# Troubleshooting We've provided some troubleshooting tips based on issues users have seen. Please [open an issue](https://github.com/datproject/dat/issues/new) or ask us in our [chat room](https://gitter.im/datproject/discussions) if you need help troubleshooting and it is not covered here. ### Check Your Version Knowing the version is really helpful if you run into any bugs, and will help us troubleshoot your issue. **In Dat Desktop:** Click **Dat** in menu bar (top left) > Click **About Dat**. You should see the version number, e.g. `Version 1.1.2 (1.1.2.1076)`. **In the Command Line:** ``` dat -v ``` You should see the Dat semantic version printed, e.g. `13.1.2`. ## Networking Issues All Dat transfers happen directly between computers. Dat has various methods for connecting computers but because networking capabilities vary widely we may have issues connecting. Whenever you run a Dat there are several steps to share or download files with peers: 1. Discovering other sources 2. Connecting to sources 3. Sending & Receiving Data With successful use, Dat will show network counts after connection. If you never see a connection, your network may be restricting discovery or connection. Please try using the dat doctor (see below) between the two computers not connecting. This will help troubleshoot the networks. ### Dat Doctor We've included a tool to identify network issues with Dat, the Dat doctor. The Dat doctor will run two tests: 1. Attempt to connect to a public server running Dat. 2. Attempt a direct connection between two computers. You will need to run the command on both the computers you are trying to share data between. **In Dat Desktop:** Our desktop Dat doctor is still in progress, currently you can only test connections to our public server (#1). 1. View > Toggle Developer Tools 2. Help > Doctor You should see the doctor information printed in the console. **In the Command Line:** Start the doctor by running: ``` dat doctor ``` For direct connection tests, the doctor will print out a command to run on the other computer, `dat doctor <64-character-string>`. The doctor will run through the key steps in the process of sharing data between computers to help identify the issue. ### Known Networking Issues * Dat may [have issues](https://github.com/datproject/dat/issues/503) connecting if you are using iptables. ## Installation Troubleshooting To use the Dat command line tool you will need to have [node and npm installed](https://docs.npmjs.com/getting-started/installing-node). Make sure those are installed correctly before installing Dat. Dat only supports Node versions 4 and above. ``` node -v ``` #### Global Install The `-g` option installs Dat globally allowing you to run it as a command. Make sure you installed with that option. * If you receive an `EACCES` error, read [this guide](https://docs.npmjs.com/getting-started/fixing-npm-permissions) on fixing npm permissions. * If you receive an `EACCES` error, you may also install dat with sudo: `sudo npm install -g dat`. * Have other installation issues? Let us know, you can [open an issue](https://github.com/datproject/dat/issues/new) or ask us in our [chat room](https://gitter.im/datproject/discussions). ## Command Line Debugging If you are having trouble with a specific command, run with the debug environment variable set to `dat` (and optionally also `dat-node`). This will help us debug any issues: ``` DEBUG=dat,dat-node dat clone dat:// dir ```