Troubleshooting Common Helperbird Issues
Start here when Helperbird is not working. Three checks to run first, then the guide that matches your problem, from locked Pro features to silent speech.
On this page
Something not working? Run the three checks below first. They clear up most problems. If they do not, pick the guide that matches what you are seeing.
Check These First
1. Check the page. Browsers block every extension from their own pages. Nothing will happen on an address starting with chrome://, edge:// or about:. Open a normal website and try again. See why Helperbird does not work on certain pages.
2. Check the switch, then refresh. Click the owl icon in your toolbar and look at the switch in the top right of the popup. A red cross means Helperbird is off. Click it so it shows a green tick, then reload the page. No owl icon at all? Open your browser's extensions page and check Helperbird is switched on there. See how to turn Helperbird on and off.
3. Recheck your subscription. Helperbird looks your subscription up about every eight hours, so a Pro feature can still show as locked hours after you pay. Rechecking asks it to look now. See how to resync your Helperbird subscription.
Find the Guide for Your Problem
Each problem below has its own guide with the full steps.
| What you are seeing | Guide |
|---|---|
| No owl icon in your toolbar | How to pin the Helperbird extension |
| Nothing happens on a page | Why Helperbird does not work on certain pages |
| A "Feature Not Supported" message | A Helperbird feature is not supported |
| Read aloud stays silent | Text to speech not working |
| Pro features stay locked | Helperbird Pro features still locked |
| You are not sure how to sign in on your browser | How to log in to Helperbird |
| Email login on Chrome or Edge will not go through | How to enable sync in Chrome or Edge |
| Your key or login will not activate | Helperbird subscription not activating |
| You are on a school or work network | How to check if your network or firewall is blocking Helperbird |
| Settings do not save, or do not follow you to your other device | Helperbird settings not syncing between devices |
| Pages feel slow, or Helperbird freezes or crashes | Helperbird running slow |
| An Edge menu covers the Helperbird toolbar when you select text | How to disable the Edge mini menu |
| The Safari extension is greyed out on a managed iPad | Safari extension greyed out on iPad |
See the full list of troubleshooting guides for anything not covered here.
If Nothing Above Fixes It
Reset Helperbird. A reset clears settings that have got stuck. It also deletes your notes, highlights and annotations and signs you out, so have your subscription key or login details ready before you start. See how to reset all Helperbird settings.
Send us your debug information. Helperbird can copy your browser, version and settings to your clipboard in one click. Pasting that into your message saves a round of questions. See how to report an issue with Helperbird.
Need Additional Help?
Still stuck? Tell the Helperbird support team what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and which website you were on. We will take it from there.
Printed from the Helperbird Help Center · Updated August 12th, 2026
Questions? We are happy to help — helperbird.com/support