Editor Problems

The Quixli editor is a sophisticated real-time document editor built on modern web technologies. While it's designed to be reliable, you may occasionally encounter issues with loading, typing, formatting, or content display. This guide covers the most common editor problems and their solutions, organized by symptom.

Editor Won't Load

If you see a blank screen, spinning loader, or error message instead of the editor, try these steps in order:

• Refresh the page: Press Cmd/Ctrl + R (or Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + R for a hard refresh that bypasses cache). Many loading issues are resolved by a simple refresh

• Clear browser cache: Go to your browser settings and clear cached data for the last hour. Corrupted cached files can prevent the editor from loading correctly

• Try a different browser: Open the same page in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. If it works in another browser, the issue is browser-specific — usually caused by an extension or outdated browser version

• Disable browser extensions: Ad blockers, privacy extensions, and script blockers can interfere with the editor. Try loading the page in an incognito/private window (which disables most extensions) to test this

• Check your internet connection: The editor requires an active internet connection to load. Try loading another website to verify your connection is working

If none of these steps work, the issue may be on our end. Check status.quixli.io for any ongoing service incidents.

Can't Type or Edit Content

If the editor loads but you can't type or make changes:

• Check permissions: You need Edit or Admin permission to modify a page. If you only have View access, the editor appears in read-only mode. Look for a "Read Only" badge in the editor header

• Check if the page is locked: During real-time collaboration, a page may be temporarily locked by another user making structural changes. Wait a few seconds and try again

• Click inside the editor: Sometimes focus isn't set correctly after page load. Click directly in the content area to activate the editor

• Check for selection issues: If you can click but not type, try clicking at a different position in the text. Some block types (images, embeds) don't accept direct text input

Formatting Issues

If text formatting isn't behaving as expected:

Pasted Text Has Unexpected Formatting

When you paste text from another application (Word, Google Docs, a website), formatting may not transfer perfectly. Solutions:

• Paste as plain text: Use Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + V to paste without formatting, then apply your desired formatting manually

• Clear formatting: Select the problematic text and press Cmd/Ctrl + \ to remove all formatting, then reapply what you need

• Use Markdown paste: The editor supports pasting Markdown syntax. If your source is in Markdown, paste it directly and the editor will convert headings, lists, and bold/italic formatting automatically

Formatting Not Applying

If you click a formatting button but nothing happens:

• Select the text first: Most formatting (bold, italic, highlight) requires a text selection. Click and drag to select the text, then apply formatting

• Check the block type: Some formatting doesn't apply to all block types. For example, you can't make a heading bold (it's already bold by design) or apply text color to a code block

• Try the keyboard shortcut: If the toolbar button isn't working, try the keyboard shortcut instead (e.g., Cmd/Ctrl + B for bold). If the shortcut works, the toolbar may have a rendering issue — refresh the page

Content Disappearing or Jumping

If content seems to disappear, move unexpectedly, or revert to an earlier state:

• Check version history: Go to the page menu > "Version History" to see if the content was accidentally deleted or overwritten by a collaborator

• Check collaboration status: If multiple people are editing, one person may have deleted content. The activity feed shows who made what changes

• Check for undo: You may have accidentally pressed Cmd/Ctrl + Z (undo). Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z to redo and see if the content reappears

• Check auto-save indicator: Look for the "Saved" indicator in the header. If it shows "Saving..." or "Offline," your recent changes may not have been saved. Wait for the save to complete before navigating away

Don't Panic

Quixli auto-saves every 30 seconds and creates versions during collaboration sessions. Even if content seems to disappear, it's almost certainly recoverable from version history. Check the version history before assuming data is lost.

Browser-Specific Issues

Some issues occur only in specific browsers:

• Safari: Older Safari versions (pre-16) may have issues with drag-and-drop block reordering. Update to the latest macOS/Safari version

• Firefox: If spell-check highlighting interferes with text formatting, disable browser spell-check (Preferences > Language > uncheck spell-check) and rely on the editor's built-in spell-check instead

• Chrome: Memory-heavy pages (50+ blocks with images) may cause sluggishness. Break long pages into smaller ones or optimize images before uploading

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the editor offline?

The editor requires an internet connection to load and save. However, if you lose connection while editing, your changes are queued locally and saved automatically when the connection is restored. You'll see an "Offline" indicator in the header during disconnection.

Why does the editor look different on my phone?

Quixli's editor is optimized for desktop browsers. On mobile devices, some features (like drag-and-drop, complex tables, and keyboard shortcuts) have limited functionality. For the best editing experience, use a desktop or laptop computer. Mobile is best suited for reviewing and commenting.

Why do my images appear blurry in the editor?

The editor displays images at their container width. If you uploaded a low-resolution image (e.g., 400px wide) and the container is wider (e.g., 800px), the image is scaled up and appears blurry. Re-upload a higher-resolution version. For best results, use images that are at least 1200px wide.

Can I recover unsaved changes after a browser crash?

Quixli auto-saves every 30 seconds, so you'll lose at most 30 seconds of work. After a crash, simply reopen the page — the last auto-saved version is loaded automatically. During real-time collaboration, Hocuspocus saves even more frequently, so data loss from crashes is extremely rare.

Why are some toolbar buttons grayed out?

Grayed-out buttons mean that action isn't available in the current context. For example, the "Bold" button is grayed out when your cursor is inside a code block (code blocks don't support rich formatting). The "Table" button is grayed out when you're inside another table (nested tables aren't supported). Move your cursor to a regular paragraph to access all formatting options.