Troubleshooting Guide

This guide helps you resolve common issues with EmailDuplicateCleaner. If you don't find your issue here, please check the GitHub Issues or submit a new one.

Table of Contents

1. Connection Issues
2. Performance Problems
3. Duplicate Detection
4. Error Messages
5. Common Questions
6. Getting Help

Connection Issues

Can't connect to email server

Symptoms:

• "Connection timed out" error
• "Invalid credentials" message
• Connection drops frequently

Solutions:

1. Check your internet connection

   • Ensure you have a stable internet connection
   • Try accessing your email through webmail to verify connectivity

2. Verify server settings

   • Double-check server addresses and ports
   • Ensure SSL/TLS settings are correct
   • Example settings for common providers:
     • Gmail: imap.gmail.com (993), smtp.gmail.com (465/587)
     • Outlook: outlook.office365.com (993), smtp.office365.com (587)

3. App passwords

   • For Gmail, you might need to generate an "App Password" if 2FA is enabled
   • Go to Google Account > Security > App passwords

Performance Problems

Application is slow

Solutions:

1. Reduce batch size

   • Decrease the number of emails processed at once
   • Settings > Performance > Batch size

2. Limit scan scope

   • Select specific folders instead of scanning all
   • Use date filters to limit the time range

3. Free up system resources

   • Close other memory-intensive applications
   • Increase system memory if possible

Duplicate Detection Issues

Missing duplicates

Solutions:

1. Adjust sensitivity

   • Increase the similarity threshold
   • Settings > Duplicate Detection > Sensitivity

2. Check comparison settings

   • Verify which fields are being compared
   • Enable/disable attachment comparison as needed

3. Rescan with different parameters

   • Try different date ranges
   • Include/exclude specific folders

Error Messages

"Authentication Failed"

• Verify your username and password
• Check if your account is locked
• For Gmail, allow less secure apps or use an App Password

"Connection Refused"

• Check if your firewall is blocking the connection
• Verify the server address and port
• Contact your email provider for the correct settings

"Out of Memory"

• Reduce the number of emails processed at once
• Close other applications
• Allocate more memory to the application if possible

Common Questions

How do I update the application?

1. Check for updates in Help > Check for Updates
2. Or download the latest version from GitHub
3. Your settings will be preserved during updates

Where are my settings stored?

• Windows: %APPDATA%\EmailDuplicateCleaner\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/EmailDuplicateCleaner/
• Linux: ~/.config/EmailDuplicateCleaner/

How do I reset the application?

1. Close the application
2. Delete the configuration directory (see above)
3. Restart the application

Getting Help

Before submitting an issue:

1. Check the logs in Help > View Logs
2. Note the exact error message
3. Check if the issue is already reported on GitHub

When submitting an issue:

1. Include the error message
2. Describe what you were doing when the error occurred
3. Attach relevant log files (remove sensitive information)
4. Include your operating system and application version

Support Channels:

• GitHub Issues
• Discord

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