Recover a computer

What this does for you

This page orders every way to fix a stuck or broken computer from least to most destructive, and states exactly what each one keeps and what it throws away.

Before you start

• You are signed in as a member of the organisation the bot belongs to.
• You know which is wrong: the app around the computer (a stuck tab, a stale build) or the computer itself (a bot's screen will not open, or a task keeps failing).
• For the last three steps below, you can reach Settings → Updates.

Steps

Try these in order. Each one undoes less of your work than the next, so do not reach for Reset first.

Which failure you are looking at

When a bot's screen cannot open, the screen names one of five classes. Two of them are not yours to fix, and the product says so rather than offering you a control that would change nothing: their Try again is shown, greyed, with the reason beside it.

"Not answering" is also the honest answer when the cause is not known — the computer is not responding and nothing sharper has been recorded. It is never a guess at a cause.

1. Retry. Close whatever refused and try again — a screen that would not open, a task that failed. Most failures are transient and clear on their own. This step has no screen of its own: it repeats whatever action failed.

2. Restart the app. Close and reopen the browser tab, or quit and relaunch the desktop app. This clears a stuck client without touching the computer at all. This step has no screen of its own: it happens outside the product.

3. Check for an update. Open Settings → Updates and click Check for Updates in the top section. A client bug is sometimes already fixed in a newer build.

   <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-03-phone.png | Settings → Updates, checking for a client update, on a phone --> <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-03-desktop.png | Settings → Updates, checking for a client update, on a desktop -->

4. Recover. In Settings → Updates, under Your computer, click Recover. This rebuilds the computer from its last saved snapshot; confirm once you understand you may lose very recent changes. Reach for this when the computer will not respond and you do not know why.

   <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-04-phone.png | The Recover confirmation, on a phone --> <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-04-desktop.png | The Recover confirmation, on a desktop -->

5. Update. When a newer computer image is available, the same section shows an Update button in place of the up-to-date banner. Files and logins survive; installed apps and packages do not, because every bot shares one image.

   <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-05-phone.png | The Update control, on a phone --> <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-05-desktop.png | The Update control, on a desktop -->

6. Reset. Click Reset, then type reset to confirm. This erases the whole volume — files, logins and installed apps — and there is no undo. Your conversations are not stored on the computer and are not affected.

   <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-06-phone.png | The Reset confirmation, on a phone --> <!-- shot: lifecycle-and-recovery-06-desktop.png | The Reset confirmation, on a desktop -->

A worked example

Reset asks you to type the word below, case-insensitively, before the button will confirm:

reset

What can go wrong

See also

• What the computer is
• The desktop app
• Troubleshooting