How do I find the cause of flicker on startup

Support
1

Operating system

Windows

Joplin version

3.4.12

Desktop version info

Joplin 3.4.12 (prod, win32)

Device: win32, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with Radeon Graphics
Client ID: 0eba133bf40e422fa62146c80df1b9b3
Sync Version: 3
Profile Version: 48
Keychain Supported: Yes
Alternative instance ID: -

Revision: e9a9f68

AlertsPerfect: 1.0.1
Backup: 1.4.3
Better Code Blocks: 2.0.1
CodePerfect: 1.0.2
Csv Import: 1.0.1
Editor Themes: 1.0.2
Extra Markdown editor settings: 1.11.0
Google Fonts Plugin: 1.0.0
Headings 4 to 6: 1.0.1
Hotstrings & Hotkeys: 1.0.1
Insert Date: 1.0.1
Markdown table calculations: 1.0.5
Markdown Table: Colorize: 1.2.0
Math Mode: 0.8.3
Note Statistics: 1.0.4
Search & Replace: 2.2.0
Table Formatter Plugin: 1.2.1
Templates: 3.0.0
Text Colorize: 1.2.5

Sync target

OneDrive

Editor

Markdown Editor

What issue do you have?

When I start Joplin, I often - though not always - get a flicker and nothing happens. So I start again and it usually starts. Sometimes I get the flicker again and have to repeat. How or where can I look for the cause since Joplin doesn't display an error dialog?

2

Check joplin logfile, whether it contains any error messages. You can find it in your home directory in subdirectory .config/joplin-desktop . There should be a text file named log.txt .

3

I File>Quit Joplin then renamed the log.txt file and started again. I get one warning in the log:

Plugin: [warn] onContentScriptMessage: No such content script: SearchAndReplace

The end of the log does have this (below), but I don’t know what that means:

2026-01-08 11:28:35: checkDisabledSyncItemsNotification: No errors: Hiding notification
2026-01-08 11:28:35: Updating all notifications...
2026-01-08 11:28:35: Garbage collecting alarms...
2026-01-08 11:28:36: DecryptionWorker: cannot start because no master key is currently loaded.

Earlier in the log is says I have no mater password.

I checked Task Manager and I have 25 Joplin tasks running, but no user interface.

4

More experimenting and I get the following error from time to time. Not on every start up though.

2026-01-08 11:34:05: [error] ResourceService::indexNoteResources: Error: Error: SQLITE_CONSTRAINT: UNIQUE constraint failed: settings.key: INSERT INTO settings (key, value) VALUES (?, ?): plugin-io.github.jackgruber.backup.lastBackup,1767879596740
Code: SQLITE_CONSTRAINT
Error: Error: SQLITE_CONSTRAINT: UNIQUE constraint failed: settings.key: INSERT INTO settings (key, value) VALUES (?, ?): plugin-io.github.jackgruber.backup.lastBackup,1767879596740
at RRt.sqliteErrorToJsError (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:3694:12003)
at fK.sqliteErrorToJsError (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:1338:83478)
at fK.tryCall (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:1338:85063)
at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)
at async fK.transactionExecBatch (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:1338:85812)
at async Setting.saveAll (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:2563:57266)
at async e.indexNoteResources (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:3353:925)
at async e.start (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:3343:62663)
at async Timeout.timeoutCallback [as _onTimeout] (file:///C:/Users/user1 /AppData/Local/Programs/Joplin/resources/app.asar/main-html.bundle.js:3231:26834)

5

Those errors in the log are irrelevant. Are you sure that’s it’s not just starting mininised? Check if there is a tray icon present and double click it when the happens, if that is the case

6

It is in the tray hidden by our friend Windows. Is that controlled by a setting?

7

NVM I found it! Seems to be okay now. Thanks!

8

Situation with tray icon hiding is a bit crazy in Win11. In older versions of Windows, you could tick a setting to show all tray icons all the time. But this setting was removed.

To automate installation of new system, I’m using autounattend.xml generated by Generate autounattend.xml files for Windows 10/11 . This generator has an option to keep showing all tray icons. It’s implemented as a VBScript, which is run every minute while user is logged on :slight_smile:

9

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