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Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

This guide helps you resolve common issues with Capturly. Find your issue below and follow the steps to resolve it.

Installation Issues

macOS: App won’t open

The macOS build is signed and notarized by Apple, so it should open on a normal double-click. If it doesn’t:

  1. Check that you’re running macOS 12 or later
  2. Move the app to the Applications folder before opening it
  3. Download a fresh copy from capturly.app/download  — a partial or corrupted download is the usual cause of a Gatekeeper complaint
  4. Check Console.app for specific error messages

If you see “damaged and can’t be opened” on a fresh download from capturly.app, contact support — that shouldn’t happen on a notarized build.

Windows: SmartScreen blocks installation

Solution:

  1. Click More info on the SmartScreen dialog
  2. Click Run anyway

The app is code-signed, but SmartScreen can still flag a new release until it builds reputation. Installing from the Microsoft Store  avoids this entirely.

Windows: “This app can’t run on your PC”

Cause: Running on 32-bit Windows or incompatible version.

Solution:

  • Ensure you’re running 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1903+) or Windows 11
  • Check your system: Settings > System > About

Device Issues

Microphone not showing in device list

Check these in order:

  1. Physical connection

    • Verify microphone is plugged in
    • Try a different USB port
    • Check cable connections

  2. System recognition

    • macOS: System Settings > Sound > Input
    • Windows: Settings > System > Sound > Input
    • Verify the mic appears there

  3. Permissions

    • macOS: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
    • Windows: Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone
    • Ensure Capturly is allowed

  4. Restart Capturly

    • Quit completely and reopen
    • Device list refreshes on startup

  5. Other applications

    • Close apps that might be using the microphone exclusively
    • Check for Zoom, Teams, Discord, etc.

Camera not showing in device list

Follow the same steps as microphone, plus:

  1. Camera-specific checks

    • Check for physical privacy shutter/cover
    • Verify camera LED indicates power

  2. Windows-specific

    • Update or reinstall camera drivers
    • Check Device Manager for issues (yellow triangle)

  3. USB considerations

    • Use USB 3.0 ports for best performance
    • Avoid USB hubs if possible

Audio levels showing no activity

  1. Wrong device selected - Double-check the dropdown
  2. System mute - Check system volume isn’t muted
  3. Hardware mute - Check microphone’s physical mute button
  4. Gain too low - Increase gain on audio interface
  5. Permissions - Verify microphone access granted

Camera preview is black

  1. Privacy cover - Check for lens cover
  2. Other apps - Close apps using the camera
  3. Permissions - Verify camera access granted
  4. Connection - Unplug and reconnect camera
  5. Different port - Try another USB port

Recording Issues

Recording won’t start

Pre-flight check failures:

ErrorSolution
Insufficient disk spaceFree up space or choose different location
Device unavailableReconnect device or select different one
Permission deniedGrant microphone/camera permissions
Device in useClose other applications using the device

Recording stops unexpectedly

Possible causes:

  1. Disk full - Recording stopped when the disk filled
  2. Device disconnected - Microphone or camera unplugged. There’s no pause and resume: check the file, then start a new take
  3. System sleep - Computer went to sleep
  4. App crash - Check for crash reports

Prevention:

  • Ensure adequate disk space before recording — 4K needs roughly 5× a 1080p take
  • Disable sleep during recording sessions
  • Use reliable USB connections (avoid hubs)

Recovery: on a paid plan, everything captured before the interruption was already streaming to your cloud library and can be recovered from the Unfinished uploads panel.

No audio in recording

  1. Check the file - Play *_audio.wav directly
  2. Wrong device - Different mic was selected
  3. Muted input - Hardware or software mute was on
  4. Permissions - Access was denied during recording
  5. Corrupted file - Try playing in different software

No video in recording

  1. Audio-only mode - “No Camera” was selected
  2. Encoding failed - Check for error messages
  3. Camera disconnected - Camera was unplugged during recording
  4. Permissions - Camera access was revoked

Files not where expected

  1. Check save location - Verify the path you selected
  2. Date folder - Files are in [Date]/ subfolder
  3. Search - Use system search for the session ID
  4. Recent files - Check your system’s recent files

Session Issues

Can’t start a session

  1. Plan - Hosting needs Pro or Team; Starter and Lifetime are solo-only
  2. Internet - Check your internet connection
  3. Firewall - Ensure outbound connections are allowed
  4. Server status - Try again in a few minutes

Guest can’t join

  1. Send the link, not the code - Mobile guests need the full invite link; the bare 6-character code only works on desktop and web
  2. Browser - Chrome, Edge, or Safari 16.4+. Firefox is not supported and shows a “Firefox isn’t supported yet” screen
  3. Permissions - They need to allow camera and microphone access for the site
  4. Admit them - Guests wait in the green room until you approve them
  5. Code entry - Codes are not case-sensitive, and never contain I, O, 0, or 1 — if you’re reading one aloud, those are the characters people mishear

The browser says it isn’t supported

Firefox can’t record with Capturly. Use Chrome, Edge, or Safari 16.4+, or install the desktop app.

Poor call quality

  1. Bandwidth - Close other bandwidth-heavy apps
  2. WiFi - Switch to wired ethernet if possible
  3. Distance - Move closer to router
  4. VPN - Disable VPN if active
  5. Firewall - May be interfering with P2P

Connection drops repeatedly

  1. Network stability - Test with speed test site
  2. Router issues - Try restarting router
  3. ISP problems - Contact internet provider
  4. NAT type - Corporate firewalls may block P2P

Guest recordings not syncing

  1. Sync beep - Align on the leading edge of the 1000 Hz tone
  2. Session ID - Verify all files carry the same ID in their filename
  3. Browser takes have no beep - Use a clap or countdown for those
  4. Different sessions - Files may be from different recordings

Cloud Library & Upload Issues

A guest’s recording never arrived

Check the Unfinished uploads panel in your library. An upload that was interrupted — closed tab, sleeping laptop, dropped network — lands there rather than being lost. From the panel you can recover it, save it to the library, or discard it.

On a Team plan, org admins can do this for any member’s stranded take, so you don’t have to wait on the guest.

If the guest never connected to the session at all, there’s nothing to recover server-side — ask them for their local file.

”Live cloud backup failed” during a session

Recording is unaffected — the local file keeps writing. Backup resumes on its own when the connection returns, and picks up from where it stopped.

If it doesn’t recover, stop the take normally and upload the local file afterwards.

Uploads are being refused

You’ve likely exhausted your transfer allowance for the current 30-day window (5 GB on Starter, 500 GB on Pro and Lifetime, 1 TB pooled on Team). The window rolls forward continuously rather than resetting on a billing date, so capacity returns as older usage ages out. Local recording is never affected.

On Team, remember the pool is shared — a busy week for one host draws from everyone’s allowance.

A recording disappeared from my library

Library recordings expire 30 days after they’re saved. The library is working storage between recording and editing, not an archive — download anything you want to keep.

My microphone was silent for the whole take

Capturly watches for a selected, unmuted microphone that produces no signal and warns during the session. If you saw that warning, check:

  1. A hardware mute switch on the microphone or interface
  2. The right input selected on a multi-input interface
  3. Gain turned fully down
  4. Another app holding the device exclusively

Performance Issues

High CPU usage during recording

  1. Close other apps - Free up CPU resources
  2. Lower resolution - Switch from 4K to 1080p
  3. Hardware encoding - Verify GPU is being used
  4. Update drivers - Especially graphics drivers

Dropped frames in video

  1. Disk speed - Use SSD instead of HDD
  2. Resolution - Lower if needed
  3. USB bandwidth - Use dedicated USB 3.0 ports
  4. Background processes - Close unnecessary apps

App running slowly

  1. Restart Capturly - Clear any temporary issues
  2. Restart computer - Free up system resources
  3. Update Capturly - Install latest version
  4. Check for updates - OS and drivers

File Issues

Can’t open audio file

  1. File intact - Check file size isn’t 0 bytes
  2. WAV support - Use player that supports WAV
  3. Sample rate - Some players don’t support 96kHz
  4. Try VLC - VLC plays virtually any format

Video won’t play

  1. H.264 codec - Install codec pack if needed
  2. Try VLC - VLC plays virtually any format
  3. Corrupted file - Recording may have failed
  4. File path - Avoid special characters in path

Files are corrupted

  1. Incomplete recording - Crash during recording
  2. Disk errors - Check disk health
  3. Backup - Check if backup copy exists

Platform-Specific Issues

macOS: Permissions keep resetting

  1. Privacy settings - Check Full Disk Access
  2. App updates - May need to re-grant after updates
  3. Multiple versions - Remove old versions

Windows: Device exclusive mode

  1. Disable exclusive mode:
    • Right-click speaker icon > Sound settings
    • Click your device > Properties
    • Uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control”

Windows: Camera in use by another app

  1. Close common culprits: Zoom, Teams, Discord, Skype
  2. Check tray icons - Apps may be running in background
  3. Task Manager - Force close stubborn apps

Getting More Help

Before contacting support

  1. Check this page - Your issue may be covered
  2. Check FAQ - Common questions answered
  3. Update Capturly - Ensure you’re on latest version
  4. Note details:
    • Capturly version
    • Operating system and version
    • Steps to reproduce the issue
    • Any error messages

Contact Support

Visit capturly.app/contact  with:

  • Description of the issue
  • Steps you’ve already tried
  • System information
  • Screenshots if helpful

See Also

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