First check whether the file is missing, appears but will not download, or downloads but will not open. Keep any device where you can still access it signed in while you work through these checks.
Protect a copy you can still use
If the file opens on another device, save a copy outside Hivenet and open that saved copy. A thumbnail, preview or filename alone does not show that you have the whole file.
Do not sign out, clear app or browser data, uninstall Hivenet, reset your passphrase, or convert or delete your account to try to fix file access. These changes can remove a working route to your files.
If the file is missing
Check that you are viewing the account used to upload the file. Check its email address without signing out of a device where files still open.
Check the original device for an unfinished upload or an upload error.
If Store opens in the Hivenet web app, look in All files, Photos and Trash, as appropriate for the file.
If the web app shows a conversion message, stop there. Do not convert your account to look for a missing file.
If the item is in Trash, keep any working copy and contact Hivenet Support about restoring it. An entry in Trash does not guarantee that its contents can still be recovered. Do not permanently delete the item while investigating.
If the file appears but will not download
Check the internet connection and free space on the device receiving the file.
If the file is available in Store on the web, open its three-dot menu and select Download. Read any warning shown before continuing, and keep the browser open while the download runs.
Check the browser's download status. If the download finishes, open the copy from its saved location and check that its contents are complete.
If the download fails again, record the exact message and contact Support instead of repeatedly starting it. In the desktop app, also check Issues for a failed transfer and include the message shown there.
If a downloaded file will not open
Keep the original and any other working copy. Record the file type, the app used to open it and the exact error. Tell Support whether one file or several are affected, and whether the download was marked complete.
If you are asked for an encryption passphrase
Your encryption passphrase is separate from your account password. Resetting the account password will not recover a forgotten passphrase. Follow What if I forgot my encryption passphrase? and keep any device where files still open signed in.
If this started after an account change
Treat an offered self-service conversion to Protocol V2 as permanent. Previous-version files do not carry over, and the converted account loses access to them. Keep the copies you saved before conversion. Do not rely on Support being able to restore access.
A managed migration is a different process. If files are missing, conversion may have failed, or you are unsure what changed, contact Support so the account route can be checked. Recovery is not guaranteed. Do not repeat conversion or delete the account to try again.
See file access before and after conversion for the access and copy checks to make before changing your account.
What to include when you contact Support
Whether the file is missing, fails to download or downloads but will not open.
Your device, operating system, app or browser version and the exact error.
When the file last opened and whether it still opens on another device or from a separate saved copy.
Whether the file appears in Trash or the problem followed an account change.
Use the Hivenet Support page. Do not send passwords, encryption passphrases, verification codes or private file contents. Support can investigate an unclear access problem; this does not guarantee recovery.