Modding:Player Guide/Troubleshooting

Did something go wrong with your game? This is the page for you. (This page isn't only for players who use mods!)

Common fixes

The basics

1. Try restarting your computer.
2. Make sure you have Stardew Valley 1.6 or later.
   Click the "?" button on the title screen, and the version will appear in the bottom-left.
3. If you use SMAPI, make sure you have the latest version of that.
   The SMAPI version is shown at the top of the SMAPI console window.
4. If you use SMAPI, upload a log to the log parser, following the instructions on that page to find where your log is stored. It can help you diagnose common errors.
5. The very top of your log will show a list of all your mods that need to be updated with links to the mods. You can also use Mod Update Menu to keep track of your updates from the in-game menu. The first thing to try when you're having issues with mods is to update everything shown there, even if some of the mods seem to be working fine right now.
6. Check the part of your log under the list of mods you're using, below where it says Filter messages: That will show a list of warnings. The warnings in orange text under Changed save serializer, the list of mods under Patched game code, and the list of mods with No update keys can generally be ignored at first. The most important part to look at is this section in red:

16:56:04	ERROR	SMAPI    Skipped mods 
16:56:04	ERROR	SMAPI	   --------------------------------------------------  
16:56:04	ERROR	SMAPI	      These mods could not be added to your game.

• If you see an error ending with because it's no longer compatible, the mod didn't load because it's too outdated. Check the compatibility page to see if there's a working unofficial update.
• If you see an error ending with because it's not a SMAPI mod or because it doesn't have a manifest.json, you've either tried to install an outdated XNB mod by putting it into your Mods folder (see this page for more information), or a mod was installed incorrectly so SMAPI can't read it as a mod.

• Mods need to have a correctly formatted manifest.json file in the correct folder level in order for SMAPI to read them. If you've installed a mod that SMAPI is telling you may be an XNB, or you get an error in your log about a mod that doesn't have a manifest, double check that it's installed correctly.
  When you unzip mods, the folder for the mod should never look like PineapplesEverywhere-1.0.4.zip-500-1-0-4-1547827625--if it does, there may be loose files like a readme.txt, example images, or stray junk files directly inside that folder and SMAPI won't be able to find the manifest. To fix this, find the PineapplesEverywhere folder inside of that folder and drag it into Mods.
• Make sure you don't have any stray .zip files inside your Mods folder, including the SMAPI installer.
• Most framework mods, like Content Patcher, Json Assets, Custom Furniture, or TMXL Map Toolkit (formerly TMXLoader), support content packs, separate mods that use the framework's code as a base to add or change content. These will be in folders that look like [CP] Apples Nowhere; sometimes that folder will be bundled together in a subfolder with parts of the mod that use other frameworks, like an Apples Nowhere folder with [CP] Apples Nowhere and [JA] Apples Nowhere Objects inside. Most content packs for framework mods should go directly into your Mods folder and will have their own manifests.

• A number of framework mods have older documentation floating around from versions where content packs were not supported and you would have to put the pack into the main mod's folder. Most of the time this isn't true, but certain mods, like More Giant Crops, Adopt and Skin or Custom Critters, don't have content pack support. Make sure to read the instructions on the framework mod's page for how to install content packs! Sometimes "no manifest" errors come from trying to install a pack that purposely has no manifest because it needs to go into one of the folders inside the main framework mod.

• If you see an error ending with because you have multiple copies of this mod installed, the log parser will tell you the folders your extra copies are in. This is often caused by mods changing folder names, forgetting to remove old copies from your organizational subfolders when updating, or being inconsistent with whether you take everything out of the mod's subfolder when updating or leave it together. (ex. when you first downloaded Artisan Valley, you took the [CP] [JA] [PFM] folders out of the [PPJA] Artisan Valley folder, but when you updated it, you put the whole [PPJA] folder into Mods).

7. If you've gone through these steps and are still having problems, the issue may be caused by an outdated XNB mod. Follow the instructions below to try resetting your content files. You can also always ask for help!

Reset your content files

Many problems are caused by broken game files (especially if you use XNB mods). You can reset your game files to fix that. SMAPI mods won't be affected.

1. See instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy.
2. If you use SMAPI on Linux/Mac, reinstall SMAPI to fix the launcher.

more options

If you don't want to reset all files, you have some other options. Option 2: create retroactive backup to reset any file If you installed XNB mods and want to reset one file you know is broken, you can just restore the original file. If you forgot to back it up, here's how to recover the original files without losing your modded ones: Copy your game's Content folder to Content-modded. Reset your game files (see instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy). Copy your (now reset) Content folder to Content-backup. Move Content-modded back to Content. Now your content files are still modded, but you have a backup of the original files. Option 3: troubleshoot XNB mods If you installed XNB mods, you're not sure which caused the problem, and you don't want to remove all your XNB mods, here's how to figure out which one is causing the problem. Back up any XNB mods you want to keep. Reset your game files (see instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy). Any XNB mods will be removed, but SMAPI mods won't be affected. If you use SMAPI on Linux/Mac, reinstall SMAPI to fix the launcher. Launch the game to see if the problem is fixed. Reinstall your XNB mods one at a time. After each install, test the game to make sure the mod doesn't cause problems.

Caution: XNB mods (which replace your game files directly) are no longer recommended and can cause issues. Resetting your content files will remove XNB mods you installed. After doing so, consider using content packs instead.

Fix common problems

Game doesn't launch

The game doesn't open when you try to launch it. (If you use Steam, it might show 'running' for a few seconds.) Here are some common fixes:

1. Restart your computer.
2. Make sure you have speakers or headphones plugged in. (They can be muted, but the game needs a working audio device.)
3. If you play on Windows:
   1. Install (or reinstall) .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0.
   2. Restart your computer.
   3. Launch the game.
4. If you play on Linux:
   1. Your default terminal might not be compatible. Try installing the xterm terminal.
5. If that doesn't fix it:
   1. Install SMAPI (if you don't already have it).
   2. Launch the game.
   3. Ask for help and attach your SMAPI log.

Game freezes or crashes while opening

The game tries to open, but crashes before the title screen. Here are some common fixes:

1. Try everything in the list above first.
2. Delete your startup_preferences, found in %appdata%/StardewValley on Windows.
3. Disable antivirus if using SMAPI.
4. Disable any programs that intercept the game (like MSI AfterBurner or RivaTuner).
5. If that doesn't fix it, follow the steps to ask for help.

Game audio doesn't play (Windows only)

Audio plays fine in your browser or other apps, but the game is silent. Here are some common fixes:

1. Restart your computer.
2. Make sure the Windows mixer isn't muting the game.
3. Make sure the in-game sound slider options aren't muted.
4. Reinstall .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0.

Save disappeared or doesn't load

See Saves#Troubleshooting.

Can't connect to another player in multiplayer

1. Check that Stardew Valley is up to date and your save is loaded in co-op mode.
2. Make sure you have enough cabins built for the number of players.
3. Make sure the server is set to online in the game options.
4. Turn firewalls and antivirus off for all players.
5. Make sure everyone is logged onto Steam or GOG Galaxy.
6. Do a content reset for all players.
7. Delete your startup_preferences (found in %appdata%/StardewValley on Windows or ~/.config/StardewValley on Linux/Mac).
8. Restart all players' PCs.
9. Restart all players' routers, and check for any updates for your router.
10. (Windows only) Try reinstalling .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0 first and Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 if that fails.
11. If you use mods and are getting a "version mismatch" error, check your log files for a line like [19:49:26 TRACE game] Starting server. Protocol version: 1.4.0.1 and check whether the protocol version matches.

For console players, please try as many of the steps as you can (particularly the first three) and try power cycling your console. Please note that all consoles require their paid online service to play over the internet.

SMAPI files disappear or antivirus complains

Your antivirus might remove or complain about some SMAPI files. This is based on heuristic detection (for example, SMAPI rewrites mods so they work on your computer, and rewriting files is something malware also does, so your antivirus got suspicious). Antiviruses learn to allow SMAPI after enough users download it, but this resets for each release. SMAPI doesn't have a trojan — you can check by reading the code, decompiling the download, or uploading it to VirusTotal.

If this happens, here's how to fix it:

1. Temporarily disable your antivirus.
2. Redownload and install SMAPI.
3. Add an exception to your antivirus for the Stardew Valley folder (search online for your antivirus name with the words add folder exception for instructions).

SMAPI doesn't recognize controller (Steam only)

Common fixes:

1. Launch the game through Steam.
2. Windows only: make sure you set the launch options (see part 2 in the Windows install guide), don't add SMAPI as a non-Steam game.
3. If all else fails, you can use third-party software to add controller support. Suggested software:
   • Linux: SC Controller.
   • Mac: 360Controller. When using a non-Xbox controller, you should enable 'pretend to be an Xbox 360 controller'.
   • Windows: InputMapper.

last resort on Linux/Mac

As a last resort on Linux or Mac, you can disable the SMAPI console window to fix this. You won't see update/error alerts unless you check the log, and your game won't launch after a crash until you delete the smapi-internal/StardewModdingAPI.crash.marker file. You should periodically check the log to make sure everything is working correctly. If you really want to do this: Linux: Find your game folder. Open the StardewValley file (the one with no file extension) in a text editor. Remove the entire section under # open SMAPI in terminal (up to the next fi line). Find this text at the bottom: if [ $? -eq 127 ]; then $LAUNCHER --no-terminal fi And change it to this: $LAUNCHER --no-terminal Mac: Find your game folder. Open the StardewValley file (the one with no file extension) in a text editor. Find this text: open -a Terminal ./StardewModdingAPI.bin.osx $@ And change it to this: ./StardewModdingAPI.bin.osx $@ 2>&1 > /dev/null Windows: disabling the console window isn't possible. You'll need to repeat this after updating SMAPI.

Fix specific errors

"SMAPI can't find the game"

• Make sure you're running StardewModdingAPI.exe in your game folder (see the install instructions).
• Did you install SMAPI manually (not using the installer)? Make sure you copied the right files: internal/Windows for Windows, or internal/Mono for Linux/Mac.

"Skipped '...' because it doesn't have a manifest.json"

SMAPI couldn't find the manifest.json file for the mod in that folder. That usually means it's not a SMAPI mod, so it won't work from the Mods folder. See that mod's documentation for install instructions.

"missing executable" (Steam only)

Steam can't find the game launcher, usually because your Steam launch options are incorrect. Common fixes:

• If you want to use SMAPI:
  make sure it's installed and your launch options are correct (see install guide).
• If you're uninstalling SMAPI:
  
  1. In Steam, right-click Stardew Valley and choose Properties.
  2. Click the Set Launch Options button.
  3. Make sure the textbox is completely empty.

"looks like Mono isn't installed" (Linux/Mac only)

Mono is a framework needed by the installer and SMAPI to work correctly. Installing Mono and restarting your computer usually fixes this error.

On Mac, it might not work after installing Mono. If so:

• Enter this command:

  ln -s /Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/Current/bin/mono /usr/local/bin/mono
  

• If that shows an error or it still doesn't work, you can install Homebrew and run brew install mono mono-libgdiplus in the Terminal app.

Could not load file or assembly

If the 'file or assembly' starts with Microsoft or System (like "FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'System.[...]' or one of its dependencies"), something is wrong with the core frameworks used by the game.

1. Common fixes:

   platform	reinstall frameworks
   Windows	reinstall .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0 (those exact versions).
   Linux	reinstall mono-complete.
   Mac	reinstall Mono (either channel is fine).

2. On Windows only, in rare cases that won't fix the issue. Unfortunately that's hard to fix since .NET Framework is part of Windows itself. In those cases you may need to perform a Windows reset (you can keep your files), or perform a clean reinstall of Windows. This is drastic, but should fix the issue.

Game freezes when loading a save (Mac only)

On Mac only, the game may freeze when you create or load a save; reinstalling Mono (either version) usually fixes that. If it doesn't, ask for help!

Game Resolution Changes when launched with SMAPI is installed (Windows)

Symptom: Everything looks bigger/smaller if you launch the game with SMAPI.

Cause: Windows DPI settings.

Common fix: *Right-click on StardewModdingAPI.exe, go to "Properties>Compatibility>Change High DPI settings," and verify what boxes are checked. Then, go to StardewValley.exe, go to "Properties>Compatibility>Change High DPI settings." Verify that the same boxes are checked from previous file. If they are not, make the boxes in StardewModdingAPI.exe match the boxes in StardewValley.exe.

Fix other problems

Run the game without SMAPI by launching Stardew Valley.exe (on Windows) or StardewValley-original (on Linux/Mac) in your game folder.

• If it still happens without SMAPI: see this guide to fixing your game. If you still need help, ask for help.
• If it only happens with SMAPI, ask for help.

Ask for help

See Modding:Help for how to get help!

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