Having trouble with the desktop app? Use this article to help quickly identify and solve your issue — most of the time it’s a quick and easy fix.
Try this first
If you get an error message related to the Upwork Desktop App you can often resolve it by quitting the app and then reopening it. This will force the app to load any updates from our side.
If the issue continues, check below for known fixes.
Important — Don’t Try This!
Do NOT press the Clear cache and restart button in the app preferences unless instructed by Upwork Support. This reset option will wipe your app’s user data and restore the app to default settings. You will lose all preferences, user settings, and saved credentials. You can’t undo this action. Afterward, it will be like you are logging in for the first time.
Known Issues and Fixes
If you have trouble logging on to our desktop app, it could be a problem with the Sign in with Google feature. Try the following solution.
- Disable authorization via Google. Go to Profile Settings -> Connected services -> [Sign in with Google] -> Disconnecting, then reattempt login via the desktop app
- Next, log in to your desktop app using your username only
Desktop App Download Failed
Here are the most common reasons for a failed download and how you can fix each:
- Firewall or proxy server issue – Contact your system administrator to allow access
- Poor Internet connection – It is important to make sure you have a strong and stable Internet connection before you download
- No administrator privileges – Check to see if you are the administrator of your computer and that you have enough space on your computer to download the application
- Inaccurate time/date settings – Check to make sure the time and date settings on your computer are correct
- Antivirus software is blocking the application – You can temporarily disable your antivirus program for just the time it takes to download, to avoid disruption. It may become necessary to add the Upwork desktop app to your antivirus whitelist
Older versions of the desktop app can prevent the current version from running properly. Please ensure you only have one version of the desktop app installed on your machine. If you have more than one version, please uninstall all versions and then redownload and reinstall the latest version.
The Upwork desktop app is completely safe. However, because it uses various API technologies to capture and record screenshots, some virus scans mistake this capturing and transmitting of information as potential spyware or malware.
We assure you that the information collected by the desktop app is kept private between you and those you work with on Upwork. The app poses no security threat to your computer system. Avoid getting these warnings or black screenshots in the future by adding the desktop app to your security scan's whitelist. In Webroot Antivirus you'll need to allow upwork.exe in "Identity Protection."
In some cases, the Upwork app for Mac will develop excessive CPU usage. If this occurs:
- First, confirm you are running the latest version of the app. In most cases, upgrading will resolve the issue
- If the issue persists, quit the Upwork Team App, open the Terminal on your Mac, and then run this command
open Upwork.app --args --enable-gpu
- You may need to repeat step 2 every time you open the app until the next time the app updates. When it asks to update, be sure to let it.
If you or colleague have trouble logging on to the desktop app, it could be a problem with the Sign in with Google feature. Try the following solution.
- If you are having trouble with your webcam, microphone access and taking screenshots, it may be a permissions problem with your MacOS. MacOS Mojave and newer versions add the camera and microphone to the app permissions panel. Prior to this update, app permissions only included accessing your location, contacts, photos, calendar, and reminders.
How to completely delete the Upwork Desktop App's cache
- Close the Upwork Desktop App
- Open File Explorer (or an alternative) and navigate to one of the links below, based on your operating system:
• For Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Upwork
• For Mac: ~/Library/“Application Support”/Upwork
• For Linux: ~/.Upwork - Delete the "Upwork" folder
- Restart the desktop application
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I reset my app if there's a problem?
Do NOT press the Clear cache and restart button in the app preferences unless instructed by Customer Support. This reset option will wipe your app’s user data and restore the app to default settings. You will lose all preferences, user settings, saved credentials, and any un-uploaded time cache. You can’t undo this action. Afterward, it will be like you are logging in for the first time.
How can I find my log file?
If an agent needs you to send in log files to help diagnose an issue, go to the location listed below, then create an archive of your log files to attach to your ticket.
- Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Upwork\Upwork\Logs
- Mac: Open Finder > Go menu > Go to Folder > Enter "~/Library/Application Support/Upwork/Upwork/Logs"
- Linux: ~/.Upwork/Upwork/Logs/