# Troubleshooting

> Start here when something does not work in DooFiles: the first checks, the most common problems and messages by topic with what to do, what to send in a support ticket and where to get help.

Source: https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/troubleshooting

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## Overview

This page collects the most common problems of DooFiles, by topic, with what to do and a link to the page that explains each one in detail.

If DooFiles shows a message, search this page for its first words with **Ctrl+F**, or **Cmd+F** on a Mac. DooFiles tells you what happened in almost every case, and what to do next.

## First checks

1. **Update DooFiles.** Many problems are already fixed in the latest version. See [Releases](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/releases).
2. **Reload the page.** If DooFiles was open for a long time, your session may have expired.
3. **Read the whole message.** It usually says what to do next.
4. **Open Activity.** Actions that did not succeed show there with a label: *Failed*, *Blocked* or *Denied*. See [Activity](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/activity).
5. **Look for read-only mode.** If DooFiles shows *Read-only mode*, you can browse, view and download, but not change files. See [Read-only mode](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/read-only-mode).

## Installation and license

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The DooFiles menu does not appear | Sign in with an administrator account. On a multisite network, use a network administrator. See [Installation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/installation) |
| DooFiles only lets me browse the folders | Your license is not active. See [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/license-activation) |
| *This server cannot encrypt the license: the PHP OpenSSL extension is missing.* | Ask your hosting provider to turn on the PHP OpenSSL extension. See [Requirements](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/requirements) |
| *Could not reach the Doothemes license service. Check the connection of your server and try again.* | Your server cannot connect to `edge.wupdater.com`. Ask your hosting provider to allow it. See [Requirements](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/requirements#external-services) |
| *This license is already active on as many sites as it allows. Deactivate it on another site first.* | Deactivate it on a site you no longer use, or upgrade your plan. See [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/license-activation) |
| *This license is activated for another domain.* | The address of your site changed. Deactivate the license and activate it again. See [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/license-activation) |
| *This license has expired.* | Renew it, then click **Check now** in the **License** card. See [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/license-activation) |
| Updates do not appear | Check that your license is active, and that the plugin folder is named `doofiles`. See [Installation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/installation) |
| *DooFiles could not create its private folder inside wp-content. Check the permissions.* | The user that runs PHP cannot write in `wp-content`. Ask your hosting provider to fix it. See [Requirements](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/requirements) |

## Opening DooFiles

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The page stays on *Loading files…* | DooFiles did not start in your browser. Reload the page. Use a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. If it persists, turn off the plugins that combine, delay or minify JavaScript in the admin, and try again |
| *DooFiles needs JavaScript to work.* | Turn on JavaScript in your browser, or allow it for your site |
| *Your session expired. Reload the page and try again.* | Reload the page. If you were signed out, sign in again |
| *Could not reach the server. Check your connection.* | Your connection dropped, or your server did not answer. Check your connection, then try again |
| *The server answered with an error (403).* | A firewall on your server or a security plugin blocked DooFiles. Check the log of your security plugin, or ask your hosting provider to allow the requests of administrators to DooFiles |
| An administrator cannot open DooFiles | They need the Administrator role and the `doofiles_manage` capability. See [Filters and constants](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/developers/filters-and-constants#who-can-open-doofiles) |
| The right-click menu only shows **Open** | Your license is not active. See [License activation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/license-activation) |
| The menu has no **Rename**, **Compress** or **Trash** | DooFiles is in read-only mode. See [Read-only mode](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/read-only-mode) |

## Browse and search

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| A file I changed by FTP does not appear | Click the name of the open folder in the breadcrumbs to refresh it. See [Browse and search](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/browse-and-search) |
| *This folder is very large; only part of it is shown.* | The folder has more than 5,000 items. Use the search to find what you need |
| A file I know exists does not appear in the search | It may be inside a private folder, which the search does not enter. Open that folder |
| The Size and Files columns are empty | DooFiles has not measured your folders yet. Open **Space** and click **Scan now**. See [Space](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/space) |

## Editor

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| *This file is 3.4 MB. The editor opens files up to 2 MB; you can download it instead.* | Download the file, or raise **Largest file the editor opens**. See [Editor and uploads](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/settings/limits) |
| *This file is not UTF-8 text, so it cannot be edited safely here. You can download it.* | Download the file, convert it to UTF-8 and upload it again. See [Editor](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/editor) |
| *The file was not saved.* with a PHP error | Click **Go to line**, fix the syntax error and save again. See [Editor](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/editor) |
| Saving fails with *The server answered with an error (403)* or *(406)* | Some firewalls and security plugins block requests that contain code. Check the log of your security plugin, or ask your hosting provider |
| The menu shows **View** instead of **Edit** | DooFiles is in read-only mode, or the server does not let PHP write that file. See [Read-only mode](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/read-only-mode) and [Server configuration](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/guides/server-configuration#file-permissions) |
| *The file changed on the server* | Someone saved the file after you opened it. Choose **Save anyway** to keep your version, or **Cancel** to keep theirs |
| I saved a change, but my site looks the same | DooFiles clears the PHP cache of the files you save. Clear the cache of your caching plugin, your CDN and your browser |

## Uploads

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Uploads fail with *The server answered with an error (502)*, *(504)* or *(524)* | Your server or a proxy, such as Cloudflare, cut a long request. DooFiles retries in smaller parts. If it keeps failing, see [Server configuration](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/guides/server-configuration#uploads) |
| *Larger than DooFiles allows (2 GB).* | Raise **Largest upload**, or upload the file by FTP. See [Editor and uploads](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/settings/limits) |
| *There is not enough free space on the server for this file.* | Free space on your server, or ask your hosting provider for more. See [Space](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/space) |
| A file stays at *Uploading · 100%* for a while | The file arrived and the server is putting it in place. Large files take a few seconds more |
| **Upload files** does not appear | DooFiles is in read-only mode, or your license is not active. See [Uploads](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/uploads) |

## Manage files

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| *Something with that name already exists here.* | Choose another name, or rename the existing item first. See [Manage files](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/manage-files) |
| **Compress** and **Extract** do not appear | Your server does not have the PHP zip extension. Ask your hosting provider to turn it on |
| *The archive was not extracted because it contains an unsafe path.* | The zip file is not safe. Do not use it, or ask its author for a new one |
| *The archive has more than 20,000 files.* | Extract it on your computer and upload the files. See [Manage files](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/manage-files) |

## Trash, backups, activity and space

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| I deleted something and it is not in the Trash | It was deleted more than 30 days ago, or the days you set, or someone deleted it permanently. Check [Activity](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/activity). See [Trash](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/trash) |
| I want an earlier version of a file back | Right-click the file and choose **Versions…**. See [Backups](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/backups) |
| **Versions…** does not appear in the menu | The file has no saved versions yet, or they expired. See [Backups](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/backups) |
| The Trash or the backups take too much space | Lower the days or the backups per file. See [Trash, backups and activity](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/settings/retention) |
| Old items are not deleted, or the folders are not measured every day | WordPress runs its scheduled tasks only when someone visits your site. Set up a server cron job. See [Server configuration](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/guides/server-configuration#scheduled-tasks) |
| The total in Space is different from the one in my hosting panel | DooFiles counts only the folder of WordPress. Your hosting may also count databases, emails and other sites. See [Space](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/space) |

## Security

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| It asks for my password too often | Raise **Minutes the confirmation lasts** in the **Security** card. See [Password confirmation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/password-confirmation) |
| *Too many wrong attempts. Wait 15 minutes and try again.* | Wait 15 minutes. If you forgot your password, reset it from the WordPress login page |
| *The code is not correct. Use the one your authenticator app shows now.* | Type the code the app shows right now, and check that the date and time of your phone are set automatically. See [Second factor](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/second-factor) |
| I lost the phone with my authenticator app | Use a recovery code, or ask another administrator to reset your second factor. See [Second factor](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/second-factor) |
| An administrator can only browse | Your site asks every administrator for a second factor, and they do not have one yet. See [Second factor](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/second-factor) |
| *This server ignores the rules DooFiles wrote, so the folder can still be opened by URL. Nothing was changed. Add the rule below to the server (nginx) and try again.* | Add the rule that DooFiles shows to your server. See [Server configuration](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/guides/server-configuration#nginx-and-private-folders) |
| *This folder is private and you are not on its list.* | Ask an administrator on its list to add you. See [Private folders](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/private-folders) |
| I cannot turn off read-only mode | `DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT` or `DISALLOW_FILE_MODS` in `wp-config.php`, or a developer filter, keeps it on. The settings row says which one. See [Read-only mode](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/read-only-mode) |

## Before you open a ticket

Include these details, so we can help you faster:

- **The version of DooFiles.** It appears at the bottom of **DooFiles › Settings**.
- **Your server.** In **Tools › Site Health › Info**, click **Copy site info to clipboard** and paste it in the ticket. It includes the versions of WordPress and PHP.
- **Your web server and proxy**, if you know them: Apache, nginx or LiteSpeed, and whether your site is behind Cloudflare or another proxy.
- **The exact message**, and what you did right before it.
- **A screenshot**, if it helps to show the problem.

Never send your password or the contents of `wp-config.php` in a ticket.

## Getting help

- **Support tickets:** customers with an active license can [open a ticket](https://doothemes.com/account/tickets/new) from their account.
- **Telegram group:** join the [Doothemes community on Telegram](https://doothemes.com/g/8cc0ab548d090f9e).