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Troubleshooting
This page covers known installation, update, engine, plugin, and recovery issues with confirmed remedies.
The Windows NSIS installer is not Authenticode-signed. SmartScreen can therefore display a warning for a manually downloaded release. Confirm that the download came from the official release page, then use Windows’ offered continuation path only if you trust it. This is distinct from the updater: installed releases use a signed update feed and interactive installation.
ChemDraft’s Windows desktop shell needs WebView2. It is commonly included with Windows 11. If the application cannot show its interface, install or repair Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, then restart ChemDraft.
Do not bypass a certificate warning. Check that your system date/time and network interception settings are correct, then retry from File → Check for Updates…. If it persists, use Help → Report a Bug… and include the exact message. Update mechanisms differ by platform: Sparkle on macOS and the Tauri updater on Windows.
Optional engines install only after explicit user action. If you cancel installation, the calling workflow reports that the engine is not installed; it does not substitute a remote service. Retry the operation and accept the host’s installation offer. On Intel Macs, the optional structure-to-name engine is reported as unsupported.
Plugin installation is intentionally fail-closed. Packages are checked for checksum/CRC integrity, manifest validity, compatible API version, worker handshake, and unsafe paths. Re-download a release package from its official source and confirm it targets the installed API; do not unpack or modify the package to bypass a failure. See Installing and Updating Plugins.
The CLI does not trust an external plugin merely because an environment variable points to it. Add the plugin directory to the user trust file, then retry. The trust file is ~/.config/chemdraft/trusted-plugins.json; use the platform’s normal home-directory path expansion rather than copying that literal path into a Windows command shell. See NMR Prediction and Agent Setup Recipes.
Stable and development builds have separate identifiers and locks. Close the existing instance from the same build before restarting it. A branch build is ChemDraft (dev) and should not replace the stable app. See Installation.
Session state is flushed during normal quit and is used for restoration. If you enabled Ask to save unsaved changes before quitting, ChemDraft offers Save, Don’t Save, or Cancel for dirty tabs. Saving uses the normal file workflow; Cancel leaves the application open. See Saving Sessions and Recovery.
ChemDraft repository · Apache-2.0 · Home
- Features overview
- Installation
- Quick Start
- Your first molecule
- FAQ
- Troubleshooting
- Glossary
- macOS and Windows differences
- Drawing basics
- Atoms and labels
- Bonds and stereochemistry
- Rings and chains
- Selection and editing
- Charges, radicals, and dative bonds
- Copy, paste, and clipboard
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Toolbars and palettes
- Documents, pages, and tabs
- Arrows and mechanisms
- Art objects and styling
- Publication figures and style presets
- Compound layouts
- Templates and abbreviations
- Chemistry guarantees
- Analysis and properties
- NMR prediction
- Name from structure
- Name to structure
- Structure recognition
- Spin 3D