Element told me it didn't manage to restore it's last session 😕

[mbridon]

Previously reported there: element-hq/element-web#26677

Everything I said there still applies they just told me to seek for help here. 🤷

[SISheogorath]

This situation can appear due multiple conditions.

• Multiple Element instances running on the same profile. This often happens on GNOME when "Show tray icon and minimise window to it on close" in the preferences is active and Element is reopened using the regular desktop symbol.
• This can also happen when your system runs out of storage.
• This can also happen when Element crashes

These are the most common failure scenarios I've observed so far. It's also not the end of the world, as long as you have "Secure Backup" enabled. You just log-in to your account, restore your encryption keys by Verifying your Device and you are back up and running.

[mbridon]

Thank you.

First, I do not use the feature to minimize to tray, I don't even know how to do that nor why I would want it...

How do I enable "secure backup" ? I just spent 5 minutes searching for it everywhere and couldn't find anything that looked like it 😕

[SISheogorath]

For "Minimize to tray", that's enabled by default as pretty much every Desktop Environment, except of GNOME, has a tray. You have to explicitly disable it. (So I would guess, that's where your problem originated from.)

Regarding "Secure Backup": Feel free to read the user-guide for Element.

[mbridon]

Ok, so how do I disable this "minimize to tray" setting? I can't run the element desktop app as it directly asks me to either "wipe the storage and disconnect" or "send the logs", which I did in this issue...

Should I wipe the storage and disconnect? Won't that cause issues like for encryption keys and I'll lose access to old messages? 😕

[mbridon]

So, will I run into trouble if I wipe the storage and disconnect? 😢

[mbridon]

Not knowing what to do, for now I resorted to using the web version of Élément which (so far) hasn't caused me any issue. I'd still like to come back to the desktop version if at all possible. 🤷

[razzeee]

I keep running into this, would be great if we can figure our how to keep it from happening

[crabdancing]

Would be great if Element would display an actual error message instead of a catch-all vague failure. >.> As it is, I don't know what to do but hit Ctrl+Shift+I and start picking through garbage.