Troubleshooting common errors

# Troubleshooting common errorsMost "it just doesn't work" moments on ArtHelper come from one of five causes — a browser extension, a stale page, a slow network, an expired Instagram connection, or an oversized file. This article walks through what to try first, second, and third before you contact support.## The five fixes that resolve most issues, in order1. **Refresh the page.** Boring but it works more often than anything else. Press Ctrl+R (Windows) or Cmd+R (Mac), or click your browser's refresh button.2. **Sign out, sign back in.** Click your avatar in the top-right → **Sign out**, then sign in again at [arthelper.com/signin](https://www.arthelper.com/signin). This fixes most stale-session issues.3. **Pause your browser extensions.** Especially Pinterest, ad blockers, and privacy extensions. Sign-in cookies and image uploads break under aggressive blockers. The fastest test: open an Incognito / Private window and try again — extensions are off there by default. If it works in Incognito, you've found the culprit.4. **Try a different browser.** Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge all work. If the issue is browser-specific you'll find out fast.5. **Try a different network.** Switch from home wifi to your phone's hotspot, or vice versa. Corporate and school networks sometimes block upload endpoints.> **Tip** > If steps 1–5 above don't fix it, the issue is probably specific to one feature (upload, AI, Instagram) — see the targeted sections below.## "Upload failed" / "Something went wrong" when adding artworkThe two most common causes of upload failures:- **The file is too big.** The hard limit is 25 MB per image. Many phone photos in original quality are larger — open the image, save a smaller copy, and upload that.- **The file is the wrong format.** We accept JPG, PNG, WEBP, and HEIC. If you're trying to upload a RAW file (.CR2, .NEF, .DNG, .ARW), Photoshop file (.PSD), or PDF, that won't work. Export to JPG first.If the file is the right size and format and uploads still fail:1. Open an Incognito window and try the upload there — rules out an extension.2. Try one image at a time instead of a bulk upload — narrows down whether it's one bad file or all of them.3. If only ONE specific image fails, save the image again in your photo editor with a slightly lower quality setting. Some files have corrupted metadata that breaks the upload.**The error toast you'll see at the bottom of the screen:**A red error notification will appear with the message "Upload failed — Something went wrong uploading [filename]. Try again, or convert to JPG."## AI generation is spinning foreverTitle generation, description generation, and Sparks all use AI behind the scenes. When the spinner runs for more than ~30 seconds, something is off.1. Refresh the page (Ctrl+R / Cmd+R). The job may have already completed but the page didn't catch the update.2. Try a different piece of artwork. If only ONE image hangs, that image may be corrupted or unreadable to the AI; re-save and re-upload.3. Try again in 30 seconds. AI generation is one of the rare areas where load spikes can slow things down. A retry usually works.4. If every generation hangs across every piece, contact support — it's a service issue and we want to know.## Instagram post failedThe most common cause of an Instagram post failure is an expired connection. Tokens last about 60 days; after that you have to reconnect.1. Go to [app.arthelper.ai/integrations](https://app.arthelper.ai/integrations).2. Find Instagram in the list. If the status is **Disconnected** or shows an error, click **Reconnect**.3. Go through the Meta sign-in flow again. Make sure you pick the same Instagram account you had before.4. Try posting again from [app.arthelper.ai/post](https://app.arthelper.ai/post).If reconnecting doesn't fix it, the second most common cause is that your Instagram account is set as **Personal** instead of **Business** or **Creator**. Meta's API only allows posts from Business or Creator accounts. In the Instagram mobile app: **Settings → Account → Switch to Professional**.## The page won't load — just shows "Loading..." forever1. Refresh the page.2. Check your internet — open another site to confirm.3. Try Incognito mode. If it loads there, an extension is the cause.4. Try a different browser. Sometimes a corrupted browser profile breaks just one site.5. If the page works on your phone but not your computer (or vice versa), the issue is local — see the five fixes above.## Common questions### I'm getting the same error every time and nothing fixes it. Now what?Take a screenshot of the error (including any code or message), note exactly what you were trying to do when it happened, and contact support via the chat icon in the bottom-right of any ArtHelper page. The more specific you can be, the faster we can find the cause.### The "chat" or "Assistant" button doesn't do anything when I click it.Usually a browser extension blocking the chat window. Open Incognito and try again — if it opens, an extension is the cause. If it still doesn't open in Incognito, refresh once and try again.### I see a "500" or "503" error code on the page.That's a temporary server issue, not something on your side. Wait 1–2 minutes and refresh. If it persists beyond ten minutes, contact support — we may not yet be aware of an outage.### Why is my page slow but not actually broken?Often a browser cache that's gotten too big. In Chrome: **Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data → Cached images and files**. This doesn't sign you out and doesn't lose any of your artwork — it just frees up memory.### I can't find the answer here. How do I reach a human?Click the chat icon in the lower-right corner of any ArtHelper page. A real person will reply within one business day, often much sooner.