Troubleshooting

Use this section when something is not working as expected, when you want to contact support or report a bug, when you need a clear definition, when you want to know how Spleen follows your accessibility settings, or when you want information about the guide and recent changes.

This page collects common situations where something in Spleen may feel unclear, incomplete, or unexpected. It is not a replacement for support, but it can help you decide what to check first. If the problem continues, see Contact Support and Report a Bug.

Spleen looks broken or out of place

If spacing, colours, or controls look wrong throughout the app rather than on one page, the browser is usually the cause. Update to the newest version of Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge and reload the page.

Spleen needs Safari 16.4, Chrome 111, Firefox 128, or anything newer. On iPhone and iPad every browser uses the version built into the system, so Chrome or Brave there will be as old as the iOS it runs on. Updating iOS updates them all.

A project does not open

Check whether the project is still active, archived, or unavailable because of a temporary loading problem. If the project appears in the overview but will not open, try refreshing the app and opening it again.

If Spleen cannot load the project, it shows Project not found with the message “This project is missing or unavailable for your account.” This can mean the project was deleted, belongs to another account, or cannot be accessed from your current session. Other loading failures show Something went wrong and “We couldn’t load this project right now.” Archived projects still open, but they show This project is archived with an Unarchive action.

A document does not appear

A document may be inside a collapsed section, hidden by a sidebar filter, or moved to another part of the project. Clear any search/filter field in the project sidebar and check the surrounding sections.

Text does not seem to save

Spleen uses autosave, so there may be a short delay before the saved state updates.

If your browser detects that you are offline, Spleen shows You’re offline. Reconnect to save your work. at the top of the workspace. Keep the project open while you reconnect. The notice disappears automatically when your connection returns.

When saving fails, the editor header shows Couldn’t save and the document still has unsaved changes. Keep writing; Spleen keeps trying, and holds your unsaved text in this browser in the meantime. If you try to leave while Spleen still sees a save problem, it opens This project isn’t ready to close with Stay, Leave without saving, and Retry. Choose Retry when you want Spleen to check again, or Stay to return to the document.

During maintenance, Spleen may temporarily become read-only or pause saving. A notice explains what is happening. If the editor shows Saving paused, your unsaved writing remains safe in that browser and saves when Spleen is available again. Leave the project open if possible and wait for the maintenance notice to clear.

Spleen asked which version to keep

If a save never completed and you open that document again later, Spleen may ask about it. It shows Unsaved writing and describes two versions: writing that was never saved, and the document as it stands now. Each is described by when it was written and roughly how long it is.

Choose the one you want to carry on from. The other is kept as a snapshot, so you can open it from the Snapshots tab and change your mind. You can also close the question without choosing: the document is left exactly as it is, and the unsaved writing is kept as a snapshot in case you want it later.

A stream does not play

Atmosphere uses external audio streams. A station may be temporarily unavailable, blocked by the browser, or affected by network issues. Try another stream or check whether the browser allows audio playback.

An export does not look right

Check the project structure, document order, document titles, and formatting before exporting again. Different formats handle layout differently, so a PDF, EPUB, HTML, and Markdown export may not look identical.

The context panel is empty

The context panel follows the current document. If there are no notes, annotations, or snapshots for that document yet, the panel may simply be empty. Try another document or create a note to confirm you are looking at the correct panel.

A snapshot is not what you expected

Snapshots are automatic checkpoints, not a record of every edit. The nearest snapshot may be older or newer than the exact moment you had in mind.

Snapshots also expire according to your plan. Quill keeps five days of snapshot history, Folio keeps thirty days, and Library keeps snapshot history indefinitely. If an older snapshot has disappeared, it may have passed the retention window for your plan.