Troubleshooting
Start with the symptom you see, then follow the shortest recovery path. For iCloud-specific setup, download, conflict, and recovery states, use the focused sync topics in Cloud Sync Issues.
Items Won’t Move or Edit
Section titled “Items Won’t Move or Edit”The item may be locked. Look for the lock icon on the selection overlay. Press ⌘⇧L to unlock, or use the contextual menu.
Board Feels Slow
Section titled “Board Feels Slow”- Large boards with many items use more memory. Consider splitting into multiple boards.
- Check board storage size in Board Settings. Very large images or videos increase memory pressure.
- Reduce the number of onion skin ghost frames if you’re using onion skin with video.
Export Quality Looks Low
Section titled “Export Quality Looks Low”- Check the export resolution setting (default is HD, 2048px). Try 2K, 4K, or higher for crisp output.
- For crisp output, use PNG (lossless) instead of JPG.
Import Fails
Section titled “Import Fails”- Verify the file format is supported (see Supported Formats).
- For videos, ensure the codec is H.264, HEVC, or ProRes. Other codecs will be transcoded, which may fail on very large files.
- PDF import is limited to 300 pages.
Share Extension Doesn’t Appear
Section titled “Share Extension Doesn’t Appear”- On iPhone or iPad, open the share sheet, choose Edit Actions, and enable Add to ArtDeck.
- On Mac, open
System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions > Share Menuand turn on ArtDeck. - For supported content and per-share limits, see Share Extension.
Theme Looks Wrong
Section titled “Theme Looks Wrong”- Check if the board has a per-board theme override in Board Settings. Clear it to use the app default.
- Verify your system appearance setting (Dark/Light) matches your expectation.
Board Storage Is Large
Section titled “Board Storage Is Large”Open Board Settings and expand the Board Storage section to see which items use the most space. Consider using optimized import quality for images and videos.
Cloud Sync Issues
Section titled “Cloud Sync Issues”Use these pages instead of scanning the full troubleshooting list:
- iCloud Sync for turning sync on and choosing app-level settings.
- Download Boards from iCloud when a board appears in the gallery as Download, Queued, Waiting for Wi-Fi, Tap to Retry, Download Failed, or Files Missing.
- Per-Board Sync and Conflicts when Sync This Board does not behave as expected, or ArtDeck asks whether to keep Merge, iCloud, or Both versions.
- Fix iCloud Sync Issues for paused sync, missing files, iCloud storage, account errors, and large video originals.