Fix common issues and get your Salesforce file exports back on track.
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Below are the most common issues users encounter along with their root causes and step-by-step solutions.
Jump straight to any issue using the list below, or read through sequentially.
1
Authentication
"Invalid client credentials" or "Authentication failed" error
If using Direct Login (username + password)
1
Add your Security Token
Your Security Token is required when connecting from an IP address not on Salesforce's trusted list. Enter it in the Security Token field of the connection form. How to reset your token →
2
Confirm your username and password
Use the exact same credentials you use to log into Salesforce in a browser. Passwords are case-sensitive.
3
Verify the Server selection
Ensure you selected the correct Server — Production (login.salesforce.com) for live orgs or Sandbox (test.salesforce.com) for sandbox orgs. Connecting to the wrong endpoint always fails.
If using OAuth Login (Connected App)
1
Check Consumer Key and Consumer Secret for extra spaces
Copy the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret from Salesforce again and paste fresh. A single leading or trailing space will cause an authentication failure.
2
Wait 2–10 minutes after saving the Connected App
Salesforce takes up to 10 minutes to activate a newly created or edited Connected App. If you just created it, wait a few minutes and try again.
3
Set IP Relaxation to "Relax IP restrictions"
In Salesforce Setup, open the Connected App, click Manage then Edit Policies. Under OAuth Policies, set IP Relaxation to Relax IP restrictions and save.
4
Confirm the correct Environment is selected
Make sure the Environment in the connection form matches the org where the Connected App was created — Production or Sandbox.
2
Connectivity
Connected App was created but the app still can't connect
Cause
Salesforce takes 2–10 minutes to activate a newly saved Connected App across its infrastructure.
OAuth scopes may be incomplete or incorrectly selected.
The Connected App's policies may show it as inactive.
Solution
1
Wait and retry
After creating or editing a Connected App, wait at least 2–10 minutes before attempting to connect. This is a Salesforce platform propagation delay and cannot be bypassed.
2
Verify the OAuth scopes
In Salesforce Setup, open your Connected App and confirm the following two scopes are both selected under Selected OAuth Scopes:
Access and manage your data (api)
Perform requests on your behalf at any time (refresh_token, offline_access)
3
Confirm the app is active
In the Connected App detail page, click Manage then Edit Policies to verify the app status and that IP Relaxation is set to Relax IP restrictions.
3
Export
Export stops partway through / API limit error
Cause
Salesforce enforces daily API call limits based on your org edition (e.g., Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited). Large exports can exhaust these limits within a single run.
Limits reset on a rolling 24-hour basis. The export pauses automatically once the limit is reached.
Solution
1
Wait for limits to reset
Salesforce API limits reset within 24 hours. The export will resume automatically from where it stopped when you relaunch the app and limits are available again.
2
Enable Incremental Export mode
Incremental mode skips files already downloaded in a previous run, drastically reducing the number of API calls on each subsequent export. Enable it in your export configuration before starting.
3
Schedule large exports for off-peak hours
Run exports overnight or at weekends when your org's other integrations are less active, giving the export the full daily API budget.
You can check your remaining API calls in Salesforce Setup under System Overview → API Requests, Last 24 Hours.
4
File Quality
Exported files are empty or corrupted
Cause
The file record exists in Salesforce but has no associated binary content — for example, a placeholder or failed upload.
The file was deleted from Salesforce while the export was still in progress.
Solution
1
Verify the source file in Salesforce
Open the parent record in Salesforce and try to download the file directly from the Files related list. If it won't open there either, the file's content is missing at the source.
2
Retry the export
If only a small number of files are affected, a mid-export deletion is the likely cause. Retry and the files that still exist in Salesforce will download successfully.
3
Contact support with your export log
If the problem affects many files consistently, contact our support team and attach the export log from the Logs tab. The log identifies exactly which file records returned empty content.
5
Scheduling
Scheduled job didn't run at the expected time
Cause
SFDC File Exporter's scheduler runs inside the application process. If the app is closed or the machine is off at the scheduled time, the job cannot execute.
Solution
1
Keep the app running on the scheduled machine
The machine running SFDC File Exporter must be on and the application must be open for scheduled jobs to fire. The app can be minimised — it does not need to be in the foreground.
2
The missed job will run on next launch
If the app was closed at the scheduled time, the job will execute at its next scheduled interval when the app is reopened. No data is lost between runs.
3
Configure the app to start with Windows
On Windows, add SFDC File Exporter to the startup folder (shell:startup) so it launches automatically when the machine boots, ensuring scheduled jobs always have an active process to run in.
6
License
License activation fails — "Unable to validate license"
Cause
No active internet connection during the activation request.
License key was copied with leading or trailing whitespace.
The license key was already activated on a different machine and has reached its seat limit.
Solution
1
Confirm your internet connection is active
Activation requires a live connection to the SFDC File Exporter license server. Ensure you are online and that firewall rules are not blocking outgoing HTTPS traffic.
2
Re-copy the key from your purchase email
Open your original purchase confirmation email and copy the key again. Paste it into the license field without any surrounding spaces. Do not type the key manually — copy-paste only.
3
Request a license transfer if changing machines
If your key is already active on another installation, contact our support team. We will deactivate the previous installation so you can activate on your new machine.
7
Performance
Export is very slow
Cause
Large number of records: exports covering tens of thousands of records require many sequential API calls which take time to complete.
Salesforce rate limiting: even within the daily API limit, Salesforce applies per-second request throttling on some org editions that slows throughput.
Network speed: a slow or high-latency internet connection increases the time needed to download each file's binary content.
Solution
1
Enable Incremental Mode
Incremental Mode downloads only files that are new or modified since the last successful export. On subsequent runs this can reduce the file count from thousands to just the latest changes, dramatically cutting export time.
2
Schedule the export during off-peak hours
Running exports overnight or during weekends avoids peak Salesforce API server load and often results in higher sustained throughput. Use the Schedule button in any export tab to configure a recurring time.
3
Increase the connection timeout in Settings
If your network has high latency, open Settings and increase the Connection Timeout value. This prevents the app from treating a slow response as an error and retrying unnecessarily, which compounds the delay.
A very large first-time export — millions of files — will naturally take hours regardless of settings. Set it up as a scheduled overnight job and let it run unattended.
8
Startup
App crashes on startup
Cause
Java version below 17 — the application requires Java 17 or later and will fail to launch on older runtimes.
Insufficient RAM — the app needs at least 512 MB of free memory to start.
Corrupted configuration file — a config file written during a previous crash or interrupted shutdown can prevent the app from initialising.
Solution
1
Check your Java version (17+ required)
Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS/Linux) and run:
java -version
The output must show version 17 or higher. If it shows an older version or "java is not recognized", download and install Java 17+ from Adoptium.
2
Check available RAM
The application requires at least 512 MB of free system RAM to start. Close other applications to free memory and try launching again. On Windows, check Task Manager → Performance → Memory to see available RAM.
3
Delete the configuration folder if corrupted
If the above steps do not resolve the crash, delete the configuration folder and relaunch. The app will recreate it with defaults:
Windows:C:\Users\<YourName>\.sfdc_file_exporter\
macOS / Linux:~/.sfdc_file_exporter/
Deleting the configuration folder removes your saved connections and preferences. Note down your connection details before deleting, or contact support first to explore other options.
Still stuck? Contact Support
If your issue isn't covered above, our support team is ready to help. Describe what you're seeing, attach the export log from the Logs tab if possible, and we'll get back to you.