Standalone app not launching

If you're experiencing an issue with the SoundID Reference standalone app launching, this guide will offer multiple solutions on how to resolve the issue.

In this article:

1. Clear the configuration data
2. Deleting license files and reactivating
3. Removing SoundID Reference license from Sonarworks Account

In case you are experiencing issues with the standalone app not launching after installing an update (or reinstalling/reverting to an earlier version), or after activating from your user account, there are some solutions available.

Clear the configuration data

The configuration data contains all of your standalone app settings, and sometimes this data can become corrupt, resulting in the app not launching. In most cases the problem can be resolved by deleting the config file which contains this data:

macOS:

1. Quit the SoundID Reference app (click on the Menu Bar icon and select Quit)
2. Open Finder, and enter this keyboard command to show hidden files: Cmd + Shift + . (dot) 
3. Navigate to the two locations shown below. 
4. Delete the Systemwide.cfg file
5. Launch the SoundID Reference app

Macintosh HD/Users/your username/Library/Application Support/Sonarworks/SoundID Reference/Systemwide/Systemwide.cfg
Macintosh HD/Users/your username/Library/Application Support/Sonarworks/SoundID Reference/Backup/Systemwide.cfg

IMPORTANT! The User/Library directory is hidden by default. If you're unable to make it visible with the keyboard command specified above, see detailed instructions here.

Note: For macOS users: since version 5.4.0 (Oct 18, 2022) the "Sonarworks" folder has been moved from ~/Library/Sonarworks to ~/Library/Application Support/Sonarworks

Windows:

1. Quit the SoundID Reference app (right-click on the system tray icon and select Quit)
2. Open File Explorer, and in the top menu, click on View > Show > Hidden items
3. Navigate to this location:
   

   C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Sonarworks\SoundID Reference/Systemwide
   

4. Delete the Systemwide.cfg file
5. Launch the SoundID Reference app

IMPORTANT! The User\AppData directory is hidden by default. If you're unable to make it visible with the steps specified above, see detailed instructions here.

Deleting license files and reactivating

In case the issue was not resolved with the steps above, delete the locally stored license files:

macOS

1. Open Finder, and enter this command to show hidden files: Cmd + Shift + . (dot)
2. Navigate to the location shown below
3. Delete the license.json and user.json files 
    

   Macintosh HD/Users/your_username/Library/Sonarworks/Application Support/SoundID Reference

Windows

1. Open File Explorer, go to the top menu, and click on View > Show > Hidden items
2. Navigate to the location shown below
3. Delete the license.json and user.json files 
    

   Macintosh HD/Users/your_username/Library/Sonarworks/Application Support/SoundID Reference

Note: The user\AppData and User/Library directories on Windows and macOS are hidden by default. To enable showing hidden files and folders, follow the instructions here: How to show hidden files Mac and Windows?

Removing SoundID Reference license from Sonarworks Account

If the troubleshooting steps above did not result in the issue resolution, we recommend removing your SoundID Reference license from your Sonarworks Account and registering it one more time.

1. Log in to your Sonarworks Account
2. Copy or save the license key you're about to remove
3. Remove the license from your Sonarworks Account - How to remove a Sonarworks license
4. Register and activate the license again: How to register and activate a Sonarworks license