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Topics Map > Learning Technology > Canvas
Honorlock Troubleshooting
As with all technology and services, students may experience the occasional error while trying to initiate Honorlock for a quiz. Here are some of the most commonly reported issues and how to fix them.
All students and faculty have access to 24/7 chat support from Honorlock whenever they're in an Honorlock quiz, on the Honorlock page in their course, or visiting Honorlock's website. Simply click on the chat icon on the lower-right corner of the screen to begin the chat room.
Stuck at Passcode (Password/Access Code) Screen
For instructors: Honorlock protects a quiz by adding a passcode to the quiz's Canvas settings. Honorlock will automatically enter this passcode for students after they finish the Honorlock startup process, such as closing their other browser tabs or launching their webcam recording, if required. Do not give students this quiz passcode or delete the passcode from the quiz settings.
If a student isn't using Honorlock or something is interfering with the Honorlock browser extension, they will stuck at the quiz password screen. This is by far the most common Honorlock error encountered by students. The following steps cover the various reasons why a student may be getting stopped at the quiz passcode screen.
For students: Make sure you're using the Google Chrome web browser on a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook device. The Honorlock browser extension is not compatible with other web browsers or other devices such as tablets or smartphones.
If you have the Honorlock extension enabled but don't see the Honorlock startup window once you open the quiz, it might be hidden behind you primary browser window.
Make sure that you're using uwpks.instructure.com for Canvas instead of uws.instructure.com or any other UW-System URL variants, especially if you're enrolled in another Universities of Wisconsin school. You can access your courses with either of these URLs, but third-party Canvas tools such as Honorlock can break if you're using a different University of Wisconsin Canvas address instead of the UW-Parkside-specific address.
- Type Shift + F5 (Windows/Chromebook) or Command + Shift + R (Mac) on your keyboard
- Use Honorlock in Incognito Mode
- Temporarily Add a Person or Profile to Chrome (which can be deleted afterwards)
- Disable your other Chrome extensions
- Clear your Google Chrome cache
- Try using a different device
If these don't work, please contact Honorlock chat support by clicking on the chat icon on the lower-right of the Honorlock page in your course.
Incompatible Hardware or Browser
Honorlock is a Google Chrome browser extension designed for use on Windows, Mac, and Chromebook computers. Honorlocked quizzes cannot be taken on mobile devices or other browsers. Honorlock has a webpage where you can check your device's compatibility.
If your device is not supported or you cannot figure out how to fix it, the TechBar offers free laptop rental for students throughout the semester. Alternatively, students may use on-campus computer labs (open labs or open labs w/ exceptions for scheduled classes) to take their Honorlocked quizzes. The Mac lab in RITA L123 should be able to support any Honolock quiz requirements since those Macs have webcams built in, though you'll likely need to enable webcam permissions for Chrome since Macs tend to have strict accessibility settings by default.
If your device is not supported or you cannot figure out how to fix it, the TechBar offers free laptop rental for students throughout the semester. Alternatively, students may use on-campus computer labs (open labs or open labs w/ exceptions for scheduled classes) to take their Honorlocked quizzes. The Mac lab in RITA L123 should be able to support any Honolock quiz requirements since those Macs have webcams built in, though you'll likely need to enable webcam permissions for Chrome since Macs tend to have strict accessibility settings by default.
I Don't See the Quiz Listed in My Course
Students can access their Honorlock-enabled Canvas quizzes by directly opening the quizzes like normal, such as from the course Assignments page or their Canvas calendar. However, third-party quizzes need to be launched by opening the quiz from the Honorlock page in your Canvas course. If you try to directly launch the third-party quiz rather than going through the Honorlock page in Canvas, you will be stuck at the quiz's password screen.
If you don't see your third-party quiz listed in the course's Honorlock page, then your quiz is most likely not available yet or has already passed its due date. Your instructor would have to extend the quiz's availability settings in Honorlock for students to have access to it again.
Hardware Error Code or Webcam Troubleshooting
If Honorlock gives you a "Hardware Error," then there are a few potential causes. This usually stems from permission issues regarding Google Chrome's access to your webcam, or your webcam not working correctly. You can visit https://webcammictest.com/ to verify whether your webcam is working correctly. Webcam access can be restricted at multiple levels: the entire system, your browser, on a specific website, or for a specific Chrome extension. The Honorlock launch window should tell you which of these is the cause of your access denied error.
If you are using a Lenovo device and see a greyed out camera icon, you may need to toggle privacy mode off in the Lenovo settings or Vantage app.
Honorlock Won't Download/Launch and "This item has been disabled in Chrome" Error
If the extension's storefront page gets stuck in a "downloading" phase, if it claims that Honorlock hasn't been added even though it has been, or if you get an the "This item has been disabled in Chrome" error, then your other Chrome extensions may be preventing Honorlock from working properly. This can also result in getting incorrectly stuck at the passcode screen as mentioned in the section above. Try temporarily disabling your other Chrome extensions and try loading the quiz again.
You can disable/enable your Chrome extensions by going to the upper-right of Chrome and clicking More (⋮) > More Tools > Extensions and switching the sliders to the off position for your other extensions.
You can disable/enable your Chrome extensions by going to the upper-right of Chrome and clicking More (⋮) > More Tools > Extensions and switching the sliders to the off position for your other extensions.
-1 Browser Error
Upon launching the quiz, Honorlock will ask you to close your other browser tabs. If it tells tells you that there are -1 tabs left to close, this results from Honorlock not being given the proper permissions in Google Chrome. Details can be found at Honorlock's Knowledgebase.
Upon launching the quiz, Honorlock will ask you to close your other browser tabs. If it tells tells you that there are -1 tabs left to close, this results from Honorlock not being given the proper permissions in Google Chrome. Details can be found at Honorlock's Knowledgebase.