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File hosting troubleshooting

If you are having trouble hosting a file

•	Make sure your computer is set up for networking. See your network administrator.

•	Check to make sure that FileMaker Network Sharing is turned on. (See Sharing files on a network.)

Other errors and remedies

•	If FileMaker Pro is not responding, stop the application and launch it again. If this does not help, restart the computer and try again.

•	You can only host FileMaker files that are open on your computer.

•	You can’t host from two different instances of FileMaker Pro on the same machine. If two instances of FileMaker Pro are running, quit one and then open the shared file in the remaining running copy.

•	Running FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server on the same computer is not supported. If you see the message “FileMaker cannot share files because another user is already sharing files using FileMaker Pro on this computer,” quit both applications and run only one of the applications.

•	Another computer on your network might be using the IP address assigned to you (or vice versa). Check with your network administrator.

•	The computer might be set to DHCP with no DHCP server present. Check with your network administrator to verify correct network setup.

•	You can’t host if there is a network error. Check with your network administrator.

•	If your system is set up for IPv6 but other systems trying to access it are not, revert to using an IPv4 address if possible.

If your networked files perform tasks slowly, here are some things to consider:

•	Be sure the database resides on the hard disk of the host computer. The host is the first machine to open a file.

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Use FileMaker Pro networking, not the operating system's networking. Don't access files via the Network Neighborhood or a Shortcut (Windows) or Go menu > Connect to Server or an Alias (OS X). Make sure the host computer is the first to open the file, then access it as a client. See information about using shared files as a client.

•	Dedicate the host computer to FileMaker Pro. Any application runs more slowly if it must compete for the computer's resources. Disable unneeded extensions.

•	Minimize the use of bitmapped graphics in the file.

•	In large files, activities such as finds, sorts, exports, and subsummary reports on related fields or calculations referencing related fields will be slow. When possible, perform these actions in the file in which the fields are defined.

•	If many clients need to access the file, consider using FileMaker Server software.

Related topics 

Cannot see hosted databases