Written By: KiyoWx
Last Updated: Feb 27th, 2026

Installation Troubleshooting Guide

If you followed the Installation Guide but encounter issues, this troubleshooting section addresses the most common problems. For problems not listed here, join our Discord server and provide detailed information. Support is community based and mostly volunteer.

Before you troubleshoot

Confirm that you completed every step in the Installation Guide. This list mainly addresses Windows issues; macOS and Linux users may not encounter all problems.

Common Issues and Solutions

VS not looking for VS2017 (Issue #61)

The installer cannot find Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 or later.

Solution:

1. Download the latest Redistributable: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170
2. Install the correct version for your system (x64 / x86).
3. Install Desktop Development with C++
4. Re-run the installation.

Tip: If better-sqlite3 fails, see its troubleshooting guide.

Python not found during installation

During the installation, the process fails because it cannot find Python 3.8 or newer. Please ensure Python is installed and added to your system PATH.

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from:
   https://www.python.org/downloads/
2. During installation, ensure “Add Python to PATH” is checked.
3. Open a new terminal and verify Python is available:

   py --version
   # or...
   python3 --version

4. Re-run the AtmosphericX installation.

3. Port 80 already in use

When starting AtmosphericX, it fails to bind to port 80 because another application is already using it or insufficient permissions.

1. Identify the application using port 80:

Windows

netstat -aon | findstr :80

Linux/macOS

sudo lsof -i :80

Linux Elevated Start

cd build-tools
sudo bash start.sh

2. Stop the conflicting application or change its port.

4. Instant Closure on Start

AtmosphericX starts but immediately exits without errors. Run AtmosphericX from a terminal to instead of double-clicking the script. This way, you can see any error messages.

cd project
npm run start

2. Check the terminal output for errors and address them accordingly.
3. If the issue persists, consider reaching out on our Discord server for further assistance. Please make sure to include any error logs or messages you encounter.

Quick fix (TLDR)

Issue	Quick Fix
VS Redistributable	Install latest VS2017+ Redistributable
Python missing	Install Python 3.8+, add to PATH
Port 80 in use	Stop conflicting app or change port
Instant closure	Run from terminal, check errors