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Chat widget errors

Messages your visitors can see in the chat widget, and the ones you see while installing and styling it, with what causes each one and how to fix it.

Last updated 4 min read

On this page

The first group lists what your visitors can see in the chat widget on your site. The second lists what you can see while installing, styling and identifying visitors.

Before you start

  • Who this is for: owners and admins who install the widget, and agents who answer chats.
  • What you need: the exact message you saw.

Step by step

  1. Note where you saw the message, for example in the chat widget on your site, or on Settings > Chat widget.
  2. Find it in the list below; messages are grouped by task and quoted word for word.
  3. Follow the fix, or open the linked guide for the full steps.

What happens next

Most fixes take effect straight away. If the same message comes back after the fix, refresh the page once, then contact us with the message and the page you were on.

Tips

  • Test the widget in a private browser window, so old sessions do not hide a problem.
  • Messages in the widget follow the visitor’s language.

Troubleshooting

What visitors can see

"This chat is not available on this site."

The visitor's address is not on the list. Compare it with your entries, including www. and the scheme. See Choose which sites can show chat.

"Something went wrong. Please try again."

The chat window could not reach Hushdesk. Check your connection and reload the page. See Check that chat is live on your site.

"You are offline. Messages will send when you reconnect."

The visitor’s device lost its connection. What they typed is sent when they are back online. See Check that chat is live on your site.

"Session expired. Reload the page."

The visitor's chat session ended, for example after a long time in a background tab. Reload the page and the chat continues. See Check that chat is live on your site.

"Too many requests. Wait a moment."

Many messages were sent very quickly from one chat window. Wait a few seconds and try again. See Check that chat is live on your site.

"We are getting a lot of chats right now. Try again in a minute."

Too many new chats started in a short time from one place. This protects your inbox from floods. Wait a minute. See Check that chat is live on your site.

"Please enter a valid email"

The visitor typed an address the widget cannot accept. They need to correct it before continuing. See Ask for a name and email before a chat starts.

"This conversation is closed"

This is what the visitor sees after you close the chat. If they write again, start a new conversation from the chat window. See Answer live chats in real time.

"Already rated. Thank you!"

The visitor already rated this conversation. Each conversation can be rated once. See Answer live chats in real time.

"File is too large (max 25 MB)"

The visitor picked a file over 25 MB. Ask them for a smaller photo or a link. See Answer live chats in real time.

Installing and styling the widget

"Only admins can change the chat widget"

Ask an owner or admin to add the site. See Choose which sites can show chat.

"Use a colour like #6d28d9"

The colour must be a # followed by six hex characters. Use the picker, or type a full code such as #1f7a5a. See Style your chat widget.

"Sites look like https://shop.example.com"

An entry is not a bare site address. Remove paths, spaces and query strings, and include https://. See Choose which sites can show chat.

"Check the widget settings"

A value is out of range, for example a label over 40 characters. Shorten it and save. See Customise the chat button.

"Not seen on your site yet. Open your store after pasting the code; it shows up here within a minute."

Load a public page of your site (not wp-admin), wait a minute and refresh the Install tab. See Add chat to WordPress with a snippet.

"Invalid identity"

The details were not in the expected form, for example an email without an @ or a hash that is not 64 hexadecimal characters. Check the values your template prints. See Identify logged-in shoppers in chat.

"Helpdesk.open is not a function"

Your code ran before the loader, which uses defer. Use the hd helper, which queues the call until the widget is ready. See Control the chat widget with JavaScript.

"Helpdesk.identify is not a function"

Your script ran before the loader, which uses defer. Use the hd helper above, which queues the call until the widget is ready. See Identify logged-in shoppers in chat.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my chat widget say it is not available on this site?

The widget only runs on your store’s own domain and the extra sites you allow. The page you opened is on another address, such as a staging site or a different domain. Add that address under the widget’s allowed sites in Settings, Chat widget, then reload the page.

What do visitors see when they lose their internet connection?

The widget shows You are offline, messages will send when you reconnect. Messages the visitor sends while offline go out once the connection is back, so they can keep the page open and carry on.

Why does the widget say we are getting a lot of chats?

Hushdesk limits how many new chats one site can start in a short time, to protect your inbox from floods and bots. The visitor can try again in a minute. If many visitors report it, check your site for a script that starts chats automatically.

Can visitors send files in the chat widget?

Yes, up to 25 MB per file. The visitor presses Attach a file in the chat window, and the file arrives under their message in the ticket. A file that is too big shows File is too large (max 25 MB) in the widget, and nothing is sent until the visitor picks a smaller one.

Why does the widget ask the visitor to reload the page?

Their chat session expired, for example after the page was left open for a long time. Reloading the page starts a fresh session. Messages they already sent stay in your inbox, so your team still sees the whole conversation.

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