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Fix QML Hot Reload Not Updating in Qt Creator

If QML changes are not showing in Qt Creator, confirm QML Preview is running for the right file, then check debugger settings, edit structure, Qt version, and target-device setup.
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If saved QML changes do not appear, first confirm that Qt Creator’s QML Preview is running for the file or project you are editing. Then check the debugging settings for your project type, the target-device setup if you are previewing remotely, and whether the edit requires a component rebuild or application restart rather than an in-place update.

1. Confirm that QML Preview is running for the right file

On desktop, open the relevant QML file and start Live Preview from the Design/Edit toolbar control, or choose Build > QML Preview. Check that the preview belongs to the file or project you are changing. A separately launched application is not necessarily the QML Preview client.

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Qt describes QML Preview as live reloading QML files while the application is running. If the preview is not open, or it is associated with a different file or project, saved edits will not show there. Qt Creator’s entry-point instructions do not establish that every project configuration or source arrangement is supported. Qt Creator: QML Preview; Qt 6.12: Prototyping, Debugging and Profiling QML Applications.

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2. Check the QML debugging settings for your project type

The required settings differ between a Qt Quick application and a Qt Quick UI project based on a .qmlproject file. Use the branch that matches your project.

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Qt Quick application

  1. Open Projects > Build Settings and enable QML debugging and profiling.
  2. Open Projects > Run Settings and set the QML debugger to Automatic or Enabled.
  3. Choose Build > Rebuild Project before trying QML Preview again.

Qt Quick UI project (.qmlproject)

  1. Open Projects > Run Settings > Debugger Settings.
  2. Set QML debugger to Automatic or Enabled.

Qt notes that QML debugging opens a TCP port. Protect that port with a firewall, especially on networks or devices reachable by others. See Qt Creator: Debugging QML Applications.

3. Check whether the edit requires more than an in-place update

Live reload does not guarantee that every edit is patched into the running interface without changing its runtime state. Qt’s Qt 6.12 explanation describes three possible outcomes: a simple edit may be patched, a more structural change may cause part of the component tree to be rebuilt, and a change that cannot be applied at an enclosing or root level may restart the application. A restart or reset state after a structural edit does not, by itself, show that file watching failed. Qt 6.12 QML Preview documentation.

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Version matters: the Qt 6.12 documentation describes Qt 6.12 behavior, and a Qt Project development mailing-list message dated June 2, 2026 identifies QML Preview hot-reload support as being in Qt 6.12. Do not assume identical behavior in an unspecified earlier Qt version. Qt Project development mailing list, June 2, 2026.

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If your application uses multiple QML engines across multiple threads, Qt’s technical explanation also notes a safety limitation for that architecture. This is a specific architectural caveat, not a general diagnosis for ordinary single-engine projects. Qt 6.12 QML Preview documentation.

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4. If you are previewing on a device, verify the device path

Android

  1. Enable USB debugging on the Android device and connect it to the development computer with USB.
  2. Select the kit for the connected device in Qt Creator.
  3. Choose Build > QML Preview or press Alt+P.

Qt Creator copies a utility to the device the first time you preview; later previews copy the UI files. A missing USB-debugging setup, connection, or matching device kit can prevent the device preview workflow from working as expected. See Qt Creator: QML Preview.

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Use a supported and configured connection to the target and select the kit for that device before starting QML Preview. These target requirements are separate from the desktop toolbar workflow. See Qt Creator: QML Preview.

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5. Gather the details needed to isolate a persistent failure

If these checks do not explain the behavior, a single cause cannot be identified without more project-specific detail. Record:

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  • Qt Creator version and Qt version.
  • Project type: Qt Quick application or .qmlproject.
  • Build system or arrangement, such as CMake or qmake.
  • Target: desktop, Android, or Boot to Qt.
  • The smallest before-and-after QML edit that fails to appear, and whether the preview restarts or retains its runtime state.

Those details distinguish a preview-launch issue from project configuration, target connection, version, or edit-shape behavior.

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