My Simulation Is Slow, Frozen, or Not Loading

If your simulation is running slowly, has stopped responding, or isn’t loading properly, try the steps below.

Try these steps first

1. Make sure you’re using an up-to-date version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
2. Close browser tabs and applications you don’t need.
3. End live video calls such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or FaceTime if possible.
4. Stop streaming video, screen recording, gaming, or other demanding activities.
5. Refresh the page.

If you need to stay on a video call, using another device for the call may help.

Why can other applications affect the simulation?

Stemble simulations run locally on your device inside your browser. The simulation itself does not run on Stemble’s servers.

Your browser uses your computer’s available processing power and memory to run the simulation.

Other applications use those resources too. Live video calls can be particularly demanding because your device is continuously processing video and audio, and features such as screen sharing or background effects can add even more work.

Closing applications you don’t need leaves more resources available for the simulation.

Did the simulation stop after switching tabs?

Browsers may reduce the resources available to tabs that aren’t currently active.

If you leave the simulation tab for a while, the simulation may stop responding.

If that happens, refresh the page and restart the activity. When possible, keep the simulation tab open and active while you work.

Try refreshing the page

If the simulation has frozen or isn’t loading correctly, refresh your browser.

A browser refresh provides a more complete restart than selecting Reset inside the simulation.

Keep in mind that refreshing will restart the simulation.

Still not working? Try a hard refresh

If a regular refresh doesn’t help, try a hard refresh. This reloads the page while bypassing content your browser has stored in its cache.

Windows or Linux

• Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + R or Shift + F5
• Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5

Mac

• Chrome: Command + Shift + R
• Firefox: Command + Shift + R

Need more help?

• Chrome keyboard shortcuts and refresh options
• Firefox keyboard shortcuts and refresh options

Clear your browser cache

If a hard refresh still doesn’t fix the issue, clearing your browser’s cache may help remove stored website files that aren’t loading correctly.

Follow the instructions for your browser:

• Clear your cache in Google Chrome
• Clear your cache in Mozilla Firefox

Once you’ve cleared the cache, reopen the simulation and try again.

Check your browser’s performance

If the simulation is still slow, your browser may be using a lot of your device’s resources elsewhere.

Google Chrome

Google provides tools and settings that can help identify and reduce performance issues:

• Speed up Google Chrome
• Manage Chrome performance settings

These guides can help with things like unused tabs, memory usage, and other browser settings that may affect performance.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox also provides tools for checking which tabs, extensions, or browser processes are using your device’s resources:

• See which tabs or extensions are slowing down Firefox
• Firefox performance settings

If you suspect a Firefox extension or browser setting may be causing the problem, you can also try Firefox Troubleshoot Mode.

Still having trouble?

Try:

• Restarting your browser
• Restarting your computer
• Using another laptop or desktop computer

If you contact Stemble Support, let us know which simulation, browser, and device you’re using and what happened. A screenshot or screen recording is helpful too.