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🔧 Troubleshooting Guide

This guide helps you solve common issues with YT re:Watch extension. If you're experiencing problems, follow these steps in order.

🚨 Quick Fixes (Try First)

Most issues can be resolved with these simple steps:

1. Refresh YouTube Page

# Press Ctrl+F5 (or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) to hard refresh

This fixes 90% of all issues by clearing cached content and reloading the extension.

2. Restart Extension

  1. Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar
  2. Close the popup completely
  3. Click the extension icon again to reopen

3. Check Browser Compatibility

  • Chrome: Works on youtube.com (not youtube.tv or mobile)
  • Firefox: Works on youtube.com (not mobile or TV)
  • Ensure you're on the main YouTube website, not embedded players

🐛 Common Issues & Solutions

Installation Problems

Extension Icon Not Visible

Symptoms: Extension icon missing from browser toolbar

Solutions: 1. Check if installed: Go to chrome://extensions/ (Chrome) or about:addons (Firefox) 2. Enable extension: Click the toggle to enable YT re:Watch 3. Pin to toolbar: Click the puzzle piece icon and pin YT re:Watch 4. Restart browser: Complete browser restart often fixes visibility issues

Extension Not Loading on YouTube

Symptoms: No overlays or progress bars on YouTube pages

Solutions: 1. Refresh YouTube page (try multiple times) 2. Check permissions: Extension needs access to youtube.com 3. Clear browser cache: Old cached content can interfere 4. Disable other extensions: Conflicts with other YouTube extensions

Video Tracking Issues

Videos Not Being Tracked

Symptoms: Watched videos don't appear in history

Solutions: 1. Watch for 10+ seconds: Extension tracks after minimum watch time 2. Refresh page: Reload YouTube after watching 3. Check if on YouTube.com: Extension only works on main site 4. Disable ad blockers: Some ad blockers interfere with video detection 5. Enable in settings: Ensure "Track videos" is enabled in extension settings

Progress Bars Not Showing

Symptoms: No visual indicators on video thumbnails

Solutions: 1. Refresh YouTube page after watching videos 2. Check overlay settings: Ensure overlays are enabled in settings 3. Allow time for saving: Progress bars appear after video is saved to local storage 4. Clear browser data: Old cached thumbnails can cause display issues

Videos Not Resuming from Saved Position

Symptoms: Clicking videos from channel pages or certain navigation paths starts from beginning instead of saved timestamp

Solutions: 1. Refresh the video page: Sometimes YouTube's restoration catches up after a refresh 2. Check extension version: Ensure you have the latest version (3.1.5+) with enhanced navigation detection 3. Try different navigation: Videos from suggested videos or search results may work better than channel page clicks 4. Wait a moment: The extension has fallback restoration that activates when video starts playing 5. Disable ad blockers temporarily: Some ad blockers interfere with YouTube's restoration mechanisms

Videos Not Being Saved During Playback

Symptoms: Video plays but progress isn't saved, requiring manual pause/play to start tracking

Solutions: 1. Refresh YouTube page: Reload to reinitialize extension properly 2. Check for conflicts: Disable other YouTube-related extensions temporarily 3. Browser restart: Complete browser restart can resolve initialization issues 4. Update extension: Ensure you have version 3.1.5+ with improved save interval management

History Display Problems

History Tab Empty or Missing Videos

Symptoms: Extension popup shows no history or missing videos

Solutions: 1. Refresh extension popup: Close and reopen the extension 2. Check storage quota: Extension has 5GB+ storage limit 3. Browser data clearing: If you cleared browser data, history is lost 4. Incognito mode: Extension doesn't work in private browsing 5. Different browser profile: Each profile has separate history

Videos Disappearing from History

Symptoms: Previously tracked videos no longer appear

Solutions: 1. Check deletion: Videos may have been manually deleted 2. Storage corruption: Rare, but can happen with browser crashes 3. Storage migration: Check if hybrid storage migration is in progress 4. Browser update: Updates can sometimes affect extension storage

Storage & Migration Issues

Migration Problems

Symptoms: Extension shows migration in progress, or data appears incomplete

Solutions: 1. Check migration status: Open extension settings to see migration progress 2. Ensure stable connection: Migration may pause during network issues 3. Restart browser: Complete restart can resume stuck migrations 4. Wait for completion: Migration may take time for large histories

Performance Issues

Extension Slow or Unresponsive

Symptoms: Extension popup slow to open, videos slow to track

Solutions: 1. Clear extension data: Go to extension settings > Advanced > Reset Data 2. Browser restart: Complete restart frees up memory 3. Check storage usage: Large history can slow down the extension 4. Disable unused features: Turn off features you don't need

High Memory Usage

Symptoms: Browser using excessive memory

Solutions: 1. Browser restart: Frees up accumulated memory 2. Check video count: Large history increases memory usage 3. Storage cleanup: Remove old videos you no longer need 4. Browser extensions: Other extensions may also use memory

🔍 Debug Mode

Enable debug mode for detailed logging to help troubleshoot complex issues:

Enable Debug Mode

  1. Open YT re:Watch extension popup
  2. Go to Settings tab
  3. Enable "Debug Mode"
  4. Check browser console for detailed logs

Debug Information to Include in Bug Reports

When reporting issues, include: - Browser and version (Chrome 120.0, Firefox 119.0) - Extension version (visible in extension popup) - Operating system (Windows 11, macOS 14.0, Ubuntu 22.04) - Steps to reproduce the issue - Expected vs actual behavior - Console errors (if in debug mode) - Screenshots (if visual issues)

📞 Getting Help

Community Support

Before Asking for Help

  1. Try the troubleshooting steps above
  2. Search existing GitHub issues - someone may have reported the same problem
  3. Check the FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
  4. Read the detailed guide - Complete User Guide

Emergency Fixes

If nothing works: 1. Reset extension data: Go to Settings > Advanced > Reset Data (loses all history) 2. Reinstall extension: Remove and reinstall YT re:Watch 3. Check for updates: Ensure you have the latest version

Most issues are resolved by refreshing the YouTube page and restarting the browser. Try these steps first before diving into complex troubleshooting.