Academica

help

Extension Troubleshooting

Having issues with the Academica Chrome extension? This guide covers common problems and solutions.

Extension Not Showing#

Can't find the extension icon#

Solution 1: Check the extensions menu

  1. Click the puzzle piece icon in Chrome's toolbar
  2. Look for Academica in the list
  3. Click the pin icon to keep it visible

Solution 2: Verify installation

  1. Go to chrome://extensions/
  2. Look for Academica
  3. Make sure it's enabled (toggle is blue)

Solution 3: Reinstall

  1. Remove the extension
  2. Reinstall from Chrome Web Store
  3. Sign back in with Google

Google Sign-In Not Working in Extension#

Can't sign in with Google#

Check pop-up settings

  • Make sure pop-ups are not blocked for the extension
  • Chrome may block the Google sign-in window

Restart Chrome

  1. Close all Chrome windows completely
  2. Reopen Chrome
  3. Try signing in again

Check Google account

  • Make sure you have a Google account signed into Chrome
  • Try signing into Google in a regular tab first

Clear extension data

  1. Go to chrome://extensions/
  2. Click "Details" on Academica
  3. Click "Clear data" or remove and reinstall the extension
  4. Try signing in again

Try email sign-in as fallback

  • If Google sign-in continues to fail, click "Sign in with email" instead
  • Use the same email address as your Google account if possible

Not Detecting Canvas#

Extension doesn't recognize Canvas pages#

Check the URL

  • Canvas URLs should contain .instructure.com
  • If your school uses a custom domain, contact support

Try refreshing

  1. Refresh the Canvas page (F5)
  2. Wait a few seconds
  3. Check the extension popup

Verify permissions

  1. Go to chrome://extensions/
  2. Click "Details" on Academica
  3. Check that site access includes Canvas URLs

Won't Sign In#

Can't log into the extension#

Try Google sign-in first

  • Click "Sign in with Google" - it's the most reliable method
  • Make sure you use the same Google account as the web app

Check internet connection

  • Make sure you're online
  • Try loading other websites

Clear extension data

  1. Click the extension icon
  2. Go to Settings (if available)
  3. Click "Sign Out" or "Clear Data"
  4. Try signing in again

Check for conflicts

  • Disable other extensions temporarily
  • Try in an incognito window (note: you may need to enable the extension in incognito first)

Auto-Sync Not Working#

Background sync isn't running#

Check sign-in status

  1. Click the extension icon
  2. Make sure you're signed in
  3. If not, sign in with Google

Check Canvas session

  • Background auto-sync uses your Canvas session cookies to fetch data
  • If your Canvas session has expired, auto-sync will pause
  • Visit your Canvas site in a browser tab and sign in
  • Auto-sync will resume automatically

Verify chrome.alarms permission

  1. Go to chrome://extensions/
  2. Click "Details" on Academica
  3. Check that the "Alarms" permission is granted
  4. If not, remove and reinstall the extension

Restart Chrome

  1. Close all Chrome windows
  2. Reopen Chrome
  3. Check the extension popup for auto-sync status

Check extension popup

  • The popup should show "Next auto-sync" with a time
  • If it doesn't, try signing out and back in

Canvas Session Expired#

Auto-sync paused due to expired session#

What happened

  • Your Canvas login session has expired
  • The extension can't access Canvas data without an active session
  • This is normal and happens periodically

How to fix it

  1. Open a new tab
  2. Navigate to your school's Canvas website
  3. Sign in with your school credentials
  4. The extension will detect the new session automatically
  5. Auto-sync will resume on the next scheduled cycle

Prevent frequent expirations

  • Visit Canvas at least once every week or two
  • Most schools keep sessions active for days or weeks
  • Some schools require more frequent re-authentication

Sync Not Working#

Extension connected but not syncing#

Manual sync

  1. Go to a Canvas page
  2. Click the extension icon
  3. Click "Sync Now"
  4. Watch for status changes

Check Canvas access

  • Make sure you're logged into Canvas
  • Verify you can see your assignments in Canvas

Refresh everything

  1. Refresh the Canvas page
  2. Sign out of the extension
  3. Sign back in (with Google)
  4. Try syncing again

Missing Assignments#

Some assignments not appearing in Academica#

Visit the source page

  1. Go to the specific course in Canvas
  2. Open the Assignments page
  3. Wait for extension to scan
  4. Check Academica web app

Check filters

  • In the web app, check if filters are hiding assignments
  • Clear all filters and look again

Verify in Canvas

  • Make sure the assignment exists in Canvas
  • Check it's not hidden or unpublished

Wrong or Outdated Grades#

Grades not matching Canvas#

Sync the grades page

  1. Go to the course's Grades page in Canvas
  2. Click "Sync Now" in the extension
  3. Wait 10-20 seconds
  4. Refresh the Academica web app

Check the timing

  • Teachers may update grades that haven't synced yet
  • Wait for the next auto-sync (every 4 hours) or trigger a manual sync

Verify in Canvas

  • Make sure the grade is actually posted in Canvas
  • Some grades may be hidden until a date

Extension Crashing#

Extension stops working or crashes#

Restart Chrome

  1. Close all Chrome windows
  2. Reopen Chrome
  3. Check if extension works

Update Chrome

  1. Go to chrome://settings/help
  2. Update if available
  3. Restart Chrome

Reinstall extension

  1. Go to chrome://extensions/
  2. Remove Academica
  3. Reinstall from Chrome Web Store
  4. Sign back in with Google

Performance Issues#

Extension making Chrome slow#

Check for conflicts

  • Disable other extensions
  • See if performance improves
  • Re-enable one at a time

Clear browser data

  1. Go to chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
  2. Clear cached images and files
  3. Restart Chrome

Update everything

  • Update Chrome to latest version
  • Reinstall extension for latest version

Error Messages#

"Connection Failed"#

  • Check internet connection
  • Academica servers may be temporarily down
  • Try again in a few minutes

"Authentication Error"#

  • Sign out and back in with Google
  • Check that your account is active
  • Try signing into the web app to verify your account

"Sync Error"#

  • Refresh the Canvas page
  • Try manual sync
  • Check if Canvas is working properly

"Session Expired"#

  • Visit your Canvas website and sign in
  • Auto-sync will resume once the session is restored

"Permission Denied"#

  • Extension may need re-authorization
  • Remove and reinstall the extension
  • Grant permissions when prompted

Still Having Issues?#

If none of these solutions work:

  1. Report the bug

    • Use "Report a Bug" in the web app
    • Include: what you were doing, what happened, error messages

  2. Check for updates

    • Make sure you have the latest extension version
    • Update Chrome if needed

  3. Try a fresh start

    • Uninstall extension completely
    • Clear browser cache
    • Reinstall and set up again (sign in with Google, connect Canvas)

Helpful Information for Support#

When reporting issues, include:

  • Chrome version (chrome://version)
  • Extension version (from chrome://extensions/)
  • Your school's Canvas URL
  • Whether you signed in with Google or email
  • Steps to reproduce the problem
  • Any error messages you see

Next Steps#

PreviousManual Sync