Problem
When you try to open Informant, either nothing happens, Informant initially opens the login screen and displays a progress spinner or progress bar but it closes out after a few seconds, or the login screen appears, but the Login button visibly flickers and flashes repeatedly.
In some cases, Informant may open on some computers but not others.
Cause
This can be caused by having a "custom scaling" factor configured in your Windows Display settings, which is usually done to make text on the screen easier to read. For example, setting a custom scaling factor of 110 (i.e. "110%") can cause Informant to be unable to open, while other custom scaling settings may cause a flickering or strobe effect. This is known issue where the application may not work correctly specifically when a custom scaling factor is configured in Windows.
Resolution
Turn off custom scaling in Windows and use one of the standard scaling sizes provided by the system, such as 100% or 125%.
Turn off custom scaling
To turn off custom scaling:
- Right-click in an empty area of the Windows Desktop and select Display settings.
- If you see a message stating that custom scaling is turned on, click the option to turn it off and sign out.
- Sign back in to Windows.
- Confirm that Informant opens.
Note: If Informant still doesn't open, check our other troubleshooting tips here: Troubleshooting common issues
Choose a standard scale factor in Windows to make text larger
If you still want to make the text larger, you can use one of the standard scaling sizes. We recommend the next size up for your display. For example, if the "Recommended" size is 100%, you can choose the next-higher option, which is usually 125%:
- Right-click in an empty area of the Windows Desktop and select Display settings.
- Under the option to change the scale, choose the desired new scaling size.
- To ensure the settings take effect properly, sign out of Windows and then sign back in.
- Confirm that Informant opens and that the text is now showing at a larger size.