# Troubleshooting & FAQ

> Policy questions are mostly about the approval lock. Approved policies are read-only, which makes their status and version history trustworthy. Plus fixes.

Source: https://tidalcontrol.com/docs/policies/troubleshooting-and-faq

Policy questions are mostly about the approval lock: approved policies are read-only, which is what makes their status and version history trustworthy. The rest covers empty overviews, PDF downloads, changelogs, and links inside policy documents.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why don't I see any policies in my overview?

This is almost always a missing control link or the Out of scope tab, not a real access problem.

**Possible causes:**
- Your policies are not yet linked to controls
- Policies are in the "Out of scope" tab
- You don't have access rights for these policies

**Solution:**
1. **Check the Out of scope tab** - Click "Out of scope" at the top of the overview
2. **Link policies to controls** - Go to the Controls section and link policy-tests
3. **Check your permissions** - Ask your administrator for access

> **note:**

New environments without a licence for policy templates start with all policies in the "Out of scope" tab. These must be activated by linking them to controls.

### Can't I edit an approved policy anymore?

**This is normal behaviour.** Approved policies are read-only to ensure compliance.

**Solution:**
1. **Click "Create new draft"** in the approved policy
2. **Tidal automatically creates a new draft** with the same content
3. **Edit the draft** as desired
4. **Approve the new version** when ready

> **info:**

The old approved version remains available until you approve the new draft. This keeps your compliance intact during editing.

### Where do I find my downloaded policy PDF?

Every PDF export includes the full document, its approval metadata, and a version table on the last page.

**PDF downloads contain:**
- The complete policy document
- Metadata header with approval information
- Version table as last page

**Finding your download:**
1. **Check your Downloads folder** - Default location in most browsers
2. **Filename format** - Usually: `PolicyName_Version_Date.pdf`
3. **Browser download history** - Ctrl+J (Chrome) or Ctrl+Shift+Y (Firefox)

> **tip:**

PDF downloads contain automatically generated metadata and version history. You don't need to add these manually to your document.

## Common problems

### Policy status is incorrect

This is usually a stale browser cache rather than the status actually being wrong.

**Symptoms:**
- Policy shows "Draft" but should be "Approved"
- Status doesn't update after approval
- Test results don't match policy status

**Possible causes:**
- **Browser cache** - Old information is displayed
- **Simultaneous editing** - Multiple users editing at the same time
- **Synchronization delay** - Status update is still in progress

**Solutions:**
1. **Refresh the page** - F5 or Ctrl+R
2. **Clear browser cache** - Ctrl+Shift+R for hard refresh
3. **Wait 30 seconds** - Let synchronization complete
4. **Check other browsers** - Test in incognito/private mode

### Changelog and versions don't match

**Problem:** Version numbers don't match the actual changes.

**Solution:**
1. **Open the policy editor**
2. **Click menu button (three horizontal lines)**
3. **Go to version history** in the sidebar
4. **Click pencil icon** next to the version
5. **Update changelog and version number**

> **caution:**

Changelog edits do not change the approval date or author. They only help in maintaining clear version information.

### Links don't work in policy documents

For a policy written in Tidal, check the URL is complete and test it in preview before publishing.

**For internally managed policies:**
- **Check URL format** - Use complete URLs (https://)
- **Test links before publication** - Click links in preview mode
- **Update broken links** - Edit document and replace links

**For uploaded documents:**
- **Links in PDFs** - Check that links are clickable in original document
- **Word documents** - Links must be active before upload
- **Test after upload** - Download and test the uploaded version

### Still can't figure it out?

Send an email to support@tidalcontrol.com, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

> **info:**

**Gathering support info:** Note which browser you're using, exact error messages, and which steps you've already tried. This significantly speeds up the solution.