Skip to content

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Tanner edited this page Jul 13, 2026 · 2 revisions

Troubleshooting & FAQ

"Elite Dangerous journal folder not found"

Click OPEN SETTINGS in the banner and paste your journal folder into Settings → Journal folder — it validates as you type and applies immediately. The folder is usually C:\Users\<you>\Saved Games\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous.

  • Moved your Saved Games folder? Auto-detection follows relocations (Windows known-folder API).
  • Never run the game on this PC? The folder doesn't exist until the game's first launch — the app detects it automatically the moment it appears.
  • Linux: the journals live inside the Proton prefix — ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/359320/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Saved Games/Frontier Developments/Elite Dangerous.

"Waiting for journal data" / empty cockpit after launching the game

If you've just opened the game but haven't logged into a commander yet, the cockpit stays deliberately empty — journals only identify the pilot at login, and Frameshift never guesses. Log in (past the main menu) and it fills in within seconds.

The startup sequence takes a long time

The FLIGHT RECORDER → COCKPIT RESTORE banner replays your latest journals at every start — normally well under a minute even on a hard disk. If you're on a version older than v2.1.3, update: a performance fix cut startup times by roughly 10×. The one-time history catalog on first run (or first run after a big update) is longer, shows its progress, and never repeats.

The same "unassigned history" keeps coming back

Fixed in v2.1.4 — update, assign once in ⚙ SETTINGS → Commander Profiles, and it stays assigned. (Those records come from launcher-stub journals where no pilot ever logged in; new stubs no longer generate them.)

No trade routes found

  • Build the Market Database first — the local engine is far more capable than the API fallback.
  • Widen Search radius, lower Min units, or increase Price age.
  • Exclude fleet carriers / surface stations in Settings narrows results — check those toggles.

Autoplot doesn't plot

  • Windows only, the game must be running, and it must accept focus.
  • Galaxy Map, UI Up/Down/Right, UI Select and UI Back need keyboard binds (controller-only won't work).
  • Don't touch the game during the ~15 s sequence; use CANCEL to abort.
  • Plotting to the system you're already in always fails (the game refuses it).

Can't open the app from my phone/tablet

  • New devices must be paired: scan the QR code from ⚙ SETTINGS → Paired Devices on the gaming PC — see Device Pairing & Security. An un-paired device sees a pairing gate, not your data.
  • Allow the Windows Firewall prompt on Private networks (or add an inbound rule for the port, default 8666).
  • Both devices must be on the same network.

Port already in use / app won't start

Another instance is probably running (check the system tray / task manager for Frameshift.exe, EliteTrader.exe or a stray python process). The app guards against double launches by pointing a new window at the existing server — but a crashed process can hold the port; kill it or set ET_PORT to another port.

The update installed but didn't relaunch

Update once manually and every update from then on relaunches itself. If a new exe ever fails to start, the .old.exe next to it (Frameshift.old.exe or EliteTrader.old.exe) is your previous working version — rename it back.

My exe is still called EliteTrader.exe

Normal. The app was renamed Frameshift at v2.0.0; in-place updates keep the original filename on disk. Everything inside is current.

Voice callouts don't speak

  • Toggle 🔊 VOICE on the flight panel rail.
  • The browser/webview needs speech synthesis (the desktop window and all modern browsers have it), or install the neural voice in Settings.
  • Callouts also appear as banners/toasts, so nothing is lost with sound off.

Where is my data?

In data/ next to the app: market.db (rebuildable market cache), commander.db (your history and plans), settings.json, and automatic backups/. Deleting market.db costs you a ~15-minute rebuild; deleting commander.db loses watches and analytics history (journals rebuild most of it, and backups/ has snapshots).

Reporting a bug

⚙ SETTINGS → Local Health & Extensions → SUPPORT BUNDLE creates a zip that excludes journals, commander names, pairing secrets and databases — attach it to a GitHub issue.

Clone this wiki locally