Topp tre tips för att lösa problem i NVivo

You are currently working with NVivo and experience anything from slow performance, crashing, or error messages? Here are our three tips to investigate and hopefully solve the most common support problems in NVivo:

1) Look for updates or reinstall

2) Identify where your NVivo project file is located - and safe it on a local drive

3) Create a copy of the Sample Project

1) Look for updates or reinstall

In case you suddenly experience problems, make sure that you are running the latest version of NVivo and install available updates. Here´s where you can find the version number in Mac and here in Windows.

Please follow the steps below to ensure you are using the latest version of NVivo:

1. Update NVivo
   • NVivo - Windows: Click File>Product Info>Check for Software Updates
   • NVivo – Mac: Click NVivo>Check for Updates from the menu bar
2. Follow the prompts to install all pending NVivo updates

If you have just newly installed NVivo and it´s not running smoothly, chances are that something went wrong during the installation. So just try again. Deinstall/move to trash and install again (no worries, this will not affect any of your project files): NVivo installation file download

Please check, if your device meets the system requirements for NVivo for Windows or NVivo for Mac.

For Mac, you might also have to check your system preferences for NVivo before it runs smoothly. 

2) Identify where your NVivo project file is located - and safe it on a local drive

Some users don´t pay attention to where they store their NVivo (.nvp/ .nvpx) files when they first create them and simply open them from the recent project list on the NVivo start screen. This can lead to confusion, especially if you have created back-up copies before, as those appear in that list, too. But more importantly, storing your file in a "random" place can lead to problems in the long run.

If you can´t locate your NVivo project file, follow the instructions in this article: How to back-up and where are NVivo project files and my data files stored?

To avoid slow performance and risking that your project file gets corrupted during the work process, make sure to safe it on a local drive in a non-synchronizing folder. Why? Because when you open your file from a thumb drive, external hard drive, cloud server, temporary folder or similar location (OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, etc.), you risk that NVivo

a) loses connection to that location and

b) can´t save changes correctly (e.g. due to constant synchronization).

Why should I store my NVivo project on a local drive? Can I store it in a Dropbox or on a network?

If you are experiencing issues with NVivo while stored on a network/cloud location, try to create a copy of your project file and save it on your local desktop. Open the desktop copy and see if the issue persists.

3) Create a copy of the Sample Project

To rule out whether the problem you experience is connected to the NVivo application or whether it is project file specific, go ahead and create a copy of the Sample Project. If everything looks fine in the Sample Project and you can´t replicate the same error/crash there, it´s likely that the problem is only connected to your specific NVivo project file and not the application. Here´s how you can access the Sample Project in Windows and in Mac.

• If you can´t replicate the issue in the Sample Project, in NVivo for Windows please go to File->Help-> Compact and Repair project and try to fix the project file.
• If you can't open your corrupted project, please create a copy of your project file and save in on your desktop. Then create a new blank project and import the desktop copy of your project into it. This will attempt to fix any database indexing issues that may exist.
• If NVivo crashes while opening the Sample Project, try reinstalling NVivo with your antivirus software disabled.

If steps 1) and 2) didn´t solve the problem and step 3) helped you to identify where the problem is located, please submit a support request and provide a screenshot of the error message(s) that you receive.