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Quick Fix Protocol

Resolves 99% of issues in under 2 minutes

Having trouble accessing your German learning materials? Video not playing? Tool misbehaving? These proven troubleshooting steps fix almost all technical issues. Work through them in order—most problems are solved within the first 4 steps. Never spend more than 5 minutes on technical issues.

Download Chrome ›

Visit chrome.google.com → Download → Install → Set as default browser Chrome provides the best compatibility with our learning platform
Execute Hard Refresh ›

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5

Mac: Cmd + Shift + R

Mobile: Pull down to refresh (or close and reopen browser) This forces the browser to reload all resources fresh from the server
Clear Browser Cache ›

Desktop: Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Delete → Select "Cached images and files" → Clear data

Mobile: Chrome menu (⋮) → Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data Removes stored files that might be corrupted or outdated
Restart Your Device ›

Fully restart your computer or mobile device (not just sleep mode) This clears temporary files and resets network connections
Try Different Network ›

Switch to mobile hotspot or different WiFi to rule out network issues Some networks may block educational content
Try Different Device ›

Test on another computer, phone, or tablet to isolate device-specific issues If it works on another device, the issue is local to your device
Activate VPN (Germany) ›

If outside Germany: Use ProtonVPN (free) → Connect to German server

Alternatives: Windscribe (10GB/month) or TunnelBear (500MB/month) Some content may be region-restricted
Check Browser Extensions / Try Incognito ›

Quick test: Open Incognito/Private window with Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N

If that works: Disable extensions at chrome://extensions Extensions like ad blockers can interfere with learning platforms
Check Community Inbox ›

Visit community.smartergerman.com/c/post-any-question-here/ Find solutions from other learners and instructors
Check Teachable System Status ›

Visit teachablestatus.com to check for platform outages Sometimes the issue is on Teachable's end, not yours