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Troubleshooting

The inbox is empty​

Check that:

  • the archive is in the expected public/data location
  • inbox_index.json was rebuilt
  • the selected export is not intentionally trimmed to a smaller subset

Search returns nothing​

Check that:

  • archive.sqlite exists
  • the search is being run inside the correct thread
  • the message type filter is not excluding the content you want

Media does not open​

Check that:

  • the referenced media file actually exists in the archive
  • the exported package included required media folders
  • you are not relying on source messages.json files after removing them from a trimmed package

A direct message has no profile picture​

That is common in Instagram exports. Use the local profile-picture manager to provide a replacement image for the thread.

The exported app is larger than expected​

Make sure the export only contains:

  • selected thread folders
  • rebuilt inbox_index.json
  • rebuilt archive.sqlite
  • required media assets

Remove:

  • raw source files that are no longer required
  • unused conversations
  • setup scripts that are not needed in the hosted package

The hosted package works locally but not on the internet​

Check:

  • static asset paths
  • whether the host serves SQLite and media files correctly
  • whether your Cloudflare or CDN rules are blocking required asset types

The future hosted platform stores too much​

That is a product-design problem, not just a code problem. The safest rule is:

store metadata and user-managed links, not the archive contents themselves

See privacy and security for the recommended model.