# Troubleshooting live collaboration

Read the sync status, test the connection to a collaboration server, and fix waiting changes, unsent comments, sign-in problems and blocked networks.

Start with two checks: the sync status of the project, and **Test connection** for the server. Together they tell you whether the problem is your computer, your network or the server.

## Read the sync status

Hover over the status icon at the top of the **Live collaboration** pane, or select it. The details show the status in words, the server the project is shared on and its address, your role and how many changes are waiting. [The sync status](/docs/collaboration/working-together/#the-sync-status) lists what each status means.

## Test the connection

Open **Settings → Collaboration** and select **Test connection** on the server's card. Oleafly runs these checks from your computer and names the first problem it finds:

| Check | What it tests |
| --- | --- |
| **Address** | The server answers at this address. |
| **Secure connection** | The connection is encrypted and the certificate is valid. |
| **Version** | This version of Oleafly and the server work together. If not, it says which one needs an update. |
| **Live connection** | Live edits get through. A note here means they take a slower route, which still works. |
| **Sign-in options** | The server has at least one way to sign in. |
| **Email** | Whether the server can send email. Without it, people are added without an email. |
| **Clock** | Your computer's clock agrees with the server's. |

## Changes are waiting

If the status stays at **Offline. Changes waiting:** with a number, the server hasn't received those changes yet. They're safe on your computer, even if you quit Oleafly.

1. Check that you're online, then run **Test connection**.
2. If the address doesn't answer, the server may be down. Wait, or ask its admin.
3. Don't sign out to fix it. If you try, Oleafly asks about the unsent changes. Choose **Stay signed in**, and they go out once the connection is back.

You don't need to do anything else. The changes go out by themselves.

## Comments weren't sent

The notice "Comments are turned off for this project, so the comments you wrote weren't sent" means the owner or a server admin turned comments off before your comments reached the server. Your other changes were sent.

Select **Show what you wrote**, then **Copy text** to keep the text. Ask the owner to turn comments back on if you need them. [Turn comments off](/docs/collaboration/comments/#turn-comments-off) has the details.

## A file wasn't shared

- **Larger than this server allows**: the file stays on your computer only. Make it smaller and save it again.
- **Couldn't be shared**: the upload failed. Select **Retry**.
- **Waiting to be shared**: the upload hasn't happened yet, often because you're offline. It goes out by itself.

## Sign-in problems

| Message or symptom | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| "You're not on this server's list yet." | Ask the server's admin to add you. If you were invited as a guest, sign in with the address the invitation went to. |
| The browser never comes back to Oleafly | Use **Sign in with a code**. Read [Sign in with a code](/docs/collaboration/get-started/#with-a-code). |
| "Sign-in took too long." | Start again. Finish the sign-in in the browser window that opened. |
| An email link doesn't work | A link works once, for 15 minutes, on the computer that asked for it. Ask for a new one. After a few tries, the server asks you to wait 15 minutes. |
| A sign-in code doesn't work | A code works once and stops after 10 minutes. Get a new one in Oleafly. |
| "Someone else already signed in to this server from this computer account." | Each person needs their own account on the computer. Sign in to your own computer account first. |
| "This address doesn't use a secure connection." | Collaboration servers need an https address. Check the address with the admin. |
| "This server needs a newer version of Oleafly." | [Update Oleafly](/docs/updates/), then try again. |
| "This server needs an update before it works with this version of Oleafly." | Ask the server's admin to update it. |
| "This address now belongs to a different server." | Oleafly sent nothing to the new server. If you trust it, remove the old entry and add the server again. |
| "This server is already in your list under another address." | The server moved. Remove the old entry first, then add it again. |
| "The server is busy." | Wait a minute and try again. |
| Your clock and the server's are far apart | Set the date and time on your computer correctly. |
| A certificate error | Your institution may sign its own certificates. Your computer has to trust that certificate authority. Ask your IT staff. |

## Networks, proxies and firewalls

If **Live connection** says "Something between you and the server blocks live edits", a firewall or proxy on your network is in the way. Show that message to your IT staff or the server's admin.

If it says live edits take a slower route, your network blocks the usual connection. Nothing needs fixing: every edit still arrives, a little later. Read [Networks that block live connections](/docs/collaboration/offline/#networks-that-block-live-connections).

Server admins can find what a proxy in front of the server needs in [Storage, backups & limits](/docs/collaboration/server-operations/#behind-a-reverse-proxy).

## When to contact the server's admin

Ask the person who runs your server when:

- you can't sign in, or Oleafly says you're not on the server's list
- **Test connection** fails at **Address**, **Secure connection** or **Sign-in options**
- Oleafly says the server needs an update
- your account was paused or your access ended and you think it's a mistake
- files over the size limit need to be shared, or a project needs more people than the server allows
- you need guests, link sharing, comments or project access logs turned on

For problems with the app itself, follow [Report a problem](/docs/faq/#report-a-problem).