Troubleshooting

A folder or file cannot be read

1. Try opening the same item in File Explorer or Finder using the same account.
2. Check read permission, network connectivity, password protection and whether another application is still writing the file.
3. On Mac, allow FileTally access if macOS asks about a protected folder such as Documents or Desktop.
4. For a cloud placeholder, use your provider’s controls to make it available locally and wait for the download to finish.
5. Try a small authorized local folder to separate a source-access issue from a broader app problem.

Do not request broader permissions than the collection needs. If your organization controls access, ask the folder owner or administrator. An unreadable folder has unknown contents; its missing pages are not zero.

A total differs from the source application

Check the count basis first: counted, estimated or assigned. Compare the same file version. Word and spreadsheet estimates are calculated on a standard page and can differ from the source application’s printout; a PowerPoint slide count differs from a handout sheet count.

Check whether Look inside ZIP files was on and which files were excluded. Exact duplicate copies stay counted as separate files; the duplicate check never removes them. Keep spreadsheet cells separate from pages.

When a printed count matters, compare a print reference from the source application and retain that reference with the report. See Formats and counting methods.

An export fails or looks incomplete

Choose a new destination folder you can write to; FileTally does not overwrite an existing one. Check free space and try an approved local folder. Confirm that the app reports a complete export and that the CSV opens before relying on it.

Check whether the scan completed and which files were excluded. Export success does not remove missing coverage. An export produced from a stopped or partial scan is still partial.

The app or scan stops

Preserve the source folder, saved scans and existing exports. Note the version, the action in progress and the message shown. Reconnect unavailable sources before starting a fresh scan, and save it to a new results folder.

See Saving, exporting and recovery for reopening saved scans and recovering interrupted work. Recovered results are partial; do not assume they are complete.

Send a useful support request

Include your Windows or macOS version and FileTally version, the steps that triggered the problem, the exact error wording, file types involved, and whether the location is local, synced or on a network. A small synthetic example is better than a confidential document.

Remove private filenames, paths, document contents, license keys and personal details from screenshots. Do not send customer records unless a separately agreed support process requires them. Email support or read the support policy.