99 Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions
99.1 Overview ¶
This chapter collects typical questions and typical pitfalls when working with the program. The answers are short summaries - detailed descriptions are in the chapters referenced in each case.
99.2 Emails are not detected ¶
Symptom: A profile does not process any emails even though emails should match the filter.
Possible causes:
- Profile is disabled - check the active checkbox in the profile list
- Filter is too restrictive - test it in the Result Preview tab of the profile editor with sample messages
- Monitored folders are wrong - the folder path must exactly match the server (see chapter 50.6)
- Emails are older than the program’s first run - new emails from the first program start are detected; older ones need catch-up processing (see chapter 60.2)
Step-by-step diagnosis: In the processing log, on the No match tab, you can see whether the email was seen at all. If yes: check the filter. If no: check the folder configuration and account connection.
99.3 IDLE does not deliver real-time notifications ¶
Symptom: Emails are detected with a delay of minutes rather than within seconds.
Possible causes:
- IDLE is disabled in the account (see chapter 50.5)
- Firewall closes long-lived connections - typical suspects: corporate firewalls with a short timeout
- Server does not support IDLE - some hosters have disabled it (rare)
Solution: With aggressive firewalls, disable IDLE in the account editor - the check interval then takes over detection. For very critical latency requirements, shorten the check interval (see chapter 40.7).
99.4 “Set Category” does not work ¶
Symptom: The Set Category task is shown as “skipped” in the log.
Reason: Categories are a Microsoft 365 / Exchange feature. IMAP and POP3 accounts do not have categories.
Solution: For IMAP accounts, use the Set Flag task instead (flags such as Important, Private, Business). For POP3 accounts there is no equivalent.
99.5 Path is too long - file cannot be saved ¶
Symptom: When saving attachments, an error “Path too long” appears.
Reason: Windows has a path limit of 260 characters (MAX_PATH). With deeply nested structures using placeholders such as <SenderName> - <Subject> - <EmailYear4>-<EmailMonth>-<EmailDay>, this limit is quickly exceeded.
Solutions:
- Shorten path components - use substring placeholders such as
<SubjectPartL{0,40}> (see chapter 70.1.5)
- Reduce folder depth - e.g.
<EmailYear4>\<EmailMonth> instead of <EmailYear4>\<EmailMonth>\<EmailDay>\<SenderName>
- Relocate target folder - from
C:\Users\Username\Documents\AEP-Archive\ to D:\AEP\ (root paths save characters)
99.6 Demo mode only shows 2 profiles ¶
Symptom: After installation, no more than 2 profiles can be activated.
Reason: In demo mode, the number of active profiles is limited to 2 (see chapter 60.6).
Solution: Purchase a license and import it via Main menu -> Enter license key….
99.7 Service mode is running but processes nothing ¶
Symptom: The Windows service starts, but no new entries appear in the log.
Most common cause: The service runs as “Local System”. Local System has no access to:
- Microsoft 365 OAuth tokens (these are user-bound)
- Passwords stored in Windows Credential Manager (these are user-bound)
- Network printers (these are user-bound)
Solution: Switch the service to a dedicated service account (see chapter 60.3.3). In the service account context, log in interactively once and configure the accounts.
99.8 Profile migration to a new PC: accounts no longer work ¶
Symptom: After restoring a backup on a new PC, Microsoft 365 accounts and/or accounts with Credential Manager storage fail to sign in.
Reason: Microsoft 365 refresh tokens are bound to the old user’s LocalAppData and are deliberately not transferred. In Windows Credential Manager mode, passwords reside in the old Windows user’s vault - the new user has no access to it. In the default mode (encrypted in the profile file), passwords are portable and work without rework.
Solution: Perform the OAuth sign-in once per Microsoft 365 account. For passwords stored in Credential Manager: enter them again once. The rest of the configuration (filters, tasks, paths) migrates without issues (see chapter 60.4).
99.9 Emails are processed twice ¶
Symptom: An email appears two or more times in the processing log.
Possible causes:
- Multiple profiles process the same email - one of them is intended, another is not
- A catch-up run was triggered manually without enabling “Ignore already successfully processed”
Solution:
- Multiple profiles: check in the processing log which profiles processed the message and review filter overlap. A typical case is a too-broad default filter alongside a specialized filter. Enable the skip option in the catch-up dialog.
- Multiple saves: with the Save Attachments task, enable Do not overwrite file - this way existing files are not overwritten by repeated processing.
99.10 Postponed processing does not trigger immediately ¶
Question: A postponed processing with a 30-second wait does not trigger until several minutes later.
Reason: The program only checks waiting emails in check cycles - if the check interval is 1 minute, the 30-second wait is only noticed during the next check run.
Solution: Shorten the check interval to 30 seconds, or adjust the postponement to the check interval (e.g. at least 2 minutes of postponement instead of 30 seconds).
99.11 Where is the program’s AppData directory? ¶
Application mode: %APPDATA%\AutomaticEmailProcessor\
Service mode: AppData of the service account, typically C:\Users\<service-user>\AppData\Roaming\AutomaticEmailProcessor\ or, for dedicated service accounts, under C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\ (with Local System - not recommended).
AppData contains all configurations: Profiles.json, Options.json, EmailAccounts.json, logs, token caches.
99.12 Further help ¶
For questions not answered here:
- Main menu -> Help opens the detailed program help
- Step-by-step guides in the online help cover typical workflows (Getting Started, Save Attachments, Set up Microsoft 365, Import profiles)
- Bug reports and feature requests to the vendor (contact details under Main menu -> About…)
- Via Main menu -> More -> Create error report…, a bundled error report can be generated for support inquiries - it contains logs, system, and version information
- The error log (see chapter 80.2) contains the stack traces needed for diagnosis in case of systemic problems