> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tixfix.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Troubleshoot scanning

> Handle invalid tickets, duplicate scans, manual check-in, and re-entry

Things go wrong at the door, usually with a queue behind them. This page is written to be skimmed on a phone while that's happening.

***

## The quick rules

* **Almost every problem is honest.** Screenshots get forwarded, people arrive at the wrong show, phones die. Assume a mistake before assuming fraud.
* **Decide your policy before doors open**, not while someone is arguing at the entrance.
* **When in doubt, let them in and note it.** A refunded ticket costs less than a scene at your door.

***

## Common situations

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The ticket shows as invalid">
    Work through this in order:

    1. **Are they at the right event?** The most common cause by far, especially if you run several shows.
    2. **Is the scanner on the right event?** Have the staff member confirm which event they selected when they signed in.
    3. **Is the QR code readable?** A cracked screen, low brightness, or a heavily compressed screenshot can defeat the camera. Ask them to raise the brightness or open the original ticket email.
    4. **Was the ticket cancelled or refunded?** Check the [guest list](/attendees/guest-list) for their name.

    If they're on the guest list but the code won't read, check them in manually.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The ticket says it has already been scanned">
    This means the code was checked in earlier. Usual causes:

    * **A forwarded screenshot.** Two people are holding the same ticket. Only one is the legitimate holder — check the name on the order against ID if the situation warrants it.
    * **A double scan.** The scanner registered the code twice in quick succession. If they were only just scanned, this is almost certainly it.
    * **Re-entry.** They left and came back. See below.

    Have a house rule and apply it consistently.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Someone has no ticket at all">
    Check the [guest list](/attendees/guest-list) for their name or the email they say they used. If they're there, they have a valid order and can be checked in manually — the ticket email just isn't reachable.

    If they can get to their email, [resending the ticket](/attendees/resend-a-ticket) puts a scannable code back in their hands in under a minute.

    If they aren't on the list, they don't have an order. Sell them one at the door if you're set up for it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="An attendee wants to leave and come back">
    TixFix records a check-in when the ticket is scanned, so a second scan of the same ticket reports as already scanned.

    Handle re-entry physically — a wristband, a stamp, or a marked list — rather than by rescanning. Brief your door team on this before doors open.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You have several entrances">
    Assign every door staff member to the same event and they all scan into the same record, so a ticket checked in at one entrance shows as scanned at the others. That's what stops the same ticket being used at two doors.

    Make sure each person is assigned to the event — see [Add a scanner](/scanning/add-a-scanner).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A scanner can't see the event">
    They haven't been assigned to it. An admin needs to open `Settings → User & Role`, click the pencil on that person's row, and add the event under `Select Events`.

    A new event is never automatically visible to existing scanners.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A device fails mid-queue">
    Any other assigned scanner can keep working — check-ins are recorded centrally, not per device.

    If you're down to no working device, fall back to the [guest list](/attendees/guest-list) on any signed-in phone and check names off manually, then reconcile afterwards.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Watching arrivals

The **Tickets Scanned** figure on your dashboard updates as people come through, shown against tickets sold. If it's flat ten minutes after doors, something is wrong with the door setup rather than the turnout.

More questions: [Scanning FAQ](/faq/scanning).

<Info>
  Still stuck? Email [contact@tixfix.ai](mailto:contact@tixfix.ai) with your event name and a screenshot.
</Info>