Troubleshooting

Something not working right? Start here.

Table of contents

  1. Installation issues
    1. SPAN Finder won’t install from the Microsoft Store
    2. Manual install: “This app package is not trusted”
  2. Startup issues
    1. SPAN Finder crashes immediately on launch
    2. Blank white window on startup
  3. Navigation issues
    1. Folders load slowly or show a spinner for a long time
    2. Clicking a folder in Miller Columns doesn’t open the next column
    3. Address bar shows wrong path after switching tabs
  4. File operation issues
    1. Copy or move operation fails with “Access denied”
    2. Undo (Ctrl+Z) doesn’t restore a deleted file
    3. Batch rename changed the wrong files
  5. Preview issues
    1. Preview panel shows a generic icon instead of a preview
    2. Quick Look (Space) opens but shows nothing
    3. Video preview doesn’t play
  6. Shelf issues
    1. Items I added to the Shelf are gone after restart
    2. The Shelf panel doesn’t appear when I hover the right edge
  7. Remote connection issues
    1. SFTP connection fails with “Host key verification failed”
    2. FTP connection times out
    3. Remote files show as empty or 0 bytes
  8. Git integration issues
    1. No Git badges appear in my repo folder
    2. Wrong branch name shown in the status bar
  9. Display and UI issues
    1. Text or icons look blurry on high-DPI displays
    2. Themes don’t apply after changing
  10. Performance issues
    1. SPAN Finder is using too much memory
    2. UI freezes momentarily when navigating large folders
  11. Still stuck?

Installation issues

SPAN Finder won’t install from the Microsoft Store

  • Make sure you are running Windows 10 version 1809 or later (Settings → System → About → OS Build).
  • Confirm that your Microsoft Store is signed in and up to date.
  • Try restarting the Microsoft Store app, then retry the install.

Manual install: “This app package is not trusted”

When installing a .msix from GitHub Releases you need to trust the signing certificate first:

  1. Right-click the .msix file → Properties → Digital Signatures tab
  2. Select the certificate → Details → View Certificate → Install Certificate
  3. Choose Local Machine → Place all certificates in the following store → Trusted People
  4. Install, then retry the .msix install.

Startup issues

SPAN Finder crashes immediately on launch

  1. Open Event Viewer (Win + R → eventvwr) and check Windows Logs → Application for an entry from SpanFinder.
  2. If you see a COMException or UnauthorizedAccessException, try:
    • Reinstalling the app from the Microsoft Store
    • Clearing the local state: navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\ and delete the LumiBearStudio.SpanFinder_* folder (this resets all settings)

Blank white window on startup

This usually happens when the WinUI runtime is outdated.

  1. Open Microsoft Store → search for “Windows App Runtime” → update if available.
  2. Restart SPAN Finder.

Folders load slowly or show a spinner for a long time

  • Network drives and OneDrive-only folders can be slow. SPAN Finder always loads asynchronously so the UI stays responsive, but it can’t speed up the underlying storage.
  • For very large folders (10,000+ files), try switching to Details view (Ctrl + 2) which renders rows progressively.
  • Check if your antivirus is scanning every file SPAN accesses. Add %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\LumiBearStudio.SpanFinder_* to your AV exclusion list.

Clicking a folder in Miller Columns doesn’t open the next column

  • Make sure you are in Miller Columns mode (Ctrl + 1). Details/List/Icon modes use double-click to navigate.
  • Check Settings → Browsing → Click behavior — it may be set to double-click.
  • If the folder is a system folder (Control Panel, This PC), SPAN Finder may show an empty column — this is expected, as these virtual folders don’t expose their contents the same way.

Address bar shows wrong path after switching tabs

This is the expected behavior: the address bar always reflects the focused tab’s current path. If the tab focus changes (e.g. due to a new window opening in the background), the bar updates to match.

File operation issues

Copy or move operation fails with “Access denied”

  • You need write permission on the destination folder. Try running SPAN Finder as Administrator (right-click the app → Run as administrator) to confirm this is the cause.
  • System folders (C:\Windows, C:\Program Files) require elevation. SPAN Finder does not auto-elevate — use an elevated File Explorer or terminal for those locations.

Undo (Ctrl+Z) doesn’t restore a deleted file

  • Only Recycle Bin deletes (Delete) are undoable. Permanent deletes (Shift + Delete) bypass the Recycle Bin entirely and cannot be recovered by SPAN Finder.
  • Check the Recycle Bin tab — the file may still be there even if Undo didn’t work.

Batch rename changed the wrong files

  • The batch rename dialog shows a live preview with old → new name mappings before you apply. Always verify the preview before clicking Rename.
  • Use Ctrl + Z immediately after to undo the entire batch rename in one step.

Preview issues

Preview panel shows a generic icon instead of a preview

  • The file may be cloud-only (not yet downloaded from OneDrive/iCloud/Dropbox). SPAN Finder uses the Shell thumbnail cache for cloud files — if Windows hasn’t cached a thumbnail yet, you’ll see a generic icon.
  • For very large files (>20 MB for images, >100 MB for text), SPAN Finder skips direct decoding. The Shell thumbnail cache is used as a fallback.
  • Try pressing F5 to refresh the folder — this clears SPAN’s thumbnail cache for the current folder.

Quick Look (Space) opens but shows nothing

  • Confirm that Quick Look is enabled: Settings → Preview → Enable Quick Look.
  • Quick Look supports the same file types as the Preview Panel. For unsupported types, it shows the hex dump view (if enabled).

Video preview doesn’t play

  • Make sure the required codec is installed. SPAN Finder uses the Windows Media Foundation pipeline — install the appropriate codec pack (e.g. HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store for H.265 content).

Shelf issues

Items I added to the Shelf are gone after restart

  • Check that Settings → Shelf → Save shelf on exit is enabled (it is by default).
  • The Shelf state is saved to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\LumiBearStudio.SpanFinder_<hash>\LocalState\shelf.json. If this file was deleted or corrupted, the Shelf starts empty.

The Shelf panel doesn’t appear when I hover the right edge

  • Make sure the Shelf is enabled: Settings → Shelf → Enable Shelf (Ctrl + B to toggle).
  • The Shelf appears on the right edge of the main window. If SPAN Finder is maximized on a multi-monitor setup, make sure you are hovering the right edge of the correct monitor.

Remote connection issues

SFTP connection fails with “Host key verification failed”

  • This happens when the server’s host key has changed since you last connected (e.g., after a server rebuild).
  • Right-click the connection in the sidebar → Edit → Clear saved host key → reconnect and re-accept the new fingerprint.

FTP connection times out

  • Some servers require Passive Mode. Edit the connection and toggle Passive mode.
  • Check your firewall — FTP passive mode uses ephemeral high ports that some firewalls block.

Remote files show as empty or 0 bytes

  • This can happen with FTPS servers that use implicit TLS and have strict cipher requirements. Try switching to Explicit FTPS or SFTP if your server supports it.

Git integration issues

No Git badges appear in my repo folder

  • Confirm that git.exe is in your PATH: open a terminal and run git --version.
  • Check that Git integration is enabled: Settings → Advanced → Git integration.
  • Very large repos (.git/index > 5 MB) skip per-file status badges — only the branch name is shown.

Wrong branch name shown in the status bar

  • The status bar refreshes every 30 seconds. Navigate away and back to force a refresh, or press F5.

Display and UI issues

Text or icons look blurry on high-DPI displays

  • Go to Settings → Appearance → Font scale and adjust the slider.
  • Make sure Windows’ display scaling is set correctly (Settings → System → Display → Scale).
  • If running on a multi-monitor setup with mixed DPI, move the SPAN window to the target monitor and restart it.

Themes don’t apply after changing

  • Themes apply immediately — if you don’t see a change, try scrolling or clicking to force a redraw.
  • On Windows 10, Mica blur effects are not available. The theme colors still apply but the background will be solid.

Performance issues

SPAN Finder is using too much memory

  • Many open tabs with large folders each consume memory. Close unused tabs (Ctrl + W).
  • Disable thumbnail loading for large icon folders: Settings → Browsing → Show thumbnails.
  • Check the Action Log for runaway operations: press F3 or open the Action Log tab.

UI freezes momentarily when navigating large folders

  • This is usually caused by antivirus scanning. Add SPAN Finder to your AV exclusion list.
  • Try Details view (Ctrl + 2) for folders with 10,000+ items — it renders progressively and handles large lists more efficiently than Miller Columns.

Still stuck?