Troubleshoot Flashcard Factory

If Flashcard Factory won’t load, students can’t join, or an export to Gimkit fails, this article covers the most common causes and fixes. Both teachers and students must sign in with a Google account to use Flashcard Factory. For a walkthrough of running a game from start to finish, see Use the Flashcard Factory.

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If Students Can’t Join

Students join Flashcard Factory at joinpd.com using the session code displayed on your Projector View. If students are seeing an error or can’t get past the join screen, check the following.

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Confirm the Join Code Is Correct

The join code is displayed on the Projector View during the join phase. Verify that students are entering the exact code shown, including all 6 characters. Codes are case-insensitive, but a transposed character is the most common cause of join errors.

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Check That the Session Is Still in the Join Phase

Once you click Let’s Play and move into the Production Phase, students can still join using the code shown in the bottom-left corner of your Production Phase view. Students who join after Clock in work independently rather than in pairs. If you have already moved past the join phase and the code is no longer visible, reopen the session from your Sessions menu and share the join code again.

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Verify That Students Are Signing In with Google

Flashcard Factory requires a Google account. Students who attempt to join without signing in, or who have multiple accounts and select a non-Google account, will see an error on the join screen. Ask students to:

1. Go to joinpd.com and enter the join code.
2. When prompted, select Sign in with Google.
3. Choose the Google account associated with their school.

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Check Browser and Cookie Settings

Flashcard Factory runs in the browser. Students using browsers with third-party cookies blocked may not be able to complete sign-in. Chrome is recommended. If students are on a school-managed device, confirm with your IT admin that cookies are allowed for joinpd.com and peardeck.com.

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If Flashcard Factory Won’t Load

If the game fails to load on your screen or a student’s screen, try the following steps.

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Refresh and Try Again

Close the Flashcard Factory tab and reopen it. Most loading errors are transient network issues that resolve on a refresh.

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Clear the Browser Cache

If the game loads a blank screen or shows a spinner that doesn’t resolve:

1. Open a new Chrome window.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac).
3. Set the time range to All time and select Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data.
4. Click Clear data.
5. Reload Pear Deck Home and reopen the game.

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Disable Conflicting Extensions

Browser extensions, particularly ad blockers and privacy tools, can interfere with the Flashcard Factory interface. Try opening Pear Deck in a Chrome Incognito window to rule out extension conflicts. If the game loads correctly in Incognito, disable extensions one at a time to identify the conflict.

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Check the Network Connection

Flashcard Factory requires a stable internet connection. Ask students experiencing load failures to check their connection. On school networks, confirm that peardeck.com and joinpd.com are not blocked at the network level. When the game loads correctly, the Flashcard Factory join screen appears with your session code and student count visible.

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If the Export to Gimkit Fails

You can export your final flashcard set to Gimkit from the Shipping Phase. If the export isn’t working, here’s what to check.

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Confirm You Are in the Shipping Phase

The Export to Gimkit option is only available in the Shipping Phase. If you do not see it, navigate there:

1. In Flashcard Factory, click Quality Control if you have not reviewed cards yet.
2. After reviewing all cards, navigate to Shipping to enter the Shipping Phase.
3. In the Shipping Phase, click Print Set or Export to Gimkit Live.
4. Select Export to Gimkit from the window that opens.

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Check That the Gimkit Connection Is Active

Pear Deck publishes the set to a Gimkit account linked to your Pear Deck account. If the export fails or produces an error:

• Confirm you are signed in to Pear Deck with your Google account.
• Try the export again. Transient errors during publish are common if Gimkit’s servers are temporarily slow to respond.
• If the error persists, open Gimkit in a new tab to confirm the site is accessible from your network.

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Understand What Gets Exported

When you export a set to Gimkit through Pear Deck, the set lives in the Pear Deck account and is always available to replay at no cost. If a student or teacher copies the set to a personal Gimkit account, it counts toward the 5-kit limit on the Gimkit Free plan. If students report they cannot access the Gimkit link, confirm they have a Gimkit account. New Gimkit users need to create a free account before playing.

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Print as a Fallback

If the Gimkit export is not working and you need to move forward, click Print Set from the Shipping Phase. The print menu opens a formatted flashcard set you can distribute physically or save as a PDF.

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If a Session Crashes or Freezes

Flashcard Factory sessions are saved automatically. If your browser crashes, the tab closes unexpectedly, or the game freezes mid-session, you can recover the session without losing student work.

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Reopen the Session from Your Sessions Menu

1. Go to Pear Deck Home.
2. Open the Sessions menu.
3. Locate the session and click to reopen it.
4. Share the join code with students. Students go to joinpd.com, sign in, and rejoin using the code shown in the bottom-left corner of your Production Phase view.

Cards that students already submitted are preserved. Students can pick up where they left off on any unfinished terms. When students rejoin successfully, their names reappear in the Production Phase view and new card submissions resume on your Projector View.

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Restart if Cards Are Corrupted

If the session reopens but cards appear missing or the interface is not responding correctly, start a new session using the same Vocabulary List. Previous sessions are saved separately and will not be overwritten. You can start an unlimited number of sessions from the same list.

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If the Quality Control Phase Freezes

If the game freezes during Quality Control, refresh the browser tab. Your approval decisions up to that point are saved. After refreshing, navigate back to Quality Control and continue reviewing from where you left off.

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If Students Are Missing from the Game

If students are missing from the game, not appearing in your Production Phase view, or your class list isn’t loading correctly, check the following.

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Students Joined After Clock In

Students who join after you click Clock in are not added to an existing pair. They work independently on cards for the remaining terms. Their submissions still appear in Quality Control. If you want all students paired, wait for the full class to join before clicking Clock in. The Join Code stays visible at the bottom of the screen throughout the game.

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Students Are Not Appearing in Quality Control

If a student’s cards are not showing up in Quality Control, the student may not have submitted any cards. Cards move to Quality Control only after the student clicks Ship it. Ask those students to confirm they completed and submitted their cards during the Production Phase.

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Class List Is Not Loading

If the Flashcard Factory game shows an empty class list or fails to display your students:

1. Confirm you are signed in to Pear Deck with the correct Google account, the one associated with your classes.
2. Return to Pear Deck Home and reload the page.
3. Reopen the Vocabulary List and start a new session.

If your class list regularly fails to load, contact Pear Deck support. Include your Google account email and the names of the affected classes.

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Still Having Trouble

If none of the steps above resolve your issue, contact Pear Deck support. Include:

• Your Google account email
• The session ID (visible in the URL of your Flashcard Factory session)
• A description of the error message or behavior you’re seeing