Cradle says I'm offline

If the Cradle desktop app is open on your screen but your presence dot says Offline, Cradle can't reach the rest of the service. This is fixable, and usually a quick fix.

Quick checks (try these first)

Open a web page in your browser. Visit cradle.io or any other site. If the browser can't load the page either, your internet is down. Fix the internet first.
Check status.cradle.io. If Cradle itself is having an issue, the status page will say so.
Quit Cradle and reopen it. A clean restart fixes a surprising number of stuck-offline cases.

If those three don't recover you, keep reading.

Most common cause: your internet has dropped

Cradle needs an internet connection at all times. The most frequent Offline trigger is the network going away for long enough that Cradle gave up trying.

Wi-Fi: glance at the Wi-Fi icon in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS). If it shows a connection issue, reconnect or move closer to the access point.
Ethernet: check the cable's still plugged in at both ends.
At home / in a co-working space: restart your router. A surprising number of "Cradle is offline" tickets resolve at the router.

Once your internet is back, Cradle should reconnect on its own within a few seconds. If it doesn't, quit and reopen the app.

Your VPN has dropped or changed routes

Corporate VPNs frequently drop and reconnect during the day. When they do, Cradle's connection can stay confused even after the VPN is back.

Disconnect the VPN, wait a few seconds, then reconnect. Cradle should pick up the new route.
If you don't strictly need the VPN to make calls, leave it off for calls. Some VPN configurations make call audio worse, not better. See Cradle with a VPN for the full picture.

If you're inside a corporate VPN and you've never managed to connect from outside the office, your IT team may need to whitelist the connections Cradle uses. Point them at General networking guidelines.

Offline detection has set you offline automatically

Cradle has an Offline detection setting that automatically puts you on Offline when the app loses its internet connection, when your computer sleeps, or when you quit the app. This is on by default and it's usually doing you a favour, but it can leave you stuck on Offline if the trigger fired and Cradle hasn't realised the network is back.

To check or change the setting:

Open the settings screen in the Cradle desktop app.
Find Offline detection in the presence panel.
Toggle it off temporarily if you want to override it, or leave it on and manually set your presence back to Available.

See Setting your status for more on the automatic settings.

You woke your computer from sleep

If you opened your laptop and the Offline label was already there when Cradle loaded, the app is probably still working through the wake-up. Network reconnection isn't instant.

Give it 10 to 30 seconds. Cradle should flip to Available automatically once it has a steady connection.
If it doesn't, quit and reopen Cradle. The cleanest reset after a long sleep.

A second device of yours has gone offline

Presence is one state per Cradle account, so if you're signed in on another computer or your phone and that device has lost its network, the Offline state can ride along.

Check the device you're not on (your home laptop, your phone). If Cradle is open there and shows offline, recover it or quit the app there.
See Signing in on multiple devices for how multi-device presence works.

Diagnose by platform

Windows

Check the Wi-Fi / network icon in the system tray. A globe or exclamation mark indicates limited connectivity.
Open Settings → Network & Internet and confirm you're on the network you expect.
If you've recently changed network adapters (docking station, USB ethernet adapter), unplug it, restart Cradle, and plug it back in.

macOS

Check the Wi-Fi or ethernet icon in the menu bar. A grey or struck-through icon means no connection.
Open System Settings → Network and confirm you're on the network you expect.
macOS sometimes hangs on captive-portal Wi-Fi (hotels, conferences). See Cradle on hotel Wi-Fi.

Linux

Check your distro's network indicator in the panel.
If you use NetworkManager, run nmcli connection show from a terminal to confirm the active connection.
Cradle on Linux relies on the desktop environment's secret-service to reconnect cleanly. If you've just unlocked a fresh GNOME Keyring or KWallet, restart Cradle.

Still stuck?

If your internet is good, Cradle isn't showing an issue on status.cradle.io, your VPN is fine, and Cradle still says you're offline:

Note the time it started.
Take a screenshot of the Offline label and the rest of the Cradle window.
Email help@cradle.io with your work email, OS, and the screenshot.
Cradle support is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm New Zealand time.