Troubleshooting Octoolo

Problems that belong to one app (a format that does not open, an export that fails) are in that app's document; the list of app documents is in What Octoolo is. Problems with the subscription are in License and account, with downloads of FFmpeg and the AI in Downloads on first use.

#What to collect before reporting a problem in Octoolo

1. Octoolo's version: Settings (gear at the bottom of the home screen's sidebar, or Ctrl+,) > Updates shows "Octoolo <version>". The newest version is in Prices and limits; an update may already fix it (see What's new).
2. Windows version: Windows 10 or Windows 11.
3. What happened: the app, the steps, and the exact message shown.
4. If Octoolo showed the error screen ("Something went wrong in ..."): the text from its Copy the details button.
5. If Octoolo closed by itself or did not start: the log file (see "Octoolo's log file").

The easiest way to report is Help and feedback in the app (Feedback in the sidebar, or the speech-bubble button in any app's title bar): Report a problem, with Include technical details left on. See Home screen and Settings.

#Windows blocks the Octoolo installer ("Windows protected your PC")

Windows SmartScreen can stop a program few people have downloaded yet, especially one that is not code-signed. To install anyway: click More info, check that the app is Octoolo-Setup.exe from octoolo.com, and click Run anyway. To be sure the file is genuine, compare its SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash .\Octoolo-Setup.exe) with https://octoolo.com/download/SHA256SUMS.txt. Details: Install and update.

#An antivirus quarantined or deleted Octoolo

New installers are sometimes flagged by mistake. Signs: the installer vanishes after downloading, or the Octoolo shortcut no longer opens anything because Octoolo.exe was removed.

1. Download the installer again from https://octoolo.com/download/Octoolo-Setup.exe and check its SHA-256 against https://octoolo.com/download/SHA256SUMS.txt.
2. If it matches, restore it from the antivirus' quarantine (Microsoft Defender: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history), or run the fresh installer again: settings and data stay.
3. Tell support which antivirus flagged it and the detection's name, so it can be reported as a false detection.

#The installer says "Failed to install WebView2!"

"Failed to install WebView2! The app can't run without it. Try restarting the installer." means the PC has no Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime and the installer could not download or install it (the install log may show "Error: Downloading WebView2 Failed - ..." or "Error: Installing WebView2 failed with exit code ...").

1. Check the internet connection; the WebView2 download comes from Microsoft.
2. Run Octoolo-Setup.exe again.
3. If it keeps failing, install the WebView2 Runtime from Microsoft's website ("Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime", the Evergreen version), then run the Octoolo installer again.

#"Octoolo is running! Click OK to kill it" while installing or uninstalling

The installer or uninstaller found Octoolo running, often hidden in the tray (the corner of the taskbar) because of a reminder, timer or screen time.

• OK closes Octoolo and continues. Cancel stops with "Octoolo is running! Please close it first then try again."
• To close it yourself first: right-click Octoolo's icon in the corner of the taskbar > Quit Octoolo.
• "Failed to kill Octoolo. Please close it first then try again": end Octoolo.exe in Task Manager, then run the installer again.

#Octoolo does not start, or says "Octoolo could not start"

If Octoolo cannot build its window, it shows a box titled Octoolo: "Octoolo could not start." with the reason, "Details are in <path to octoolo.log>." and "If this keeps happening, reinstall Octoolo from octoolo.com."

1. Restart the PC and try once more.
2. Repair WebView2, which draws Octoolo's window: Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Apps & features) > Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime > Modify, then let it repair.
3. Reinstall Octoolo from https://octoolo.com/download/Octoolo-Setup.exe (choose Add/Reinstall components). Settings and data stay.
4. If it still fails, send the box's text and the log file to support (see "Octoolo's log file").

If nothing at all appears when starting Octoolo, see the next section.

#Octoolo starts but no window appears

• It is already running in the tray. Only one Octoolo runs at a time; starting it again should bring its window forward. Click Octoolo's icon in the corner of the taskbar (it may be under the ^ arrow), or right-click it > Open Octoolo.
• It was started at sign-in. With Start Octoolo when you sign in to Windows on, Octoolo starts without its window, in the tray. Click the icon to open the window.
• It was started from File Explorer's right-click menu. That opens a Files window only, not the main window.
• The window is off screen. See "Octoolo's window is off screen, too big or cut off".
• It closes at once. Look in the log for a line with PANIC or "could not start" (see "Octoolo's log file") and send it to support. An antivirus may also be blocking it.

#Octoolo's window is blank or white

A light, empty window that stays empty means the window's page did not load (WebView2 could not draw it).

1. Close Octoolo completely: right-click its icon in the corner of the taskbar > Quit Octoolo (or end Octoolo.exe in Task Manager), then start it again.
2. Restart the PC.
3. Repair the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime (Windows Settings > Apps > Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime > Modify).
4. Update the graphics card's driver.
5. Reinstall Octoolo from octoolo.com (data stays).
6. Still blank: send the log file to support.

If only one app's area is empty or shows an error, see the next section.

#The error screen: "Something went wrong in ..."

When an app (or the home screen) breaks, Octoolo shows an error screen instead of closing:

• Title: "Something went wrong in <app name>." (or "in the home screen").
• "Your files are safe: Octoolo never changes a file until you save."
• The technical reason, in small type.
• Buttons:
  • Try again: opens the same app again, fresh.
  • All apps: goes back to the home screen.
  • Copy the details: copies the app's name and the technical details to the clipboard, to paste into a message to support.
  • Restart Octoolo's window: reloads the whole window (Octoolo keeps running).

What to do: click Try again; if it happens again, Copy the details, then send them with Help and feedback > Report a problem, saying what you did just before. Unsaved changes in the app that broke may be lost; the office editors and the Photo Editor keep drafts as you work.

#Octoolo closes by itself (crash)

If Octoolo's window disappears without a message, the reason is written to the log first: a line starting with PANIC and Octoolo's version.

1. Start Octoolo again.
2. Open the log (see "Octoolo's log file") and look near the end for PANIC.
3. Send the log to support (hello@octoolo.com), with what you were doing.

#Octoolo's log file: where it is and how to send it

Octoolo writes a log of warnings, errors and crashes to:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\com.octoolo.app\logs\octoolo.log

(for example C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Local\com.octoolo.app\logs\octoolo.log).

• To open the folder: press Windows key + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\com.octoolo.app\logs and press Enter.
• Each start adds a line "Octoolo <version> started". When the log has grown past about 4 MB, it is renamed octoolo.previous.log at the next start and a new one begins. One run writes at most 16 MB.
• The log can contain the names of files Octoolo worked on (for example a file whose conversion failed), and the PC's folder names. Look at it before sending it.
• To send it: Help and feedback cannot attach files. Email octoolo.log (and octoolo.previous.log if the problem was before the last start) to hello@octoolo.com, with Octoolo's version and what happened. A Help and feedback message saying the log was emailed helps the team connect the two.

#Octoolo is slow or uses the graphics card a lot

Some work in Octoolo is heavy by nature and uses the processor or the graphics card fully while it runs:

• exporting or converting video and sound (on the graphics card's encoder when there is one), the screen recorder, and the Media Player when it converts a file to play it;
• the Photo Editor, which draws everything with the graphics card;
• the AI tools (on the graphics card when possible) and the translator (on the processor);
• making or extracting big archives, and locking or unlocking big folders.

What helps:

• Let one heavy job finish before starting another, and close games or other heavy programs.
• The first use of an AI tool or translator language is slower: the part downloads and loads once.
• Keep Octoolo up to date (Settings > Updates > Check now).

When Octoolo is in the tray with only reminders planned, it only checks once a second whether something is due. Turning off Keep running after the window closes, while something is planned (Settings > Reminders and the background) makes Octoolo close with its window.

#Graphics card problems with Octoolo's AI features

• Octoolo's AI runs on the graphics card through DirectML when the PC has a DirectX 12 card, and on the processor otherwise (slower, same result).
• If an AI tool fails on the graphics card, Octoolo runs it on the processor instead, until Octoolo is started again.
• Windows resets the graphics driver when the card is busy with one piece of work for more than about two seconds: the screen goes black for a moment. That is why the background remover always runs on the processor. If it happens with another AI tool, close games and other heavy programs first, and update the graphics driver. The Photo Editor then says "The graphics card restarted; your work is safe." and carries on.

More: Downloads on first use.

#The Photo Editor opens a simple editor

When the Photo Editor shows "The simple editor: this PC's graphics card is not available" under its title, Octoolo could not use the graphics card through WebGPU (common on remote desktops, in virtual machines, or with an old or blocked graphics driver), so the simpler one-photo editor opened instead.

1. Use Octoolo on the PC itself rather than through Remote Desktop.
2. Update the graphics card's driver (from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel or the PC's maker).
3. Restart Octoolo.

Details: Photo Editor.

#A file cannot be saved

Messages and what they mean:

• Windows Security's Controlled folder access (ransomware protection), when turned on, can stop programs it does not know from saving in Documents, Pictures, Desktop and similar folders. The save then fails with an "Access is denied" reason. Windows Security can allow Octoolo through it, or save to another folder.
• Octoolo saves a document by writing a temporary file next to it and then replacing the original, so a failed save never leaves a half-written file.

#A file cannot be opened

• "That file is no longer there: it was moved or deleted." (a recent file in Documents, Spreadsheets or Presentations): open it again from its new place with Open.
• "Could not open <path>: ...": Windows refused to read it (no permission, a disconnected drive).
• A format an app does not read: see that app's document for the formats it opens.

#Dropping files on Octoolo does not work

• Dropped from a program running as administrator: Windows does not let files be dragged from a program running as administrator into one that is not (or the other way round). Drag from a normal File Explorer window, or use the app's open button.
• "Octoolo could not see where those files are.": the video, sound, Media Player and Files tools need the file's place on the disk, and Octoolo did not get it within 10 seconds. Try again, or use the app's open button.
• Files that are not on the disk yet (inside a ZIP opened in File Explorer, or dragged from a browser or an email) have no place on the disk: save or extract them first, then drop the saved files.

#Octoolo's window is off screen, too big or cut off

• Octoolo opens at 1360 × 800 pixels, centred, and shrinks to fit smaller screens. It does not remember its position, so closing it and opening it again brings it back to the middle of the screen.
• To move a window that is on a monitor that is no longer connected: click Octoolo in the taskbar, then press Windows key + Shift + Left arrow (or Right arrow) to move it to the other screen, or Windows key + Up arrow to maximise it.

#Octoolo's notifications do not show

Reminders, alarms and timers ring as Windows notifications, and only while Octoolo runs (the window, or the icon in the corner of the taskbar).

1. Settings > Reminders and the background says whether Windows shows Octoolo's notifications, or why not: "Octoolo's notifications are turned off in Windows' settings.", "Notifications are turned off for every app in Windows' settings." or "Your organization turned notifications off on this PC."
2. Click Windows' notification settings and turn notifications on for Octoolo (and in general).
3. Click Test a notification: a notification "Notifications work" should appear.
4. Windows' Do not disturb or Focus hides notifications while it is on.
5. Leave Keep running after the window closes, while something is planned on, and turn on Start Octoolo when you sign in to Windows so reminders work after a restart.
6. Windows takes Octoolo's notification identity from its Start menu shortcut. If the Octoolo shortcut was removed from the Start menu, reinstall Octoolo from octoolo.com to put it back.

More: Productivity.

#An Octoolo update does not download or install

• Settings > Updates shows why (for example "Could not check for updates: octoolo.com could not be reached. Check the internet connection and try again."). Every message is explained in Install and update.
• Check that Download new versions on their own is on, or click Check now.
• A firewall or proxy that blocks octoolo.com blocks updates too.
• An update is only installed after Restart to update. Closing Octoolo without it installs nothing; it downloads again after the next start.
• Version 0.1.0 never updates itself: install the newest version once by hand.
• Any time: download https://octoolo.com/download/Octoolo-Setup.exe and run it over the installed Octoolo. Settings and data stay.

#After "Restart to update" Octoolo's window did not come back

• If Octoolo had been started by Windows at sign-in (Start Octoolo when you sign in to Windows), the updated Octoolo may start again in the tray only: click its icon in the corner of the taskbar.
• Otherwise start Octoolo from the Start menu. Settings > Updates shows whether the new version is running.
• If it is still the old version, the installer could not run: download https://octoolo.com/download/Octoolo-Setup.exe and run it.

#An old version of Octoolo keeps opening (two copies)

This happens when Octoolo was installed twice in two folders (for example once in the default %LOCALAPPDATA%\Octoolo and once in D:\Octoolo), and the shortcuts or the tray start the old copy. Only one Octoolo runs at a time: while the old copy runs in the tray, starting the new one just shows the old one.

1. Quit Octoolo: right-click its icon in the corner of the taskbar > Quit Octoolo.
2. Start Octoolo from the shortcut you normally use, and check Settings > Updates.
3. Click Check now: since version 0.6.1, each copy updates itself in its own folder.
4. To keep only one copy: find the running copy's folder (Task Manager > Details > right-click Octoolo.exe > Open file location). Uninstall Octoolo in Windows Settings > Apps (leave Delete the application data unticked: both copies share the same data). Then delete the other folder that still contains Octoolo.exe, never the com.octoolo.app data folder. Then install once from https://octoolo.com/download/Octoolo-Setup.exe into the folder you want.

#Octoolo keeps running after closing its window

While a reminder, alarm, timer, the shutdown timer or screen time is set in Productivity, closing the window leaves Octoolo running in the tray so they still ring (the first time, Windows says "Octoolo is still running"). This is expected.

• To quit now: right-click Octoolo's icon in the corner of the taskbar > Quit Octoolo.
• To make the window's close button always quit: turn off Settings > Reminders and the background > Keep running after the window closes, while something is planned (reminders then only ring while the window is open).
• With nothing planned, closing the window quits Octoolo.

#Octoolo starts when Windows starts

That is Settings > Reminders and the background > Start Octoolo when you sign in to Windows (off unless turned on, for example from Productivity's reminders or screen time). Octoolo then starts in the tray, without its window, and closes again after two minutes if nothing is planned. Turn the switch off, or switch Octoolo off in Task Manager > Startup apps.

#Octoolo's paid apps are locked

A paid app shows "<app> comes with Octoolo Cloud" or "Your Octoolo Cloud has ended" when this PC has no active subscription. The free apps always open (Prices and limits). Steps for a paying customer whose apps stay locked are in "Paid but the apps are still locked" in License and account.

#Octoolo is missing from File Explorer's right-click menu

1. On Windows 11, Octoolo's items are under Show more options (or Shift+F10), not in the first, short menu.
2. Check Settings > File Explorer > Octoolo in the right-click menu of files and folders is on.
3. Start Octoolo once: it writes the menu each time it starts.
4. After uninstalling, the menu is gone until Octoolo is installed and started again.

More: Files.

#Where to get help with Octoolo

• In the app: Help and feedback (the Feedback button at the bottom of the home screen's sidebar, or the speech-bubble button in any app's title bar). Replies appear there, with a dot when one is new; they are not emailed automatically, even when an address was given. See Home screen and Settings.
• By email: hello@octoolo.com (also for sending the log file or screenshots).
• The subscription and payments: License and account and Plans and billing.