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Troubleshooting

Having problems? Let's fix them! 🔧

Common Issues & Solutions​

Editor Problems​

"I can't type in the editor"​

Symptoms: Clicking in editor doesn't work, can't type

Solutions:

  1. Click directly in the text area

    • Not on the border
    • Look for blinking cursor

  2. Try clicking and holding

    • Click for 1 second
    • Should focus the editor

  3. Refresh the page

    • Press F5 or Ctrl/Cmd + R
    • Your work is saved in browser

  4. Clear browser cache

    • Ctrl + Shift + Delete
    • Clear cache and cookies
    • Reload page
Quick Fix

90% of editor issues fixed by refreshing the page!

"My changes aren't showing in preview"​

Symptoms: Type in editor but preview doesn't update

Solutions:

  1. Wait 500ms

    • Preview updates after you stop typing
    • Brief delay is normal

  2. Check for errors in markdown

    • Missing closing ** for bold?
    • Extra characters in modifier?
    • Try deleting last line and retyping

  3. Scroll preview area

    • Maybe it updated but you need to scroll
    • Check if slide counter changed

  4. Refresh page

    • Ctrl/Cmd + R
    • Should reload fresh

"Editor is slow/laggy"​

Symptoms: Delay when typing, slow response

Solutions:

  1. Check presentation size

    • Very long presentations can be slow
    • Try splitting into multiple presentations
    • Aim for under 50 slides

  2. Reduce number of images

    • Large images slow things down
    • Compress images before uploading
    • Use TinyPNG

  3. Close other tabs

    • Browser running many tabs = slower
    • Close unused tabs

  4. Restart browser

    • Save your work first!
    • Close and reopen browser
    • Usually fixes memory issues

  5. Update browser

    • Old browsers are slower
    • Update to latest version
Browser Performance

Chrome usually fastest, followed by Edge, Firefox, Safari.

Slide Display Issues​

"Slides aren't showing"​

Symptoms: Right side is blank or shows error

Solutions:

  1. Check if you have content

    • Did you type anything?
    • Need at least # Title to see a slide

  2. Check markdown syntax

    • Every slide needs a heading (# or ##)
    • Make sure --- separator is on its own line

  3. Look for error messages

    • Red text in preview?
    • Read error message carefully

  4. Start fresh

    • Select all (Ctrl + A)
    • Delete
    • Type: # Test Slide
    • Should appear!

"Slides look weird/broken"​

Symptoms: Text overlapping, strange layout, missing content

Solutions:

  1. Check for unclosed formatting

    **This is bold but missing closing **
    ← Add ** at the end!

  2. Verify modifier syntax

    Correct: <!-- black -->
    Wrong: <!-black-->
    Wrong: <!--black->

  3. Check image URLs

    Correct: ![Alt](https://example.com/img.jpg)
    Wrong: ![Alt](https://example.com/img.jpg
    Missing closing )

  4. Clear and start over

    • Sometimes easiest to retype the slide
    • Copy to notepad first (backup)
    • Delete problem slide
    • Retype clean

"Colors won't change"​

Symptoms: Picked new color but slides stay same

Solutions:

  1. Check for color modifiers

    • <!-- black --> overrides brand color
    • <!-- white --> forces white
    • Remove modifiers to use your color

  2. Refresh browser

    • Sometimes color doesn't apply immediately
    • F5 to refresh

  3. Try different color

    • Maybe color picker didn't register click
    • Try clicking a very different color

  4. Clear cache

    • Ctrl + Shift + Delete
    • Clear cache
    • Reload

Fullscreen/Presentation Issues​

"Can't enter fullscreen"​

Symptoms: Play button doesn't work

Solutions:

  1. Check browser permissions

    • Some browsers block fullscreen
    • Look for blocked popup message
    • Allow fullscreen when prompted

  2. Try F11

    • Browser fullscreen shortcut
    • Works in most browsers

  3. Click preview area first

    • Click in the slides area
    • Then click Play button

  4. Try different browser

    • If all else fails
    • Chrome usually works best

"Stuck in fullscreen"​

Symptoms: Can't exit presentation mode

Solutions:

  1. Press Escape key

    • Usually exits fullscreen
    • Press it twice if needed

  2. Press F11

    • Browser fullscreen toggle
    • Might need to press twice

  3. Alt + F4 (Windows only)

    • Closes window
    • Use as last resort!

  4. Cmd + Q (Mac only)

    • Quits application
    • Save work first!

Symptoms: Can't move between slides in fullscreen

Solutions:

  1. Check keyboard

    • Try arrow keys
    • Try spacebar
    • Physical keyboard issue?

  2. Click in presentation area

    • Might have lost focus
    • Click anywhere in slides
    • Try arrows again

  3. Exit and re-enter

    • Esc to exit
    • Click Play again
    • Try navigation again

Image Problems​

"Image won't upload"​

Symptoms: Drag and drop doesn't work

Solutions:

  1. Check if logged in

    • Need account to upload images
    • Sign in first!

  2. Check file format

    • Supported: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP
    • Not supported: BMP, TIFF, others
    • Convert if needed

  3. Check file size

    • Under 10MB recommended
    • Compress large images first

  4. Try different browser

    • Some browsers more picky
    • Chrome usually works best

"Image not displaying"​

Symptoms: Broken image icon or no image

Solutions:

  1. Check URL is complete

    Good: https://example.com/image.jpg
    Bad: example.com/image.jpg (missing https://)
    Bad: https://example.com/image (missing .jpg)

  2. Test URL in browser

    • Copy image URL
    • Paste in browser address bar
    • Does image open?
    • If no, URL is wrong

  3. Check website allows hotlinking

    • Some sites block external linking
    • Upload image to imgur.com instead
    • Use that URL

  4. Try different image

    • Maybe that specific image has issues
    • Try different image to test

"Image layout not working"​

Symptoms: image-left or image-background not working

Solutions:

  1. Check modifier syntax exactly

    Correct:
    <!-- image-url: https://example.com/img.jpg; image-left -->

    Common mistakes:
    - Missing semicolon (;)
    - Space after "image-url:"
    - Wrong dash (– vs -)
    - Missing closing -->

  2. Put modifier at top of slide

    Correct order:
    <!-- image-url: URL; image-left -->
    # Slide Title
    Content here

    Wrong:
    # Slide Title
    <!-- image-url: URL; image-left -->
    Content here

  3. Check URL has no spaces

    • URLs can't have spaces
    • Replace spaces with %20

Saving & Loading Problems​

"Can't save presentation"​

Symptoms: Save button grayed out or doesn't work

Solutions:

  1. Check if logged in

    • Look top-right corner
    • See "Sign In" = not logged in
    • See your email = logged in

  2. Sign in first

    • Click Sign In
    • Use email or Google
    • Try saving again

  3. Check internet connection

    • Need internet to save to cloud
    • Check if other websites work
    • Reconnect and try again

  4. Check browser console

    • F12 to open developer tools
    • Look for red errors
    • Take screenshot and contact support

"Can't find my saved presentation"​

Symptoms: Click Open but don't see it

Solutions:

  1. Check if logged into correct account

    • Maybe you have multiple accounts?
    • Try signing out and back in
    • Check email address is correct

  2. Check if you actually saved it

    • Did you see "Saved successfully" message?
    • If not, might not have saved
    • Start over and save this time

  3. Scroll through entire list

    • Maybe it's there but not visible
    • Scroll to bottom
    • Check dates

  4. Try different device

    • Log in from another computer
    • Check if presentations appear there
    • Might be browser-specific issue

"Lost my work!"​

Symptoms: Browser closed, work gone

Solutions:

  1. Check browser history

    • Ctrl + H
    • Find Slidepicker session
    • Click to return
    • Might restore content!

  2. Check localStorage

    • F12 (developer tools)
    • Application tab
    • Local Storage → Slidepicker
    • Look for "slidepicker-markdown"
    • Might have backup!

  3. Check if you saved

    • Log in to account
    • Click Open
    • Check last saved version
    • Use that!
Prevention

Save often! Ctrl + S every few minutes!

Account Problems​

Symptoms: Click link in email, nothing happens

Solutions:

  1. Check if link expired

    • Links expire after first use
    • Or after 1 hour
    • Request new link

  2. Copy link manually

    • Select entire link in email
    • Copy (Ctrl + C)
    • Paste in browser (Ctrl + V)
    • Press Enter

  3. Try different browser

    • Maybe browser blocking it
    • Try Chrome, Firefox, Edge

  4. Check spam folder

    • Email might be in spam
    • Mark as "Not Spam"

"Google sign-in not working"​

Symptoms: Popup doesn't open or shows error

Solutions:

  1. Allow popups

    • Browser might be blocking popup
    • Look for blocked popup icon in address bar
    • Allow popups for slidepicker.com

  2. Already signed into Google?

    • Open Gmail in another tab
    • Make sure signed in
    • Try Slidepicker again

  3. Clear cookies

    • Ctrl + Shift + Delete
    • Clear cookies
    • Try again

  4. Use email instead

    • Click "Sign in with email"
    • Use magic link method
    • Works without popups

Performance Issues​

"Website is slow"​

Solutions:

  1. Check internet speed

    • Run speed test
    • Need decent connection for cloud app

  2. Close other apps

    • Free up computer memory
    • Close other programs

  3. Update browser

    • Old browsers slower
    • Update to latest version

  4. Try incognito mode

    • Ctrl + Shift + N (Chrome)
    • Disables extensions that might slow down
    • If faster, extension is the problem

"Browser crashes**​

Symptoms: Browser freezes or closes

Solutions:

  1. Reduce presentation size

    • Very large presentations can crash browser
    • Split into multiple presentations

  2. Optimize images

    • Compress all images
    • Reduce file sizes

  3. Increase browser memory

    • Close other tabs
    • Restart browser
    • Restart computer

  4. Try different browser

    • If Chrome crashes, try Firefox
    • Different browsers handle memory differently

Browser-Specific Issues​

Chrome​

Issue: Console errors Fix: Ignore unless causing actual problems

Issue: Extensions interfering Fix: Try incognito mode (Ctrl + Shift + N)

Firefox​

Issue: Slow performance Fix: Disable hardware acceleration in settings

Safari​

Issue: Upload not working Fix: Check settings allow file uploads

Issue: Fullscreen issues Fix: Use System Preferences → Security

Emergency Fixes​

Nuclear Option (Last Resort!)​

If nothing works:

  1. Export markdown

    • Copy all text (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C)
    • Paste into Notepad
    • Save as backup.md

  2. Clear everything

    • Clear browser cache completely
    • Close all tabs
    • Restart browser

  3. Fresh start

    • Go to slidepicker.com
    • Sign in
    • Paste your markdown back
    • Should work now!

Still Having Problems?​

Contact Support​

Email: [email protected]

Include:

  1. What you were trying to do

    • Be specific!
    • "I was trying to upload an image"

  2. What happened

    • What went wrong
    • Error messages
    • Screenshots if possible

  3. Your setup

    • Browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
    • Operating system (Windows, Mac, etc.)
    • Version if known

  4. Steps to reproduce

    • Can you make it happen again?
    • What steps cause the problem?

We usually respond within 24 hours!

Before Contacting​

Try these first:

  • Refresh page
  • Clear cache
  • Try different browser
  • Restart computer
  • Check this troubleshooting guide

Most problems are quick fixes! Don't give up! 💪

Next: Learn best practices to avoid problems!