> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.supademo.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.supademo.com/troubleshooting/demo-playback-issues.md).

# Demo Playback Issues

Fix a Supademo that won't advance or feels slow: find the hotspot, account for browser autoplay rules, disable ad blockers, and isolate embedding issues.

A viewer opens your Supademo and it seems stuck: clicking doesn't move to the next step, hotspots don't react, audio doesn't start, or each step takes ages to load. In most cases the demo is fine — the viewer is clicking the wrong spot, a browser policy is delaying audio, or an extension or embed context is getting in the way. Here's how to tell which one you're dealing with, starting with the most likely.

## Common causes and fixes

1. **The viewer isn't clicking the hotspot.** Interactive demos advance when the hotspot — the pulsing marker or highlighted area — is clicked, not on clicks anywhere on the slide. Hotspots can also be configured to show only on hover, and HTML demos can use invisible hotspots mapped to specific areas. Fix: click directly on the marker or highlighted element. As a creator, if viewers keep stalling on a step, make that step's hotspot visible and add short hotspot text; see [hotspot options](/customize/hotspot.md).
2. **The browser is blocking audio until the first interaction.** Modern browsers block audio from auto-playing until the viewer interacts with the page, so a first-slide voiceover or background track staying silent doesn't mean the demo is frozen. Supademo plays the first slide's voiceover as soon as a hotspot is clicked. Fix: click any hotspot to unlock audio. As a creator, start your demo with a clickable hotspot or chapter on the first slide so viewers provide that interaction naturally.
3. **An ad blocker or privacy extension is interfering.** Script and tracker blockers can prevent the demo player from loading or responding. Fix: reload in an incognito window with extensions disabled. If that fixes it, allowlist `app.supademo.com` (or your custom demo domain) in the extension.
4. **The problem only happens in an embed.** If the demo misbehaves where it's embedded, open its direct share link. Working share link plus broken embed means the host page is the issue — commonly a container that's too small, or page elements overlapping the iframe and intercepting clicks. Fix: check the embed's sizing and layering against the [Embed guide](/share/embed.md), and see [Embedded demo not loading](https://docs.supademo.com/troubleshooting/embed-not-loading) if the frame is blank.
5. **Slow playback from network or demo size.** Demos with many steps (up to the 200-step maximum) or heavy video content take longer to load on slow connections. Fix: test on a stable connection and close bandwidth-heavy tabs. As a creator, keep individual demos focused — split long flows into shorter demos and combine them in a [Showcase](https://docs.supademo.com/share/multi-demo-sharing/showcase-collection).
6. **Conditional branching is routing viewers unexpectedly.** If the demo jumps to the "wrong" step rather than not advancing, a chapter's branching may point somewhere you didn't intend. Fix: review your [conditional branching](https://docs.supademo.com/customize/chapters/conditional-branching) settings in the editor and click through each path.
7. **A stale cache or outdated browser.** Fix: hard-refresh the page (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+R) and update to a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.

## Still not working?

Email [**support@supademo.com**](mailto:support@supademo.com) with the demo link, the step where playback breaks, the viewer's browser, and whether it reproduces in incognito. For usage questions, see the [FAQs](https://docs.supademo.com/welcome/faqs).