Troubleshooting

This page answers the questions we hear most often. Find your issue below, or contact support at [email protected] if something is not covered here.

Quick Checklist

Before digging into a specific issue, these five checks resolve most problems:

1. Connection: A stable internet connection is required, especially for video and music generation.
2. Browser: Use the latest Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
3. Status page: Check service status at status.kolbo.ai for active incidents.
4. Refresh and retry: Reload the page, then try the action again.
5. Credits: Confirm you have enough credits for the generation in your balance.

Generations

My generation failed or returned an error. What do I do?

A generation can fail for a few reasons: a temporary model hiccup, an input the model could not process, a connection drop, or a content moderation block. In almost every case the fix is the same:

1. Read the error message shown on the card. It usually names the cause.
2. Try again. Most failures are transient and succeed on a second attempt.
3. If it keeps failing, simplify the request: shorten or rephrase the prompt, use a smaller or cleaner input image, or pick a different model.
4. Check your credit balance and the status page.
5. If it still fails, contact support with the prompt and a screenshot.

You are not charged for a generation that fails. See the next question.

I was charged credits for a generation that failed. Will I get them back?

Yes. Credits for a failed or cancelled generation are automatically refunded back to your balance. There is nothing you need to do.

If your balance does not update right away, refresh the page and wait a minute, since the refund is applied as soon as the failure is confirmed. If a clearly failed generation still shows as charged after a few minutes, contact [email protected] with the date, time, and the tool you used, and we will reconcile it.

My generation was rejected for content. Why?

AI models apply their own content safety filters. If your prompt or your input image trips one of those filters, the generation is rejected before it produces a result. This is a content moderation block, not a system error.

To get past it:

• Rephrase the prompt to remove anything that could read as unsafe, restricted, or involving a real identifiable person without consent.
• Swap the reference image if the block is tied to the input rather than the text.
• Try a different model. Each provider draws the line in a slightly different place, so one model may accept a request another rejects.

Content blocks do not consume credits.

What is the difference between a content rejection and an expired result?

These look similar but are not the same:

• Content rejection happens at generation time. The model refuses to produce the result because of its safety filters. The fix is to change the prompt, change the input, or change the model.
• Result expired happens after a successful generation. The output file link has aged out and is no longer reachable. The generation itself worked. Open the Media Library, where your finished outputs are stored, and download or reuse the item from there rather than relying on an old link.

If you see an expired or broken preview, always check the Media Library first before regenerating, so you do not spend credits recreating something you already have.

My generation is slow or stuck. Should I wait or retry?

First, typical completion times:

• Image: usually within 30 seconds.
• Speech and sound: usually within 30 seconds.
• Music: usually within a couple of minutes.
• Video: usually within a few minutes, longer for higher resolution or longer durations.
• Creative Director: depends on the number of scenes.

What to do:

• Do not close the tab or refresh during generation. Leave it running.
• High demand periods and high resolution settings both add time.
• If a generation sits far past the times above with no progress, it may have stalled. It will time out on its own, and any reserved credits are released back to you. You can then submit a fresh request.
• Check the status page if several generations stall at once, since that usually points to a service incident rather than your account.

A model I wanted was unavailable, and Kolbo used a different one. Why?

When a model is temporarily unavailable or overloaded, Kolbo's smart routing can fall back to a comparable model so your generation still completes instead of failing outright. This is intentional and keeps your work moving.

If you need a specific model and only that model, select it explicitly in the tool rather than leaving the choice to Smart Select. If your chosen model is genuinely offline, you will see a message and can try again later or pick an alternative yourself.

Media Library

My generated video or image is not appearing in the library. Where is it?

Work through these in order:

1. Give it a moment. A generation has to finish before it lands in the library. If it is still processing, it will appear once complete.
2. Refresh the Media Library.
3. Check your filters. A type filter (image, video, audio) or a project filter can hide items that exist but do not match the current view. Clear filters to see everything.
4. Confirm the right project. Outputs are scoped to the project they were created in. Switch to the correct project, or use the all projects view.
5. Clear your browser cache and reload if it still does not show.

If a generation completed successfully but never reached the library after all of this, contact support with the tool and approximate time.

I cannot download an item from the library.

• Disable popup or download blockers for app.kolbo.ai.
• Check that your device has free storage space and a writable download location.
• Try a different browser.
• For older items, open the item from the Media Library rather than an old shared link, since direct links can expire while the stored item does not.

Uploads

My upload failed or is too large.

Each tool has its own file size and format limits, and large video files take longer to upload.

• Check the size. If the file exceeds the limit for that tool, compress it or trim it down before uploading.
• Check the format. Supported types: images (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF), video (MP4, MOV, WebM), audio (MP3, WAV, M4A), documents (PDF, DOCX, TXT). Convert anything else.
• Stable connection. A dropped connection mid-upload will fail it. Retry on a reliable network.
• Stuck progress bar. For large files, wait. If it does not move at all, cancel and retry, or try a smaller file or a different browser.

Sign-in and Account

I cannot sign in.

• Confirm you are using the correct email address.
• Reset your password from the "Forgot password" link if needed.
• Check your inbox and spam folder for a verification email if your account is new.
• Try an incognito or private window, which rules out a stale session or a browser extension.
• If your account appears locked, contact [email protected].

I cannot sign in to the desktop app.

The desktop app uses the same account as the website. If sign-in fails on desktop specifically:

• Make sure you have the latest version installed. The app auto-updates, so allow it to finish updating and restart.
• Confirm the same email and password work on app.kolbo.ai in a browser. If they do not, the issue is the account, not the app.
• Check your internet connection, since the desktop app needs to reach Kolbo's servers to authenticate.
• Quit the app fully and reopen it to clear a stuck session.
• If it still will not authenticate, reinstall the latest version and contact support.

My session expired or I was logged out unexpectedly.

• Sign in again. Your work is saved to your account and the Media Library, not to the browser tab.
• Clear your cache if it keeps happening.
• A brief connection drop can end a session. Reconnect and sign back in.

Billing and Credits

My purchased credits are not showing.

• Refresh the page and wait a minute for the payment to settle.
• Check for a confirmation email of the transaction.
• Review your billing history to confirm the payment went through.
• If the payment succeeded but credits never arrived, contact support with the transaction details.

My payment failed.

• Verify the card number, expiry, and billing address.
• Confirm the card has available funds and allows online charges.
• Try a different payment method.
• Contact your bank if it keeps declining, then contact support if the problem is on our side.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Open your billing settings and follow the cancellation steps. Your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period, and you keep access until then. Contact support if you run into trouble.

Common Error Messages

Still Need Help?

If your issue persists after trying the steps above:

• Email: [email protected]
• In-app: open the help widget (the help icon) for contextual assistance.

To get the fastest answer, include:

1. A clear description of the problem and what you expected.
2. The tool or feature involved, and the model if you selected one.
3. The date and time it happened.
4. A screenshot, including any error message.
5. Your browser or whether you were on the desktop app, plus your operating system.
6. The account email you use.