Critical Bug IMO: Any-Block & MD Import to a new laptop of 1.8k Images stuck in the "spinner loading" - Also functionally bricks clipboard image pasting - As of 29.06.26: Solution found to my problem with the sync-mode option, but the bug is not fixed yet

[Marko1]

Reference to a similar post:

I have checked for similar posts but it has not occurred to me yet to check for the most recent ones to see if they are similar. Here is one that I have found after creating my bug report from 20.06.26: Import space from Any Block does not work

WHAT IS THE BUG

The Any-Block and Markdown imports (Both zipped) do not import my images at all and instead shows a spinner-loading-symbol for every image, but more on how it looks like down below. I imported files once from a 0.50.5 version from my old PC to my new laptop and then I imported the currently newest as of 24.06.26 of the 0.55.5.

Happened from a import of my-old-PC-Anytype-version that I updated to 0.55.5, as well. After that it happened once with a Protobuf file version import, as well.

When leaving an object open instead of the graph view, I also get this:

Important side notes:

Functionally bricked by not being able to copy images into my pages anymore from my clipboard, since these are stuck in the spinner-loading there, next to all the spinners of my imported images.

I cannot download images from inside Anytype either while this bug is going on.

HOW TO REPRODUCE IT

Import the Any-Block file, worth ca. 800MB with 1.8k images like mine onto a new PC or laptop.

If it makes a difference, try it out going from a Windows 10 PC to a new laptop Windows 11 like in my case.

If you need it, just ask me to transfer my files over to you. I am more than willing to do that.

THE EXPECTED BEHAVIOR

To finish the import with all images being loaded up everywhere, from the graph to the objects themselves.

And that has to happen without receving an “internal error”-message at the end of an import indicating that something must have gone wrong according to the Anytype programme like it did in my case every time.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT
I guess the images are stuck in a loading screen and have not said yet that they cannot be shown at all or something except for some images, but I do not know, how long they will stay in loading for now. Sometimes, this “image is broken”-image-error-message disappears and returns to just the spinner symbol after switching back and forth from the graph to the object view.

If you want, I can provide my entire set of import files, so you do not have to create anything new and have to guess. I would just want this issue to end, as this is a functional brick to my Anytype eco system, since I cannot probably paste new images going forward.

Here is how my graph looks sometimes, or in this case, when it does manage to load up the thumbnails:

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Laptop Windows 11 0.55.5:

OS version: win32 x64 10.0.26100
App version: 0.55.5
Build number: build on 2026-06-02 16:45:57 +0000 UTC at #5e888f1b9b8590575ea81da218e95c472daf0fdf
Library version: v0.50.8
Anytype Identity: A94TM36UNnjTyse6kbdjMtrVvAAwdm9PiXPqGAsNRZDRDHVX
Analytics ID: McaGbp6xBwxfajW6c8yyaXus3Qs9uL3Gwn8yPi3YhcXR51a4
Device ID: 12D3KooWJJZKvWmi9xSjAwLhfMB3oUY9WNviG4CUytnAMrTjyu5T
Ethereum Address: 0xED58E84A0fA288ED4eA18b02BD4E63D48A9AcE59

Desktop Windows 10 0.55.5:

OS version: win32 x64 10.0.19045
App version: 0.55.5
Build number: build on 2026-06-02 16:45:57 +0000 UTC at #5e888f1b9b8590575ea81da218e95c472daf0fdf
Library version: v0.50.8
Anytype Identity: A9PQPvQpzhsrVyafe24nvET3bv22p7oqxD7hbPL7cNpMJHjS
Analytics ID: 2bbf91ec-c93f-4d06-bc06-d08333532669
Device ID: 12D3KooWQK63JqzVq9TbgwX7ZKiZqP5zwwLY956M46ERMKCmJWTk
Ethereum Address: 0xA9BDb06D615AF513F598F68753Ec36eB7454E4ee

[kaye]

Can I confirm that you’re in local-only mode? You’ve tagged this post as such, but it’s important to confirm.

Additionally, is your issue potentially related to this one about different devices uploading the files?

[Marko1]

1. Imports from Sync-Mode and Local-Only Mode:

Oh wow. I did not consider that.

I did test it out with a local-only-mode export of my AnyBlock and MD of my old Windows 10 PC. But then after updating the old PC to 0.55.5, it automatically put itself into sync-mode. I exported my Any-Block files from there, too.

In both instances, I get the bug as described in my original post.

Does that help you out?

2. Checking if the files from a Sync-Mode and Local-Only Mode from my old PC on 0.55.5 Version of Anytype can be previewed (Got the idea after reading Tznumai’s post that you linked)

I mean when I checked the file amount, it was the same from an export of my old PC, whether it was done in Anytype-sync mode or local-only mode.

So, I unzipped the exports and both exports showed 1.828k files and a semi-random sample of it (scrolling through the folder list) and checking 1-2 image previews after each scroll of shows that 100% of the previews showed my images.

Do you want to to test an import of either of these AnyBlock exports on my new Windows 11 laptop?

3. Comments to your linked post of Tznumai:

I am not versed in all the Anytype language, but local-only means offline right? I have checked out your linked post and the user Tznumai said that he did it local-only, but with a P2P connection.

I had 0 P2P connections for any of my imports.

Should I remove the local-only tag?

I am definitely not technically versed as Tznumai in PCs and connections, so Tznumai’s explanation were hard to follow, but on first read, his “Why synced media specifically is affected if both devices arent connected”-section should not be connected to my problems.

But given Tznumai’s explanations, his quote of “The moment the peer is offline, unreachable, or the sync link is down, the export silently drops every file that was not already fully cached locally.” kind of resonates with me. But that is just a feeling as a computer layman.

I have not tried his workaround yet. Should I do that?

4. Some more comments

I was about to say that I cannot gamble on a method to save my digital house from burning down, but I think it makes logical sense that I cannot burn it down, if I just try Tznumai’s workaround on a new computer like my laptop. Because one can reinstall Anytype again on the new laptop, if something happens.

I hope I am not wrong in this logic, because I really cannot afford to make any mistakes here.

I already felt like logging out of Anytype and back in to change connection mode (local only and sync) was too much of a risk, because I think I remember having issues once 2 years ago. where my Space did not show up and I have to import files at the time on the same old PC, luckily working back then. I don’t know if these 2 events of logging back in and not finding my space happened together. The details of that moment are kind of fuzzy, unless you want to know more about it.

[Marko1]

P.S.

Unless my sample of showing 100% of the images in preview were just survivor-ship-biased and the missings ones are actually missing, which feel like they could be connected to Tznumai’s post.

Do you want me to locate at least 5-10 images that I know show up in my Anytype of my old PC and then check, if they exist inside 1 export folder?

[Marko1]

Should I also try out to use your subscription to import over all my files over the sync network that way?

I kind of do not want to risk that option, if I accidentally change something on my new laptop and then introduce some device-sync issues.

[atmos]

Hi Marko1, I’m Tznumai (atmos is a new account because I forgot my password). Kaye linked my export bug report, and you had some questions about it. Let me clear up the confusion.

First, some basics about how Anytype connects:

• Anytype Network (default mode): Your data syncs through Anytype’s servers. They’re encrypted so Anytype can’t read your content. Like a gym locker you hold the key to, but the gym knows you’re there. I assume “sync mode” for you means Anytype network or just Anytype.
• Self-hosted: Same as above but you run your own server.
• Local-only: No server at all. Your data stays on your device, or syncs directly between your own devices over local Wi-Fi. Like keeping the locker at home.
• P2P connection: This means two of your devices talking to each other directly over Wi-Fi, no server involved. In local-only mode, this is how your phone and laptop would share data. You had zero P2P connections, which means your devices were never directly connected to each other.

You can check which mode youre on like this:

---

Linux is an operating system, like Windows or macOS, but it’s free and open-source. My bug reports were tested on a Linux laptop (Arch Linux, running the Flathub/Flatpak version of Anytype), not Windows. The bugs I found are in Anytype’s core engine, which might be same across all platforms, so they might affect Windows too.

About the connection between my bug reports and your problem:

My export bug report (the one kaye linked) is specifically about this scenario: you upload images on device A (say, your Android phone), those images sync to device B (your desktop), and then you export from device B. Some images that came from the phone might be missing from the export zip, even though they’re displayed fine in the app. The reason is that the app shows images by fetching them on-demand, but the export tool doesn’t wait for that fetch to finish. It just skips files it can’t read immediately and reports success.

Your problem is different. You exported from your old PC and all files are in the zip (you verified this). Your problem is that after importing into your new laptop, images are stuck in spinner mode. So your export worked, but the import/display is broken.

These are two separate bugs in the same family: Anytype’s file handling was built assuming a network is always available, and when it isn’t, different parts break in different ways.

About the quote that resonated with you (“the moment the peer is offline, the export silently drops every file that was not already fully cached locally”): that’s about the export bug, not your import problem. In your case, the export worked. All files are in the zip. Your issue is on the import and display side. So that specific quote doesn’t apply to your situation.

About your question “local-only means offline right?”: Local-only means no server. It doesn’t mean offline. You can be in local-only mode and still have Wi-Fi or cellular. Your devices can sync with each other over local Wi-Fi in local-only mode. “Offline” means no network at all, which can happen in any mode.

About whether you should remove the local-only tag: Your problem happens in both sync mode and local-only mode (you tested both). The tag is appropriate if you were using local-only when you encountered it, but the core issue isn’t specific to local-only. Keep the tag if you were in local-only, but know that it’s not the root cause.

About whether you should try my workaround: My workaround is for Android only. It uses an app called RethinkDNS to create a fake network interface that tricks Anytype’s media loading into working when you’re completely offline in local only mode. It doesn’t apply to your Windows laptop scenario. Your import issue is a different problem.

For reference, the workaround was tested on:

• Android version: 33 (Android 13)
• App version: 0.47.3
• Build number: 4703
• Library version: 0.50.8

About the risk of logging out and back in: I understand the fear. If your space doesn’t show up after logging back in, that’s a known issue. The safe approach is to make sure you have a verified export before logging out. You already did that, so you have a backup.

About using the sync network to import your files: This is actually a reasonable idea. If you switch to Anytype Network mode on both computers, the files would sync through the network instead of relying on import. The risk of “introducing device-sync issues” is low because you’re starting fresh on the new laptop. If something goes wrong, you can always wipe the new laptop’s Anytype data and start over. You can’t break the old PC’s data by syncing. You also must keep a backup of the exported zip if you are experimenting like this, so keep always a backup of the zip. Best is to make a copy of the original zip as backup.

One more thing about the export bug that kaye linked: the export only fails for images that came from a different device. If you uploaded all your images on the same computer you’re exporting from, the export should be complete. The problem is specifically when images were uploaded on device A, synced to device B, and then you export from device B. Device B might display the images fine (because it fetched them on-demand), but the export tool can’t read the actual image files because they were never fully saved to device B’s local storage.

I hope that clears things up. Ask if anything is still confusing.

---

Export bug:

Space export silently drops synced images and media from the backup zip in local only mode

Severity: Critical — This bug silently produces incomplete backups. The export dialog shows every option enabled, the export finishes with a success message, the resulting zip looks normal at first glance, but the files folder inside is missing media that is clearly visible inside the app. There is no warning, no error, no failed file count, nothing. A user who trusts this export as a backup will only discover the gap when they try to restore. Because the operation is presented as successful and…

Media local only bug:

Local-only mode: images and media fail to load offline on android

Severity: Critical — This bug defeats the core promise of Local-only mode (fully offline, self-contained operation). Users who rely on Local-only mode for privacy, travel, or poor-connectivity environments lose access to their own locally-stored media whenever the device has no “online” network. The cross-device variant additionally causes silent data-visibility gaps: sync status reports “Connected” while newly-uploaded media remains invisible until a manual app restart, which can easily be mist…

[kaye]

Great post from @atmos, thanks for taking the time to chime in to help out a fellow community member. Love it.

• If you’re able to sync your vault onto multiple devices.
• If you’re able to export your space and import it successfully into a fresh vault/account.
• Then your account’s data should definitely be safe. It’s just a matter of figuring out what’s going.

One other point that may be missing here, are you sure you’re not hitting your remote storage limits?

[Marko1]

I appreciate your very thoughtful response and your help to help me understand what you were describing in your bug report and the differences between yours and mine!

Thank you for answering my questions, as well. That is much appreicated!

Hopefully I can give it my best in helping out the Anytype team in providing information to this bug.

Definition of local-only-mode
Oh okay. Yeah in my case, when I was on local-only mode, I have never built a setup, where they devices could sync locally on local WiFi either.

All my flies were created in local-only mode on my old PC and then only exported and then imported to my new laptop.

Regarding your workaround:

Oh, I see. Unfortunate that this does not work, but also shows all readers here, that this was my maximum tech-ability to understand you Tznumai. I reckon that as a support-bug-fixer that one needs to know how good the bug reporter is, so we can all understand each other easily.

Now that you mention it - " Your quote: , that’s a known issue. The safe approach is to make sure you have a verified export before logging out. You already did that, so you have a backup." . I literally made a backup before this log out - log in-space-removal- bug happened. I got so lucky that day.

Regarding your comments on using the sync network:

Right your makes sense. I will do that on the one hand.

On the other hand, I will also consider using Obsidian in the meantime on top of it. Absolutely nothing against Anytype from a user point of view, but as soon as my digital house can crumble this easily like in my case on certain key bugs, then I need to make sure that I can back it up by even using other software at this point.

Maybe that is good to know as a developer of these 2nd brain apps or digital houses, because if you product creators know what is at stake, maybe that can help you allocate the resources better to avoiding these bugs. Absolutely easier said than done. I am aware of the small and volunteer team size, so even knowing this 2nd-brain and house-reality it can be exceedingly hard. I commend you from Anytype for trying, though!

But Anytype let me create a very pretty house according to my needs, so I hope that you, @kaye, know that you have created something very nice on your end!

[Marko1]

@kaye

One other point that may be missing here, are you sure you’re not hitting your remote storage limits?

I have not tried the sync over Anytypes network yet. I will probably do that across the next 2 days or so and let you know, if importing my space from my old PC to my new laptop works that way.

[Marko1]

P.S. to my answer to Tznumai:

Regarding the topic of keeping the 2nd brain/ digital house intact when you move it with exports/imports: I mean, I could myself not consider that the action of proper exports and imports working and sync becomes so much more important than I realised 3 years ago when starting off with Anytype.

I am usually a guy who backs up stuff of my passwords and important files manually and automatically constantly on my PC. But to see how that there are these unforseen potential bugs that I as a normal Windows user did not have to experience or even guess like one would do for 2nd brain/digital-house-software, was not something on my mental radar.

Like I do not know good the export/import-safety is of any other 2nd brain/digital-house-software out there, but now that is something to consider in my case as a user of this type of software.

[Marko1]

Yes, as you guessed correctly. I did hit my free limit of 100MB of remote storage.

Update from 25.06.26-26.06.26

Also the image in my original post that shows “Image is broken” text, still shows up after letting my new laptop on for the entire day yesterday while Anytype was turned on. The spinner is also layered on top of that text.

I turned my laptop off at the end of yesterday (25.06.26), turned it back on for today’s daily activities (26.06.26) and after some time of like 10-30 or 60 minutes (not tracked), the same images as shown in my original post show again “Image is broken” with the spinner again layered on top.

[Marko1]

I managed to successfully retrieve the images on my new laptop after setting up the sync-mode. I went through all of the objects that I would use and the spinner-symbol only showed up for up to a couple of seconds at most for expected loading times.

But in the end, every image was able to load! So my problem is fixed as of now. Thanks again for the help on this problem @atmos and @Kay !

But I wonder if I can help you out with fixing the bug on your end in some way.

[kaye]

@Marko1 I’m glad you had this resolved. The information shared in this thread is already very helpful, so thanks for documenting that.