Note:
The Collector for ArcGIS (Classic) help site is retired and no longer being updated. To learn about Collector retirement and to find the latest information on data collection, see Collector retirement.
The following are some troubleshooting tips that Collector users may find helpful. For troubleshooting tips when authoring data collection maps, see Troubleshooting in Create Maps.
- Why can't I sign in?
- I'm signed in. Why can't I see my maps?
- Why can't I add or update features?
- I'm trying to collect a feature. Why isn't its
type listed when I select
Collect New
? - Why can't I add an attachment?
- Why am I receiving a message Unable to synchronize replica. Sync is not enabled.?
- Why can't I change basemaps or measure?
- Why are some of my basemaps not listed in the Basemap gallery?
- Why does Collector freeze after I maximize the app or unlock my device's screen?
- Why doesn't streaming continue after my screen locks, and how do I fix this?
- My GPS locations are not being updated on the map, and after I select the location accuracy badge, it shows that it's taking increasingly longer to calculate a fix time. Why is this happening and how do I fix it?
- How do I know the accuracy of the GPS positions I'm getting?
- How can I get more information about my current GPS location?
There are a couple of common issues that may occur when trying to sign in. Verify the following:
- You've typed your user name and password correctly.
- You have an ArcGIS organizational account that meets the ArcGIS account requirements. Contact the administrator of your ArcGIS organization for details.
- You included the URL to your portal instance if you're using ArcGIS Enterprise. For example, https://myportal.mycompany.com/arcgis.
Only maps for data collection appear in Collector. Your map must have an editable feature layer to appear. Additionally, Collector only displays maps you authored and those shared with groups of which you are a member. Maps shared with your organization but not a group don't appear. Maps excluded from Collector by disabling the map's Use in Collector for ArcGIS setting don't appear either.
Your editing may have been restricted. If you don't see Collect New , the Collect option when you long press the map, and the Edit 
option on features, talk to your administrator. Your administrator can fix this by granting you either the Edit or Edit with full control Features privileges.
If you are missing some of these options, talk to your map author about editing the permissions of the feature service. If the feature service is hosted in ArcGIS Online, the map author can see Allow others to edit in the ArcGIS Online help for details. If the feature service is hosted in ArcGIS Server, the map author can see Editor permissions for feature services in the ArcGIS Server help for details.
Either the features that you want to collect are not visible on the map, or the Filter types setting is on. Check the following when a feature you expect to collect is not available:
- Visibility of the feature's layer—Check a layer's visibility by selecting More
, Map Contents 
, and the Layers tab. - Scale of the map—Some layers have minimum or maximum scales, outside of which they are not visible. Zoom in or out on the map to change the current scale. Once the layer you want to collect a feature for is visible, you can collect that feature.
- Filter types setting—When the Filter types setting is on, only parent feature types (for example, light poles) appear in the Collect new panel. When the setting is off, both parent and child feature types (for example, a streetlight) appear. The Filter types setting is enabled by default. Turn it off when you want to collect a child feature type without a parent feature type connected to it. To disable the setting, in the Map Gallery, select Menu
and Settings 
. On the Collection tab, disable Filter types.
Not all data supports attachments. If you do not see the Attachments section following the attributes for the feature, you can't add attachments to the feature. To enable attachments, work with the map author, and see How do I enable inclusion of photos during collection? in the map creation FAQ.
If you don't have access to these capabilities, they may have been disabled by the author of the map. Talk to the author about enabling these capabilities by editing the map's details on your organization's website as described in Configure map capabilities.
Basemaps may be excluded from the Basemap gallery when they do not meet all of the following criteria:
- The basemap's coordinate system does not match the map's coordinate system in your location profile.
- When offline, the work area and the extent of the basemap do not overlap.
- When offline, the basemap's coordinate system does not match the offline map.
You might experience this issue when running an older version of Windows 10 and Collector is connected to an external Bluetooth GNSS receiver. Microsoft has made several Bluetooth updates in Windows 10 version 1607 (also known as the Anniversary Update). To fix this problem, ask your administrator about upgrading your device to version 1607 or later.
This behavior is the result of Windows 10 controlling the battery usage for individual apps. Once the screen is locked, Windows can prevent apps from running in the background to help maximize battery efficiency. To fix this, set Collector to always be allowed in the background. You can do so by following the steps below, which are based on version 1607 (Anniversary Update) of Windows 10. This version includes Bluetooth updates that should improve streaming in general.
- Search for Battery saver on your device and select it in the results.
- Under Overview, select Battery usage by app.
- Expand the drop-down menu next to Showing and select All Store apps.
- Select Collector in the list and choose Always allowed in background.
To set Collector to always be allowed in the background on devices running earlier versions of Windows 10, follow these steps:
- Search for Battery saver on your device and select it in the results.
- Under Battery saver, select Battery saver settings.
- Under Always allowed, add Collector.
Note:
Only apps that Windows has identified as trying to run in the background are listed in the apps you can add to Always allowed. If you don't see Collector in the list, use streaming while collecting a feature and try the above steps again.
My GPS locations are not being updated on the map, and after I select the location accuracy badge, it shows that it's taking increasingly longer to calculate a fix time. Why is this happening and how do I fix it?
The time on your Windows 10 device might be ahead. Collector calculates fix time by determining the difference between the time on your GPS receiver and the time on your Windows device. If the time on your Windows 10 device is ahead, Collector assumes that your GPS positions are invalid and discards them. To fix this, synchronize the time on your device with the time on the Internet.
When you have a map open and My Location 
is on, displaying your location on the map, the Location Accuracy badge displays in the lower right corner of the map.
This indicates current horizontal accuracy as well as whether the current accuracy is below the location accuracy threshold required to use the GPS to collect data. If the horizontal accuracy is valid for data collection, the badge is green; if the accuracy is not good enough to use the GPS for data collection, the badge is red. If no positions have been received, dashes appear in the badge where the accuracy is supposed to display. If you are not receiving any position information and are using an external GPS receiver, first verify that your receiver is turned on and connected to Collector. Then see Use high-accuracy GPS for details about how to configure your GPS receiver with Collector.