Troubleshooting Checklist

We have a plethora of FAQs and articles that will walk you through detailed troubleshooting steps if you need help connecting to or using Gather. The following is a checklist of steps to try:

General

  • Refresh your browser.
  • Switch to Chrome if you are not using it already.
  • Close any other applications or browser tabs.
  • Disable any unnecessary browser extensions (or use Incognito/Private mode in your browser).
  • Disable VPN/firewall or ask your IT to whitelist Gather.

Performance Issues

  • Turn on Do Not Disturb Mode (Ctrl/⌘+U) to limit your a/v connections.
  • Test User Settings (Ctrl/⌘+P):
    • Reduce Limit Frame Rate to fewer fps. (Graphics)
    • Turn on SmartZoom or use a large zoom for Manual Canvas Zoom. (Appearance)
    • Turn on Reduce Motion. (Appearance)
    • Turn on Auto Idle Mute. (Audio / Video)
    • Turn off HD Video Quality. (Audio / Video)
    • Turn off Hardware Acceleration (Graphics)

Audio/Video Issues

  • Check browser settings and permissions to allow microphone and camera.
  • Close any other applications that use your mic or camera.
  • Check system settings and permissions (Macs) to allow screen recording, microphone, and camera.
  • Disconnect from external monitors.
  • Turn on Original Audio (Settings > User > Audio & Video) to turn off Gather’s audio processing, which includes echo reduction, automatic gain control, and noise filtering.
  • Review A/V Troubleshooting FAQs

Black or White Screen Issues

  • Respawn into the Space.
  • Hard refresh your browser (hold Shift key and press refresh button on browser).
  • Check the Mapmaker to make sure the background has not been deleted or resized. (If the background is white in Mapmaker, your original background has likely been deleted.)
  • Check if you are banned.
  • Clear your browser cache.
  • If you are embedding objects:
    • White screen = the website does not allow embedding
    • Black screen = the URL needs to be https
  • See All I see is a black screen—what do I do? for screenshots of black screen issues. 

Still having issues?

  • Check out our Gather Status site to see if Gather is having any issues site-wide. 
  • Report a bug by clicking on the Gather menu and selecting Report an Issue. (Read more on reporting issues.) 
  • If all else fails, there's always the ol' turn-it-off-and-back-on-again (restart your computer).