Troubleshooting

The most common problems, the message you'll see, and what to do. If yours isn't here or the fix doesn't work, contact us with the exact message.

#Screen sharing doesn't start

You see: "Screen sharing didn't start."

This appears when the browser's share picker is closed without choosing anything, or when your computer blocks the browser from recording the screen.

1. Click Start recording again and pick the tab that shows your app, then click Share.
2. If the picker doesn't appear or closes straight away on a Mac, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen Recording ("Screen & System Audio Recording" on newer versions of macOS).
3. Turn it on for your browser, then quit and reopen the browser.

You see: "Your browser does not support screen recording." or "Your browser does not support MediaRecorder."

Your browser can't capture the screen. Record from an up-to-date desktop browser that supports screen sharing. See Record your screen.

#Recording stopped early or was rejected as too long

Each plan has a longest recording: 3 minutes on Free, 5 on Starter, 10 on Studio and 20 on Team. The recorder shows a countdown in the last 30 seconds and stops itself at the limit. Everything up to that point is kept.

You see: "Recordings on the … plan can be up to … minutes, and this one is …"

The recording you uploaded is longer than your plan allows. Record a shorter take, split the flow into two recordings, or upgrade on Plan & billing. Recording tips has ideas for keeping takes short.

For a video you upload with Upload a video, the message starts "Videos on the … plan can be up to … minutes". Trim the video and upload it again. Videos can also be refused for being over 500 MB, for not being an MP4, WebM or MOV file, or because they can't be read or converted. Exporting the video again as MP4 (H.264) at a lower resolution usually fixes all three. See Record your screen.

#A demo says the original recording was deleted

You see: "The original recording was deleted, so this can't be re-rendered." (or a similar line about cuts, steps, a language version or the clickable demo)

Someone deleted the recording the demo was made from. The finished video, its formats and its share links still work, but anything that needs the recording again can't be done. To change the video itself, record or upload the flow again and make a new demo from it. See Recordings library & reuse.

#You've run out of recordings

You see: "You've used all … recordings in your … plan for this billing month."

Your monthly allowance is used up. Either wait until the date in the message, when it resets, or upgrade on Plan & billing. Demos made from screenshots don't use the allowance, so you can still build those. See Plans, credits & limits.

#A feature says it's on another plan

You see: a message such as "Custom domains: available on the Studio plan and up. Upgrade in Settings → Billing."

The feature needs a bigger plan. Upgrade from Plan & billing. Only the workspace owner can do this. See Billing & invoices.

#"Use what I said while recording" finds no speech

You see: "We couldn't hear any narration in this recording. Record with your microphone on, or let AI write the script."

The recording has little or no speech on it, usually because the microphone wasn't on. Either click Regenerate script so the AI writes the script, or record again with Record my microphone ticked and talk through the steps as you go. See Script & voice.

#A render failed

When a narrated video fails to render, the editor shows the reason.

1. Check the script has at least one line. The render button is switched off without one.
2. Click Re-render (or Render MP4 if the video has never rendered) to try again. Your edits are saved first.

A render usually takes 1 to 3 minutes. If the editor says "The render is taking unusually long. Refresh the page to check on it.", refresh the page.

Other outputs retry the same way:

• Formats: the Formats tab names each format that failed and why. Choose it again and click Generate.
• Translated versions: a failed language says Failed. Click its redo icon ("Redo from the current script"). A failed translation gives its recording back to your allowance.
• Story videos: if the page says "This video couldn't be generated.", contact us with the link to the story.

#Steps appear late in a long recording

TurtleScene finds each click in your recording automatically. On long recordings with long waits, a few steps can land later than the click they belong to, so the card shows after the screen has already changed.

1. Open the narrated video and click Hotspots in the left rail.
2. Select the step that's late in the list.
3. Change Time (s) to the moment the click happens. Scrub the preview to find it.
4. Click Re-render.

You can also delete a wrong step and add one with Add hotspot here at the playhead. If you built a clickable demo from this recording, rebuild it afterwards with the rebuild icon next to Interactive demo; the existing one is kept. Cutting long waits out first helps too. See Steps, zooms & timing and Trim & cut waits.

#Images or videos won't load on a page you left open

Recordings and exports are kept in private storage and handed to your browser through links that expire. A page left open for days can show broken images or videos that won't play. Reload the page, or reopen the item from the Library, and TurtleScene gives you fresh links.

For the same reason, don't share a direct download address. To share a narrated video, use Share link in the editor: that page link doesn't expire. See Render, download & share.

#A custom domain check keeps failing

• A cross next to a record: it isn't visible yet. DNS changes can take up to an hour. Wait, then click Check DNS again.
• "points somewhere else": the CNAME has the wrong value, or another record exists for the same name. Set it to the value in the setup box and delete the other record.
• Using Cloudflare: set the CNAME to "DNS only", not proxied.
• "The DNS records aren't visible yet" when you click Switch on HTTPS: TurtleScene checked again and couldn't see both records. Wait a few minutes and try again.
• The check says another workspace has the domain: a domain belongs to the first workspace that connects it. If it should be yours, email us with the domain name.

See Custom domains.

#A teammate can't join

• "Every seat on this plan is taken." Remove someone or upgrade for more seats. See Members & roles.
• The invite link has expired. Invite links for new accounts work for 7 days. Ask your teammate to use Forgot password? on the sign-in page with the invited email address.
• "The invite email couldn't be sent, so let them know." They were still added. Ask them to sign in with that email address.

#Analytics shows no views

Views from the editor's Preview aren't counted. Check the demo's public link is on (Personalize › Share › Public link enabled), then open the share link in a private window. See Analytics.

#A payment failed

If the Plan & billing page says your last payment failed, update your card from the Razorpay email. You keep your plan while Razorpay retries. If you've paid and your plan hasn't changed within an hour, contact us.