoft.com/download/8/9/E/89E909FF-3839-47BB-92D8-A5D900BB805C/spd2013-kb2863836-fullfile-x86-glb.exe
• Double click on “spd2013-kb2863836-fullfile-x64-glb.exe” to install the update.
• It will open dialog to show terms.
• Click on “Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Term” after reading the terms. Once checked, the continue button will be enabled.
• Click continue.

It will install the update. It may take few minutes to install.

Once installation is completed, click ok.

Update for Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013

This update is helpful to fix errors - Server-side activities have been updated. You need to restart SharePoint Designer to use the updated version of activities.

• spd2013-kb3114337-fullfile-x64-glb.exe
  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=3114337
  Direct link - http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/crup/2016/01/spd-x-none_7c1009a5a70cac8d7012a44d2710faf79d7d7fb5.cab
   
• spd2013-kb3114337-fullfile-x86-glb.exe
  https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=3114337
  Direct link - http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/crup/2016/01/spd-x-none_54fcb6afdc9f1f8daa26eaa10613902bcb6f3685.cab

• Extract the .Cab file.
  • Double click on “spd-x-none.msp” file to install update.
  • It will complete the installation within a minute. It will not provide any completion dialog.
     
• Update for Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013
  • spd2013-kb3114721-fullfile-x64-glb.exe
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53389
  • spd2013-kb3114721-fullfile-x86-glb.exe
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53364
  • Double click on “spd2013-kb3114721-fullfile-x64-glb.exe” file to install the security update.
  • It will open the License agreement dialog. Read the terms and click on “Click here to accept the Microsoft Software License Term”. Once checked, continue button will be enabled. Click on Continue button.

It will install the update. It may take few minutes to complete this.

Click Ok once completed.

This will complete the full installation of SharePoint Designer 2013 with all the security updates required.

To verify the correct installation, follow the below steps,

Start SharePoint Designer.

Open SharePoint Site where you have SharePoint Designer 2013 Workflow.

Provide URL of the site. It will ask you to sign in. Provide credentials to login into the site.

Go to the Workflows tab.

It will list OOTB and custom workflows.

Open your custom SharePoint 2013 workflow by right-clicking on the name and then clicking edit workflow.

It will open the workflow in edit mode.

Reference

• https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/218892/error-server-side-activities-have-been-updated-you-need-to-restart-sharepoint-d