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Troubleshooting

All guides

Find the symptom, read the likely cause, apply the fix. Most problems take under a minute to solve.

Who this is for: anyone running FrameDecks, especially on a Sunday morning with little time.

On this page

First: stay calm on air

If something wrong appears on screen during a service, fix the picture first and investigate later.

You need to… Do this
Remove everything from the screen Hide all (Esc), or HIDE ALL on the phone
Hide the picture completely Live tools → Black screen (K), or BLACK SCREEN on the phone
Keep the current picture while you fix something Live tools → Freeze the picture (F), or FREEZE on the phone
Show a holding message Live tools → Emergency screen

Then put the right Frame back on screen with Go Live (T).

The app

The app doesn't open

Cause Fix
It is already running in the background Look for its icon near the clock (it may be under the ^ arrow). Click it to open the window
Antivirus quarantined it See Antivirus warnings
Ports 8750–8760 are all in use FrameDecks says so when it starts. Restart the PC, or close the program using those ports

The app opens in a browser-like window

Cause Fix
Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is missing FrameDecks then opens as an Edge app window, which works normally. For the full app window, install WebView2 from microsoft.com and open the app again

"Port 8750 is in use"

Overlay pages and the phone remote expect port 8750. Another program is using it.

Cause Fix
A second copy of FrameDecks (for example, the start-file version) Close it, then open the installed app
Another program uses the port Restart the PC. If it keeps happening, find the program with `netstat -ano

Antivirus or SmartScreen warnings

Symptom Cause Fix
"Windows protected your PC" when installing The installer isn't code-signed Select More info → Run anyway
Antivirus blocks or quarantines the app A known false alarm with unsigned apps made with Python Restore it and add an exception for %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FRAMEDECKS

Note: Check the download first: the installer comes with a .sha256 file you can compare with certutil -hashfile "FrameDecks v6.8.exe" SHA256.

Window, tray and Spotlight

Where did the app go when I minimized?

You chose Hide To Tray, so the taskbar button went away. FrameDecks is still running: the camera, the overlays, the phone remote and the shortcuts keep working.

Cause Fix
The app is hidden in the tray Click its icon near the clock (it may be under the ^ arrow), or right-click it and choose Open App
You want a taskbar button again Settings → General → Window and tray → Minimize button → Stay in taskbar (or Ask each time)

I want the Windows title bar back

Turn off Modern window in Settings → General → Window and tray, then restart FrameDecks. The Windows title bar comes back. Do the same if the ribbon at the top ever misbehaves on your PC (it does not move, maximize or snap as it should).

Alt+Space doesn't open Spotlight

Cause Fix
Another program already uses Alt+Space (for example PowerToys Run) FrameDecks then uses Ctrl+Alt+Space. Settings → General → Window and tray shows which shortcut works
The chosen shortcut is taken too, or set to Off Pick another shortcut in Settings → General → Window and tray → Spotlight: Ctrl+Space, Ctrl+Alt+Space, Ctrl+Shift+Space or Win+Shift+K. The line under it says whether it works
You need Alt+Space for the window menu of other programs Choose another Spotlight shortcut

Inside FrameDecks, Ctrl+K always opens the command palette, which finds the same things.

I can't see my meeting through the overlay

Cause Fix
Light on graphics card is on (the default) The overlay then fades as a whole, text included. Choose a more see-through mode (3 to 5). For solid text over a see-through background, turn off Settings → General → Performance → Light on graphics card and restart
The see-through background does not work on this PC Turn on Compatibility transparency in Settings → General → Window and tray, then close and reopen the overlay. The whole window fades instead
The mode is Solid Press 3 (Meeting) or higher
The overlay hides behind Zoom or Teams Turn on Stay on top (📌, or press P)
You are using FrameDecks in a web browser The overlay can be see-through and stay on top only in the installed app

Note: Frosted glass is Acrylic on Windows 11 (22H2 and later) and a plain blur on Windows 10. Leaving the overlay out of screen sharing needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later.

The FrameRelay camera

Zoom, Teams or OBS doesn't list FrameDecks

Cause Fix
The app was open before installing Restart Zoom, Teams, OBS or the browser. They read the camera list when they start
The camera wasn't installed Settings → How people see it → FrameRelay Camera → Install FrameRelay (asks for administrator permission once)
Still shows the camera's earlier name (older versions) Restart the app. If it is still missing, run the installer again with the camera option ticked
The app reads only Media Foundation cameras Zoom, Teams, Google Meet in Chrome or Edge, and OBS do list it. Some other apps may not

FrameDecks is black or frozen

Cause Fix
Black screen or Freeze is on Check the Live tools button: it reads Black screen on ▾ or Frozen ▾. Turn it off
FrameDecks is off Settings → How people see it → FrameRelay Camera → turn it on
Another app has the webcam Choose FrameDecks (not the webcam) in every meeting app. Only one app can open a webcam
The wrong webcam is selected Settings → How people see it → FrameRelay Camera → choose the webcam
The webcam is unplugged or asleep Reconnect it; FrameDecks picks it up again

My text looks reversed

Zoom mirrors your own preview only. Participants see the text the right way round. To check, turn off Mirror my video in Zoom's video settings.

Phone remote

The phone can't connect

Cause Fix
The remote is off Settings → Phone & iPad Remote → turn it on
Phone and PC on different networks Put both on the same Wi-Fi. Guest networks and mobile data won't work
Windows Firewall blocks it Run tools/launchers/Allow iPad Remote - run once.bat once, or allow the app for Private networks
Windows treats the Wi-Fi as Public Windows Settings → Network & internet → your network → Private
The PC's address changed (new Wi-Fi, restarted router) Scan the QR code in Settings again

"Locked" after entering the PIN

After 5 wrong PINs, that device must wait 60 seconds. Check the PIN in Settings → Phone & iPad Remote and try again.

The drawing pad shows only the cards, not the camera

Cause Fix
The FrameRelay camera is off or starting The pad shows the Frame's cards until the camera picture is ready. Turn FrameDecks on in Settings, or wait a few seconds

All phones were signed out

Someone selected New PIN, which signs out every device. Enter the new PIN on each phone. Phones also need the PIN again after 30 days.

PowerPoint and media

A .pptx won't turn into slides

Cause Fix
PowerPoint isn't installed on this PC Save the deck as PDF (in PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides) and add the PDF
PowerPoint shows a sign-in, licence or update prompt Open PowerPoint once by hand, deal with the prompt, close it, then try again
The file came from the internet (Protected View) Open it in PowerPoint, select Enable Editing, save, then add it again
A very large deck took longer than 3 minutes Save as PDF and add the PDF

Show objects only leaves a background

The setting removes one plain background colour. Gradients and picture backgrounds stay. Give the slides a solid colour the content doesn't use (pure green works well). See Media.

A captured window stopped updating

Keep the window open and not minimised. A second display is the most reliable place for a live slide show.

Scripture

"Add your ESV API key…"

ESV fetching needs a free API key from api.esv.org, entered in Settings → Scripture. Or choose Fetch from → Type it myself and type or paste the verse.

Fetching fails with no internet

Verses you fetched before are kept on the PC and still work offline. New verses need the internet, or type them in with Type it myself.

"Only the ESV can be fetched"

Other translations aren't fetched. Choose Type it myself and type or paste the text, with its translation name.

Performance

The picture stutters or the PC is slow

Cause Fix
The graphics card is busy Keep Settings → General → Light on graphics card on
Too much running at once Close extra browser tabs, video apps and unused overlay pages
1080p on an older PC Use 720p in Settings → How people see it → FrameRelay Camera
Background blur on a slow PC Lower the blur, or turn it off

Settings → Diagnostics shows the frame rate, dropped frames, processor use and which screens are busy.

Audio

FrameDecks doesn't capture or send sound, and Video Content plays muted. Your microphone goes to Zoom or Teams through their own audio settings. When a video's sound matters, play the video in a media player with sound and share it in your meeting app (for example, Zoom's Share Screen with Share Sound), or play it through your sound desk.

Data and backups

Restoring a backup

FrameDecks makes a backup automatically once a day and keeps the newest 10. They are in %APPDATA%\FRAMEDECKS\backups\.

  1. Settings → Data / Backup → Open backups folder, and find the backup you want (each is a folder named by date).
  2. Restore it in one of these ways:
    • use Load a backup file in the same Settings section;
    • for member lists, use Members → Import Excel;
    • or close FrameDecks completely (icon near the clock → Quit), copy the backup's files into the data folder, then open FrameDecks again.

Tip: Before a big change (a new series, importing a Meeting Workbook), select Back up now.

Frames disappeared after an Excel import

Open the Meeting menu (✨ next to + Frame) and choose Undo the last Excel import.

Collecting diagnostics

Settings → Diagnostics → Copy diagnostics copies the information needed for support to the clipboard. It contains no PIN and no member details. Paste it into your message.

Getting help

  1. Check this page and the FAQ.
  2. Copy diagnostics (above).
  3. Contact the person who installed FrameDecks for your church, or write to [email protected].