Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

ShadePlay guide › Help

Symptoms and messages, their likely cause, and the fix. Texts are shown as the simple view says them; advanced mode words some of them more technically.

Installing and starting

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
"Windows protected your PC" when installing	The installer isn't code-signed	Click More info, then Run anyway.
Smart App Control blocks Setup, with no Run anyway	Smart App Control blocks every app that isn't code-signed	ShadePlay installs only with Smart App Control off. On some versions of Windows it can't be turned back on without resetting Windows, so decide carefully.
ShadePlay is still running (it may be finishing a clip). Right-click its icon in the taskbar corner, choose Exit, then run Setup again.	Setup couldn't close the running ShadePlay within about 100 seconds	Do as it says.
Setup refuses to install	The PC runs Windows on Arm, or Windows 10 older than version 2004	See What you need.
Can't find the tray icon	Windows 11 hides new tray icons	Click the ^ arrow next to the clock. To keep it in sight: Windows Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Other system tray icons, turn ShadePlay on.
Can't find the settings window	It closes with Close or Esc (your changes are already saved)	Double-click the tray icon, choose Settings… in the tray menu, or open ShadePlay from the Start menu.
The code execution cannot proceed because avutil-60.dll was not found	A copy of ShadePlay.exe from before it carried its own FFmpeg, started without the DLLs next to it	Use the current ShadePlay.exe, which works on its own, or install ShadePlay with Setup.
ShadePlay didn't start after signing in	Start with Windows is off, or turned off in Windows' Startup apps	See the rows under Start with Windows below.

Recording

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
Not recording – ShadePlay keeps trying, or the notification ShadePlay is not recording	The recorder can't start or keeps failing, for example after a graphics driver problem, or with no graphics card encoder it can use	Wait a moment: it retries by itself. If it stays, update the graphics driver, check that the monitor is plugged into the graphics card (What you need), and look at the reason on the advanced Status page or in engine.log. Then report it.
⚠ ShadePlay can't record right now – it retries every 5 minutes (advanced: Recorder can't load FFmpeg)	A ShadePlay.exe run without Setup couldn't unpack its FFmpeg into %LOCALAPPDATA%\ShadePlay\ffmpeg, usually because the drive is full; or FFmpeg DLLs put next to ShadePlay.exe don't load	Free up some space. The tray tooltip and engine.log give the exact reason. DLLs next to the exe must be all four, from an FFmpeg 8.1 build (Running ShadePlay.exe on its own).
Waiting for a display – …, Screen locked – …, PC sleeping – …	Normal standby	Nothing. Recording goes on by itself (Monitors and displays).
Recording, but your game's sound can't be recorded right now (or voice chat, your mic, sound, some sound, the screen)	One source fails, for example a device that was unplugged	ShadePlay retries by itself. Check the device; the advanced Status page shows which source fails and why.
⚠ Another recording app is running – turn it off	Another program uses the graphics card's encoder (a driver's instant replay, OBS, Discord Go Live…)	Turn off its recording or instant replay (why).
⚠ Clips are shorter than your buffer length – not enough memory	The buffer at this quality needs more than a quarter of your RAM	Choose a shorter buffer length or a lower quality (Buffer length).
AV1 greyed as AV1 (not on this GPU), or This GPU can’t encode AV1, so clips are recorded as HEVC.	The graphics card has no AV1 encoder	Nothing: HEVC is recorded instead.

The hotkey

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
F10 does nothing; ⚠ F10 is used by another app – choose another hotkey in Settings	Another program registered F10 first. ShadePlay retries every 30 seconds.	Free the key in that program, or choose another hotkey (The save hotkey).
⚠ F10 is taken by another app – choose another hotkey in Settings, notification Your hotkey didn't reach ShadePlay	Another program (often a graphics card overlay or another recorder) swallows the key before it reaches ShadePlay	Unbind the key in that program, or choose another hotkey.
⚠ The saved hotkey doesn't work, so F10 is used	The hotkey in config.json isn't valid	Choose a hotkey in the settings.
F10 does nothing on a laptop or compact keyboard	F10 needs the Fn key there	Press Fn+F10, or choose another hotkey.
Not saved: F9 is already used by another program. Choose another hotkey.	The new key is taken, so the old key stays (your other changes are still saved)	Pick another key.

Sound

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
⚠ Windows turns game sound down during calls – fix it…	Windows' communications ducking is on	Click it, then on the Communications tab choose Do nothing. In Discord, set Voice & Video > Attenuation to 0 % (Sound and microphone).
⚠ Windows blocks your mic – allow it…	Windows' privacy settings block the microphone for desktop apps	Click it, then turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone.
⚠ Sound from your default output isn't recorded – fix it…	Windows' default output is a device on the never-record list	Click it and set your speakers or headset as the default device.
No game sound in a clip	The game wasn't detected (a windowed game outside a game library folder) and it plays on a device other than the one you listen on	Give it a clip name in Show advanced settings > Games, so it counts as a game (Games and clip names), or pick that device under What you listen on.
No voice chat in a clip	The Discord track is off (advanced), Discord runs in a browser, or its program isn't listed	Switch the Discord track on, use the Discord desktop app, or add the program under Discord programs (Audio settings).
Some sounds are doubled in the Mix; advanced mode shows Game plays on two devices (Mix may double it)	The game plays on the device you listen on and on another device at once	Send the game to one output device.
(no mic connected) in the status	The mic track is on but there's no microphone	Nothing, or plug one in.
Couldn't save the settings: ShadePlay can’t record <device> – pick another device.	The device is on the never-record list	Pick another device, or change the list in Audio settings.

Saving clips

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
Clip not saved: Not enough free disk space in <folder>.	The drive has less room than the replay plus 256 MB	Free some space, or choose a clips folder on another drive.
Clip not saved: Cannot create the folder <folder>.	The clips folder can't be created or written	Check the Clips folder setting and the folder's permissions.
Clip not saved: The recorder is restarting, so there is nothing to save yet.	You pressed the key while the recorder restarted	Wait a few seconds.
Clip not saved: The recorder could not write the clip. It keeps recording.	Writing the file failed	Check the drive; the reason is in engine.log (and in the notification in advanced mode).
Clip not saved / Clips not saved: The recorder restarted before the clip was written. or ShadePlay exited before the clip was written.	The recorder stopped while saving	Save again; if it keeps happening, report it.
A clip is shorter than expected; Clip saved says The recording restarted, so it ends N s before you pressed the key. (or ...so only N s were there.)	The capture restarted inside the clip's time, for example after a driver reset or a display change	Nothing to fix.
A clip is shorter than the buffer length, with no note	Recording started or restarted less than a buffer length ago, or memory keeps the buffer shorter	See Buffer length.
⚠ Your clips folder can't be reached – saving to Videos\ShadePlay	A network drive is offline or a disk is unplugged	Reconnect it. Clips saved meanwhile are in Videos\ShadePlay.
A game's clips have an odd name	The program's own name for itself is odd	Give it a clip name in Show advanced settings > Games (Clips, folders and names).
Clips won't play in the Windows Media Player app	The app lacks the AV1 or HEVC codec	Install Microsoft's AV1 Video Extension or HEVC Video Extension, or use VLC.
HDR clips look washed out and grey	The player can't show HDR on an SDR screen	Use a player that tone-maps (such as VLC), or record SDR clips (HDR clips).

Settings and Start with Windows

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
⚠ The settings file has an error – the previous settings are used	config.json isn't valid JSON (often a hand edit)	Fix the file (the log names the line) or delete it. A copy of the broken file is kept as config.json.corrupt (Settings file).
Settings not saved: ShadePlay couldn't save its settings file: …	The settings folder isn't writable, or the drive is full	Check %APPDATA%\ShadePlay and free some space.
Settings were changed elsewhere (tray menu or config.json). Your edits were kept.	Something changed a setting while you were typing in a box, or while a value there couldn't be used	Nothing: your edit is saved when you leave the box (once it is valid).
A red message under a setting, or a banner starting with Not saved:	That value can't be used, so ShadePlay keeps the saved one; your other changes are saved	Fix the value as the message says.
<setting> isn’t valid, so it wasn’t saved. when closing the settings	A value in the window can't be used	Keep editing and fix it, or Close anyway to keep the saved setting.
⚠ Start with Windows didn't work – try again in Settings	Windows refused both start-up entries	Tick Start with Windows in the settings. The reason is in shadeplay.log.
Start with Windows unticked with Off in Settings > Startup. Tick it to turn it back on.	ShadePlay was turned off in Windows Settings > Apps > Startup	Do as it says, or turn it on again in Windows' Startup apps.
Start with Windows greyed	This copy isn't the installed one (it runs from a temporary, cloud-synced or build folder, or with --instance-name / --data-dir)	Use the installed ShadePlay (Start with Windows).
The browser didn't open. Go to <address> yourself.	Windows has no default browser, or it didn't start	Copy the address into your browser.
The folder picker isn't available; type the folder path instead.	Windows' folder picker couldn't open	Type the folder's path into the box.

Updates

Symptom or message	Likely cause	Fix
A small red ! on the tray icon	A newer version of ShadePlay is available (or an update is running, or didn't work)	Not an error: see Updates.
Update to X.Y.Z failed: <reason>. Nothing was installed; Update now tries again. (or Automatic update to X.Y.Z failed: …), and Update to X.Y.Z failed – open settings in the tray menu	The reason says what happened, for example GitHub could not be reached, GitHub is busy right now (rate limit); Update now tries again later, the download was damaged (it does not match its checksum), the downloaded file was removed or changed (an antivirus may have done that), Windows Security blocked the installer or ShadePlay did not close in time for the installer (it may have been saving a clip). Nothing was installed, and a damaged download was deleted.	Try Update now again later, or download the installer from the release page (What's new). A failed automatic update isn't tried automatically again. logs\update.log has the technical reason.
… the release on GitHub has no checksum for the installer; get it from the release page (What's new)	GitHub lists no SHA-256 fingerprint for the installer, so ShadePlay doesn't download it	Download the installer from the release page and run it.
ShadePlay X.Y.Z is no longer offered, so nothing was installed.	The release was withdrawn, or a newer one came out, after the update was offered	Nothing: the bar shows what GitHub offers now.
The update to X.Y.Z did not install, so ShadePlay A.B.C was started again. It will be offered again. (after an automatic update: … It will not be installed automatically again; Update now tries again.)	The installer stopped before it replaced any file	Nothing to repair. The next check offers the update again, and Update now can install it.
The update to X.Y.Z stopped partway, so ShadePlay's files may be a mix of two versions. …	The installer stopped while replacing files (a locked file, a full disk)	Run the installer from the release page (What's new).
The browser didn't open. The release notes are at <address>	What's new couldn't open your browser	Copy the address into your browser.
No update is ever offered	Check for updates is off, SHADEPLAY_OFFLINE=1 is set, GitHub can't be reached, you skipped that version, or this isn't the installed copy	Switch Check for updates on in the advanced settings; see update.log.

Still stuck? Choose Send feedback / report a bug in the tray menu: Feedback and bug reports says what to attach, and what to read first.

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Next: FAQ

See also: Is it recording? · FAQ · Settings file, logs and command line