# Frequently asked questions

This section contains a collection of user-submitted questions and their answers.

## OutWiker won't start on Windows. What should I do?

Try installing the MS Visual C++ Redistributable Package. If installing this library does not resolve the issue, please contact the author via email at jenyay.ilin@gmail.com or via Telegram. Please include the full error log, which can be found in the outwiker.log file in the configuration directory.

## Will there be a version of OutWiker for mobile platforms?

When I first started developing OutWiker, I planned to release a version at least for Android. Over time, I realized that this is a significant standalone task. The program's interface for PC and mobile platforms would have to be fundamentally different. Considering that OutWiker is largely focused on wiki notation, and typing large amounts of text—especially with control characters—is inconvenient on mobile phones, I have set aside development for mobile platforms. I might return to it someday.

## Why is there no deb package for Linux?

OutWiker is written in Python and relies on several third-party libraries, some of which are no longer maintained, while others change their behavior in newer versions. When building a deb package for a specific Ubuntu release, you must target specific Python versions, which vary between Ubuntu releases. Similar issues arise with libraries. It is a very tedious task to maintain various combinations of Python and library versions shipped with Ubuntu. Therefore, some time ago, it was decided to discontinue deb package builds in favor of snap and flatpak.

## Wouldn't it be better if the program stored notes in a single file?

Storing notes as a directory tree is one of the core features for which OutWiker was originally designed. This structure is intended to reduce the likelihood of losing all notes due to a file system failure that might destroy a single file.

## Will there be a visual editor for pages?

I am considering creating a separate page type in RichTextFormat with a visual editor. I also haven't ruled out the possibility of a visual editor for HTML pages. However, I cannot provide any specific timeline at this point.

## Why not add note encryption?

Cryptography is a complex and specialized field where the cost of error is extremely high. It is better to have no encryption at all than to have a superficial implementation that is easily compromised. Furthermore, there are many third-party applications specifically designed for file encryption, such as VeraCrypt, gocryptfs / cppcryptfs, CryFS, and others. These tools can easily be used to encrypt an OutWiker note tree.

## How to install plugins

To install plugins, you need to unpack the downloaded plugin archive into the plugins directory located within the configuration directory. If you are running OutWiker in portable mode on Windows (i.e., the outwiker.ini settings file is located next to the outwiker.exe executable), the plugins subdirectory will be created in the same directory as the outwiker.exe file.
Note that each plugin is a directory containing files; it is this directory that should be copied into plugins. In the settings dialog, under the Plugins section, you can disable plugins without removing them from the plugins directory.

## How can I help translate the interface into another language?

All OutWiker localizations are hosted on crowdin.com. There, you can join existing interface translation projects or start a new translation. It is important to prioritize the translation of the outwiker.pot file, as it contains the strings used in the main application interface. The remaining localization files pertain to plugins.

## Where should I send bug reports and feature requests?

The best way is to create an issue on the GitHub page. Alternatively, you can contact me via email at jenyay.ilin@gmail.com or via Telegram. You can write in either English or Russian.

See also:

- Config directories
- Plugins