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A Word About Reinstalling

March 19, 2024 — Jim Neumann
Screenshot showing the file console.log containing error logs.

We often get reports from people experiencing some issue and telling us they have already reinstalled the application. However, reinstalling should not be one of your first steps. This is especially true when it’s a non-fatal issue, e.g., it’s not crashing. Reinstalling rarely resolves an issue and usually does nothing more than remove information important for troubleshooting.

Imagine your automobile won’t start. Your first idea would not be to go buy a new car? Maybe you simply don’t have the key fob in your pocket. Or you have the key and the lights and dashboard work but the engine doesn’t start. Then it may be a battery issue. And just as calling a mechanic would be a good idea for your vehicle, if you do have an issue with one of our apps, this is exactly why our support resources exist. You can also contact our support team directly.

If you are working with our support team and an issue persists beyond deeper troubleshooting, we may suggest a reinstallation. However, we do not advocate using uninstaller applications. While they usually make great claims of being thorough, they sometimes remove more than they should. We have even seen instances where databases have been wrongly deleted in a DEVONthink uninstallation. We will provide proper per-application instructions, as needed.