Connection Problems

If you're having problems connecting an account, read the connectivity help page.

Troubleshooting

If you're having trouble with Adium, please give the following a try:

1) Make sure you're using the newest Adium release

If you're using an older version, the newest release of Adium may already include a fix for your problem.

2) Remove any non-standard Xtras

If you've installed plug-ins or other AdiumXtras, they may be causing your problem (depending on the problem - a contact list style won't cause message view problems, for example). Try this: Quit Adium, then remove the Xtras, then launch Adium again. If that works, start moving Xtras back (relaunching Adium after each one) until the problem reoccurs; then you've found the bad one.

Information on removing and (re)installing Xtras is available in the AdiumXtras documentation.

3) Try a fresh set of preferences

Corrupt or old preferences can be a good source of crashes and other odd behavior. It may also happen that you've managed to configure your Adium in such a way to discover a bug that requires a specific combination of preferences to trigger. It's easy to rule out both of these by trying a fresh set of preferences; see the Adium preferences documentation. This is a very common fix for many issues and therefore is a highly recommended step - please try it even if you don't wan to trash your preferences altogether since it can at least help narrow down the problem and may provide alternate solutions. In many cases where this solves the problem we do not have the manpower to discover why the preferences were causing a problem (as this can be a lengthy process), so your only solution may be to lose all or some of your preferences.

4) Try a fresh user account

Occasionally, an issue in Adium can be caused by a strange setting for your OS X user, or other installed software (especially system mods and hacks). Temporarily creating a new user (in System Preferences -> Accounts) is the best way to check against these issues. Create the account, log out of your account (Apple Menu -> Log Out), and log into the new one. If the problem doesn't occur on the other user account, then you know it's something in your current account. If you don't know where to go from there, ContactUs and we'll help you narrow the field.

5) Try another client

In some cases the problems encountered in Adium can actually be a result of a server-side problem. These problems can be confirmed by logging in to your account using the equivalent mainline client; for example if the problem is with MSN, login with Microsoft Messenger to see if it occurs using that client as well. If the problem persists across different clients, then there is likely nothing we can do to solve the problem except wait for the server issues to be repaired; please do not open new tickets regarding these kinds of problems.

6) Remove and re-add an afflicted contact

If you are encountering trouble communication with a particular contact (including status reporting and display names), please try removing the contact and re-adding them to the account. Make sure you allow time for the contact to re-authorize you to contact them, otherwise you will see their status as offline until they confirm your request.

What not to do

Don't delete Adium and reinstall it

This almost never works. It only works for certain very specific types of problems; if you get to the point of asking us for help, we'll tell you if it's appropriate to try a delete and reinstall. Otherwise, don't bother—it won't help.

If it still doesn't work

Still have your problem? Please see ReportingBugs, which tells you how to search for existing tickets (in case there already is one) and how to file a new one if one doesn't already exist.