If you are running a Freedom session that includes your Windows device and it is not working, below are some steps you can take to resolve the issue.
Check Freedom dashboard to see device status
We've made it easy to ensure that Freedom is running on your devices from the online dashboard! Just log in at https://freedom.to/dashboard and take a look at your devices.
A green status light indicates that Freedom is active on the device. A gray status light and alert symbol indicate that Freedom is not active on the device:
Check your Windows taskbar for the butterfly icon
Another way to determine whether the Freedom app is running on your Windows computer is to look for the butterfly icon in your taskbar. Sometimes it is hidden behind the ^ symbol, and it looks like this:
If you don’t see the butterfly, look for Freedom on your Start menu, or search for it, and launch the app. The butterfly should then appear:
Check to see if a manual sync starts your session
When Freedom is active, it should be automatically syncing on a regular basis to start and end your sessions. If it doesn't seem to be doing so, you can manually sync from the Freedom menu:
This is especially helpful if you have made a change via your Freedom dashboard and you want to make sure it's reflected from the app.
If you notice that scheduled sessions often don’t start on time until you manually sync the app, please confirm the following:
Your computer is connected to the Internet via a stable connection when the session is supposed to start.
You are not using anything on your computer that could be interfering with the app's ability to poll (check in with our servers) consistently. This could be an antivirus program, a VPN, or another blocking/filtering software. If you are using any of those programs, try disabling them and observe whether the issue persists.
Tip: a list of common VPNs you might be using can be found here: Freedom Troubleshooting for Windows
Check to see if you are logged in to the app
If you see the butterfly icon in your taskbar, but your device is still showing as inactive, you may need to log in to the app. Select Log In from the Freedom menu and enter your username and password. If you have multiple Freedom accounts, make sure you are logging in with the same email that is logged into the browser dashboard.
Tip: You can see the email you are logged into the app with at the top of the app menu on your device.
You can see the email you're using to log into your dashboard by navigating to your Settings page and looking at the Email field.
Having trouble?
For more Windows troubleshooting tips, please see Freedom for Windows Troubleshooting. If you're having any difficulty, please feel free to contact us. We're happy to help!