Why can't I record or play back?

A program that runs as administrator

Windows doesn't let an ordinary program click inside a program that runs as administrator. Auto Clicker never asks for administrator rights, so in such a program:

• your clicks are not recorded;
• a playback can't click;
• the clicking of the main window does nothing.

Auto Clicker shows no message when this happens.

What to do: if the program doesn't need administrator rights, close it and open it the usual way, without "Run as administrator".

A hotkey another program has

Windows gives each hotkey to one program at a time. If another program already has one of Auto Clicker's, you see a message such as "Ctrl+1 is being used by another program. Choose a different hotkey."

• Without its hotkey, no playback begins and no clicking starts. That way you always have a key that stops them.
• Without the hotkey for recording, the red button still records.

What to do: choose a different hotkey.

1. Open the hotkey box

   For F6, press Hotkey setting in the main window. For Ctrl+1 andCtrl+3, choose Options, Settings, Hotkeysin the Record & Playback window.

2. Press the button of the row

   Start / Stop is for clicking, Playback/Stop for playback andRecord/Stop for recording. The box beside it reads "Press a key".

3. Press the new key

   Use a function key, such as F7, or hold Ctrl or Alt with a letter or a digit. F12 can't be used: Windows keeps it.

4. Press Ok

   The new key works at once. If it is taken too, a message says so and your old key stays. Try another one.

It works the other way too. While the Record & Playback window is open, even minimised,Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+3 belong to Auto Clicker and don't work in your other programs. Close that window when you don't need it, or choose other keys.

Auto Clicker's own windows

Auto Clicker is made never to click its own windows.

• A click on one of its windows, or on its icon by the clock, is not recorded.
• During a playback, a click whose place is under one of its windows is not sent.
• While the pointer is over one of its windows, the clicking of the main window sends no clicks.

What to do: move the two windows of Auto Clicker away from where you click. Or let them get out of the way by themselves: in the Record & Playback window, choose Options,Settings, View, and tick Minimized when playing,Minimized when recording, or both. Both windows are then minimised as a playback or a recording begins, and come back when it ends.

Windows blocks the clicks

On some of its own screens, such as the lock screen and the screen that Ctrl+Alt+Del opens, Windows doesn't let any program click. When Windows refuses a click, Auto Clicker stops clicking or playing, and you see "Windows blocked the clicks, so Auto Clicker stopped."

What to do: unlock the PC and start again. Auto Clicker can't click while the PC is locked or asleep. If your PC locks or sleeps by itself while you leave Auto Clicker running, look at when Windows turns off the screen and sleeps, in its power settings.

If a recording can't start, you see "Windows did not let Auto Clicker record the mouse." Try again. If it keeps happening, tell us.

Other messages and greyed-out buttons

"Nothing is recorded yet. Press the red button to record first."

There is no recording to play. Make one first: seeGetting started.

"A click in this recording is no longer on any screen. Record it again."

A screen was unplugged or changed since you recorded, so a click would land nowhere. Record it again on the screens you have now.

"No click was recorded, so your earlier recording is kept."

The new recording held no click, so Auto Clicker kept the old one. To record pointer movement alone, untickMouse click in Options, Recording, Options.

"Tick Mouse click, Mouse move, or both."

A recording must keep clicks, movement, or both.

A button is greyed out

Auto Clicker does one thing at a time: clicking, recording or playing. While one runs, the buttons that would start another are greyed out. Stop it first. The green button is also greyed out while nothing is recorded.

A hotkey does nothing

Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+3 work only while the Record & Playback window is open. Nothing starts while one of Auto Clicker's boxes is open either.