Voxbound / Help / Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Voxbound

Fixes for the problems people run into most with Voxbound 4.1.13. If yours isn't here, email support@voxbound.app with the log.

"WebView2 runtime needed"

Voxbound's window is drawn by Microsoft Edge WebView2, which comes with Windows 11 and most Windows 10 PCs. If it's missing, Voxbound says so and offers to open Microsoft's download page. Click Yes, install the runtime, then start Voxbound again.

"Windows protected your PC"

Voxbound isn't code-signed yet, so the first time you run the installer, or Voxbound.exe from the portable zip, Windows SmartScreen may show this warning. Click More info, check that the file is the one you downloaded from your Gumroad library, then click Run anyway.

Activation problems

Each message on the activation screen, and what to do about it, is on Activating Voxbound.

"Source file warnings"

Before merging, Voxbound checks the files and lists anything that doesn't match:

• Codec mismatch, Sample rate mismatch or Channel mismatch: the files are in different formats. Click Merge anyway, and Voxbound converts them to one format.
• contains video stream (will be stripped): the file has a video track, and only its audio is used.
• read error: the file couldn't be read. Check it plays in another app, and remove it or replace it if it doesn't.

"File already exists"

A book with the same name is already in the output folder. Keep both saves the new book under a new name, Overwrite replaces the old one, and Cancel stops. To stop being asked, set If file exists in Settings, which is kept between sessions; If exists in the Output card changes it until you close Voxbound.

A merge that fails or is cancelled never touches a book that's already there: Voxbound writes to a temporary file and only replaces the book when FFmpeg has finished. The check runs after that, so when you merge a book again, choose Keep both and delete the old copy once the new one passes.

"Merge failed"

The Merge failed window shows what went wrong, often FFmpeg's own output. The common causes:

• Couldn't save …: it's open in another program. Close it and merge again. The book with that name is open in a player or another app. Close it and merge again.
• Pre-processing failed on … The file named there couldn't be converted. Check it plays in another app, and remove or replace it if it doesn't.
• Couldn't create the output folder in the queue, or an error in the status bar when you merge one book: Windows refused a folder from the Subfolder template, often because the path is too long. Shorten the template or the book's title, author or series.

For anything else, email support with the log.

Damaged audio

If the check after a merge reports The audio is damaged and won't play properly around …, some of the finished file didn't decode. Merge the book again, choosing Keep both so the damaged copy isn't the only one. If the same times come up again, check whether the source file that covers those times plays properly in another app. If it does, email support with the log.

Disk space

When the files don't match, or trimming, EQ, gaps or loudness normalisation are on, Voxbound first converts each file to uncompressed audio in your Windows temporary folder. That takes about 635 MB per hour of audio at 44.1 kHz stereo, a little more for 48 kHz, plus room for the merged book, since an M4B is also built there before it's saved. If a long book fails partway, check the free space on your system drive.

Chapters missing in a player

If the check shows chapters but your player doesn't, see M4B chapters not showing in Apple Books or Audiobookshelf. It covers each cause, from a .m4a extension to Audiobookshelf keeping old chapters.

"No supported audio files found"

None of the files you added are MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, FLAC, WAV or MP4. Formats such as OGG, Opus and WMA, and DRM-protected downloads such as Audible's .aax, aren't supported. See files you can add.

The queue won't start

Run all pending is greyed out until a pending book in the queue has at least two files. Merge a one-file book from the Editor tab instead. Books that failed or were cancelled wait until you click Retry failed. Only one batch runs at a time, and cancelling stops the whole batch.

With Watch a folder, a new book folder waits while its files are still being copied (Waiting for … to finish copying…). If the watched folder is deleted or renamed, watching stops with Folder no longer exists — stopped.

Opening Voxbound a second time brings the window that's already open to the front, rather than starting another copy.

Look up doesn't find the book

Look up searches by the title, and the author if you've filled it in, so it needs Title first. If it says Couldn't reach …, check your internet connection. If a book isn't found, try the title without its subtitle or series number. It fills in Title and Author only if they're empty, but replaces what's already in the subtitle, publisher, year, genre, language and description, and the cover if Use the book's cover is ticked, so check those before you merge. Anything it fills in can be changed by hand.

Updates

When a new version is out, a bar says Voxbound … is available. In a copy installed with the installer, click Update now: Voxbound downloads the new version, checks it, runs the installer and opens again. Finish or cancel any merge first. If the download is interrupted, or doesn't match its checksum, nothing is installed and the button changes to Try again. A portable copy can't update itself, so the bar offers Download, which opens your Gumroad library.

Where the log is

Voxbound keeps a log of what it did in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Voxbound\voxbound.log. To open the folder, press Windows + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Voxbound and press Enter. The log is kept to at most 1 MB, with up to three older copies beside it. When you email support@voxbound.app, attach voxbound.log. It includes the name and folder of each book you make, and the text of any errors, which can name source files.