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Troubleshooting

Having issues? Find solutions to common problems below.

Scanning Issues

Movies/TV Shows Not Found

Problem: Scanned a folder but nothing appeared. Solutions:
  1. Check file formats — Only MKV, MP4, AVI, M4V, MOV are supported
  2. Check file size — Files below minimum size threshold are ignored (Settings → Scanning)
  3. Check folder structure — TV shows need proper folder organization
  4. Sample files — Files with “sample” in the name are automatically excluded

Slow Scanning on NAS

Problem: Scanning network drives takes forever. Solutions:
  1. Power Scraper Pro has NAS optimization built-in, but initial scans are always slower
  2. Ensure your network connection is stable
  3. Consider scanning a subset of folders first
  4. Subsequent scans are much faster (only new files are checked)

Scraping Issues

Movie Not Matching Correctly

Problem: Wrong movie is being matched. Solutions:
  1. Use Manual Search to find the correct movie
  2. Add the year to your filename: Movie Name (2023).mkv
  3. Power Scraper Pro learns from corrections for future matches

”API Rate Limited” Error

Problem: Seeing rate limit errors during scraping. Solutions:
  1. This is normal during large batch operations
  2. Power Scraper Pro automatically retries with backoff
  3. Wait a few minutes and scraping will resume
  4. Consider scraping in smaller batches

No Artwork Downloading

Problem: Metadata works but no posters/fanart. Solutions:
  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Verify API keys in Settings → API Keys
  3. Check if artwork is enabled in Settings → Artwork
  4. Some obscure titles may not have artwork available

Artwork Issues

Fanart.tv Artwork Not Appearing

Problem: Only getting basic TMDB artwork. Solutions:
  1. Add your Fanart.tv API key in Settings → API Keys
  2. Enable extended artwork types in Settings → Artwork
  3. Not all movies have Fanart.tv artwork available

Wrong Artwork Selected

Problem: Auto-selected poster isn’t the best one. Solutions:
  1. Click on the artwork to browse alternatives
  2. Select a different image from the picker
  3. Power Scraper Pro prioritizes by resolution and language

Performance Issues

App Running Slowly

Problem: UI is laggy or unresponsive. Solutions:
  1. Check Activity Monitor for memory pressure
  2. Large libraries (10,000+ items) may need more RAM
  3. Close other memory-intensive apps
  4. Power Scraper Pro automatically adjusts cache size based on available memory

High Memory Usage

Problem: App using too much RAM. Solutions:
  1. This is normal during scraping operations
  2. Memory is released after operations complete
  3. Go to Settings and reduce thumbnail cache size if needed
  4. Power Scraper Pro monitors memory pressure and adjusts automatically

Network/NAS Issues

”Volume Disconnected” Errors

Problem: Getting disconnection errors with network drives. Solutions:
  1. Power Scraper Pro detects disconnections and pauses automatically
  2. Reconnect the network drive
  3. Operations resume automatically when the volume is back
  4. Check your network stability

Files Not Updating on NAS

Problem: Changes made on NAS not reflecting in app. Solutions:
  1. Use Refresh to rescan the folder
  2. Watch folders may have a slight delay for network volumes
  3. Check that the NAS volume is properly mounted

Database Issues

”Database Error” Messages

Problem: Seeing database-related errors. Solutions:
  1. Power Scraper Pro automatically falls back to in-memory mode if disk DB fails
  2. Check available disk space
  3. Try restarting the app
  4. As a last resort, reset the database in Settings (this removes library data, not your files)

Lost Library After Update

Problem: Library is empty after updating the app. Solutions:
  1. Check if database file exists in ~/Library/Application Support/Power Scraper Pro/
  2. Restore from automatic backup if needed
  3. Rescan your media folders — your files are still there

Getting More Help

Check the Action Log

Power Scraper Pro logs all operations:
  1. Go to View → Action Log
  2. Filter by error type
  3. See detailed information about what went wrong

Export Logs for Support

If you need to contact support:
  1. Go to Help → Export Diagnostic Logs
  2. This creates a zip file with relevant logs
  3. Attach to your support request

Contact Support

Still stuck? Email [email protected] with:
  • Description of the problem
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Your macOS version and Mac model
  • Diagnostic logs if possible