> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Elephas Won't Start: Database, Keychain and "Newer Version" Errors

> Fix Elephas startup errors on Mac and Windows: local database, local storage, Keychain or Credential Manager, and newer version messages, with a fix for each.

When Elephas cannot open your library safely, it stops on a message instead of risking your data. Every startup message below means your documents and chats have not been changed. Find your message and follow its fix.

## Before you start

* Restart Elephas once before anything else. Several of these errors are temporary.
* Do not delete the Elephas data folder or the "Elephas Next" entries in Keychain or Credential Manager to "reset" the app. That makes your library unreadable. See [where your data is stored](/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored).
* Have your log file ready in case you need to contact support. It is in your data folder, named `elephas.log`. See [contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support).

## Startup messages and fixes

| Message | What it means | Fix |
| - | - | - |
| **Elephas could not access its secure key in the system keychain.** | Elephas could not read the key that unlocks your encrypted library. On Windows, "system keychain" means Windows Credential Manager. | Restart your computer and sign in to your user account normally, then open Elephas. On Mac, if macOS asks whether Elephas may use information in your keychain, click **Always Allow**. |
| **Elephas could not open its local database.** | The library file could not be opened with its key, or the file is damaged. | Restart Elephas. If it repeats, do not move or delete anything. [Contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support) and attach `elephas.log`. |
| **This workspace was created by a newer version of Elephas. Please update the app; your data is untouched.** | Your library was last opened by a newer Elephas than the one you just started, for example after reinstalling an older download. | Download the latest Elephas from [elephas.app](https://elephas.app) and install it over this one. Your library opens again as it was. |
| **Elephas could not prepare its local storage.** | Something else stopped Elephas from setting up at launch. | Restart Elephas. Check that your disk is not full. If it repeats, [contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support) with your log. |
| **Elephas cannot write to its data folder. Check the folder's permissions, then restart the app.** | Your user account cannot write to the Elephas data folder. | Check the folder's permissions (paths below), make sure your disk has free space, then restart Elephas. |

## Steps

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Mac">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Quit and reopen Elephas">
        Press ⌘Q to quit, wait a few seconds, then open it again from Applications.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Restart your Mac">
        A restart reconnects Elephas to your login keychain, which fixes most keychain messages.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check the data folder">
        In Finder, choose **Go › Go to Folder**, paste `~/Library/Application Support/Elephas Next`, and press Return. Choose **File › Get Info** on the folder and check that your user account has **Read & Write** under **Sharing & Permissions**. Do not move or delete files inside it.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Update Elephas if the message names a newer version">
        Download the latest Elephas from elephas.app and drag it into Applications, replacing the older copy. Your library is stored separately and is not touched.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Close and reopen Elephas">
        Close the Elephas window. If it does not reopen cleanly, open **Task Manager**, end any Elephas task, then open Elephas from the **Start** menu.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Restart your PC">
        A restart reconnects Elephas to Windows Credential Manager, which fixes most secure key messages.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check the data folders">
        Press Windows + R, paste `%APPDATA%\Elephas Next`, and press Enter. Right-click an empty area, choose **Properties › Security**, and check that your user account has write access. Downloaded components live in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Elephas Next`. Do not move or delete files inside either folder.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Update Elephas if the message names a newer version">
        Download the latest MSI from elephas.app and run it. It upgrades Elephas in place, and your library is not touched.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How it works

The text Elephas reads from your documents, the search index and your chats are kept in encrypted databases on your computer. Your documents stay stored on your computer as ordinary files. Each database is unlocked with a key stored in your operating system's credential store: Keychain on Mac, Credential Manager on Windows, under the name "Elephas Next".

At launch Elephas reads that key, opens the database and checks it is readable. If any step fails, it stops and tells you, rather than creating a new empty library or changing the file. That is why these messages say your data is untouched.

A database written by a newer Elephas is never opened by an older one, because the older app could damage a format it does not know. Updating to the latest version fixes this.

<Warning>
  If the "Elephas Next" entries are deleted from Keychain or Credential Manager, Elephas cannot unlock your existing library, and there is no way to recover the key. Never remove those entries unless you mean to delete your data.
</Warning>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Elephas stays on Loading… for a long time">
    Large libraries take longer to open, especially right after an update. Wait a minute. If it never finishes, quit Elephas, reopen it, and [contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support) with your log file if it still hangs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Elephas opens but asks me to set it up again">
    If Elephas shows the setup download again on a computer you have used before, a component went missing, not your library. Let it finish, or see [first-run download failed](/docs/troubleshooting/first-run-download-failed).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The app itself will not open after installing">
    That is an install problem, not a startup error. See [Elephas won't open after installing](/docs/troubleshooting/app-wont-open-on-install).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Where your data is stored" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored" />

  <Card title="Update Elephas" href="/docs/getting-started/update-elephas" />

  <Card title="Contact support" href="/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support" />

  <Card title="App won't open" href="/docs/troubleshooting/app-wont-open-on-install" />
</CardGroup>


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