Troubleshooting

I can't log in to my account

Try these steps:

• Make sure you're using the correct username (not email)
• Check that Caps Lock is not enabled
• Try resetting your password via the "Forgot Password" link
• Clear your browser cookies and cache
• If you registered recently, check if your account needs admin approval

I forgot my password

Click "Forgot Password" on the login page and enter your email address. You'll receive a password reset link. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder.

My account is pending approval

New accounts require administrator approval. Contact the site owner to approve your registration. You'll receive an email once your account is approved.

500 Internal Server Error

This usually indicates a permissions issue:

• Make sure the data/ directory is writable (chmod 777)
• Check that all files were uploaded correctly
• Verify PHP 8.1+ is installed on your server
• Check your server's error log for specific details

White Screen / Blank Page

A blank page usually means a PHP error:

• Check your server's PHP error log
• Ensure PHP 8.1 or higher is installed
• Verify all required PHP extensions are enabled
• Make sure all files were extracted completely

PHP Version Too Low

FamilyCodex requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Contact your hosting provider to upgrade PHP, or check your hosting control panel for PHP version settings.

Permission Denied Errors

Set correct permissions via FTP or SSH:

GEDCOM import failed

If your GEDCOM file won't import:

• Ensure the file is valid GEDCOM format (.ged extension)
• Check that the file isn't too large (try splitting large files)
• Some older GEDCOM versions may have compatibility issues
• Try re-exporting from your source software with GEDCOM 7.0 or 5.5.1

Data appears corrupted

If your data seems wrong or corrupted:

• Check if you have a backup in the data/.backups/ folder
• Look for JSON syntax errors in your data files
• Try restoring from a recent GEDCOM export

Missing data after update

Your data should never be affected by updates. If data is missing, check that you didn't accidentally overwrite the data/ directory during the update.

File upload fails

Common causes for upload failures:

• File exceeds PHP upload limit (check upload_max_filesize in php.ini)
• Insufficient storage space
• File type not allowed (only images, PDFs, and common formats are accepted)
• The data/media/ directory is not writable

Images not displaying

If uploaded images don't show:

• Check that the image files exist in data/media/
• Verify the directory permissions allow web access
• Clear your browser cache
• Check for .htaccess rules blocking media access

License key not working

If your license won't activate:

• Copy and paste the key exactly as received (no extra spaces)
• Ensure the key hasn't already been activated on another domain
• Check that your subscription is still active
• Contact support if the issue persists

Pro features not available after activation

Try these steps:

• Log out and log back in
• Clear your browser cache
• Go to Settings → License and verify the license shows as "Active"
• Check that the license tier shows "Pro" not "Free"

Site is slow

Improve performance with these tips:

• Enable caching in Settings (if available)
• Optimize large images before uploading
• Consider upgrading your hosting plan
• Very large trees (10,000+ individuals) may need more server resources

Family tree takes too long to load

Large trees can be slow to render. Try starting from a specific individual rather than loading the entire tree. You can also limit the number of generations displayed.