Troubleshooting & FAQ

Use this page as a starting point.

If the problem belongs to one feature, also open that feature's dedicated guide.

Aniki shows "ANIKI HELPER REQUIRED"

This is the theme's requirement screen, not the First Setup Assistant.

1. Select Install Aniki Helper on the screen.
2. Let Playnite install it.
3. Restart Playnite.
4. Return to Fullscreen.

▧

IMAGE TO ADDANIKI HELPER REQUIRED screen with Install Aniki Helper button.images/troubleshooting-and-faq-01.png

If direct installation fails:

1. Open Playnite Desktop.
2. Press F9.
3. Open Browse → Generic.
4. Search for Aniki Helper.
5. Install it manually.
6. Restart Playnite.

Aniki says Aniki Helper needs an update

1. Select Update Aniki Helper on the warning screen.
2. Restart Playnite after the update.

If it cannot update:

1. Open Desktop mode.
2. Press F9.
3. Check Updates.
4. Update Playnite itself if the newest Helper requires a newer Playnite build.
5. Update Aniki Helper.
6. Restart.

I cannot find a setting

It changes how Aniki looks

Open:

Fullscreen → Start / Menu → Settings → Customization

It configures an Aniki feature

Open:

Desktop → F9 → Extension settings → Generic → Aniki Helper

It changes one game only

Try:

• Fullscreen: select game → Y → Extensions → Aniki Helper
• Desktop: right-click game → Aniki Helper

Aniki says "Unsupported layout settings"

The selected columns/rows do not match the cover format.

Open:

Fullscreen → Start / Menu → Settings → Layout

Supported ranges are:

• Standard covers: 6–10 columns and 1–2 rows.
• Square covers: 5–9 columns and 2 rows.
• Banner / hero covers: 2–4 columns and 2–3 rows.

If the cover shape itself is wrong, change Playnite's aspect ratio instead:

Desktop → Settings → Appearance → Grid View → Target aspect ratio

Use one of Playnite's normal aspect-ratio presets.

I changed the Visual Pack but the Library still uses game backgrounds

Selecting a Visual Pack and selecting the Library background source are two different settings.

1. Open Settings → Customization → Backgrounds and Videos.
2. Change Main library background to the Visual Pack mode.

See Backgrounds & Visual Packs.

No background appears in the Library

Check:

1. Does the game have a Playnite Background Image?
2. Is Main library background set to Game Backgrounds, Visual Pack or another real source instead of None?
3. If using filter backgrounds, is the custom folder configured and is the filename correct?

See Artwork & Metadata.

Logos do not appear

Check:

1. Extra Metadata Loader is installed.
2. Extra Metadata Fullscreen Mode Helper is installed.
3. Logos are enabled in Extra Metadata Loader.
4. The game actually has a logo.
5. Try the Aniki recommended logo size limits: 600 × 320.
6. Enable automatic logo downloads on library update if desired.
7. Download the affected game's logo manually.

See Logos & Trailers.

Trailers cause stutter when changing games

First test:

1. Open Extra Metadata Loader → Videos.
2. Disable Stream Steam videos on demand.
3. Prefer downloaded/local trailers.
4. Test Aniki with trailers enabled only in Game Details.

If navigation is still slow, see:

Performance & Recommended Settings.

Trailers do not play

Check:

1. Extra Metadata Loader and its Fullscreen Mode Helper are installed.
2. The game has a compatible local video or an available configured video source.
3. Aniki trailers are enabled for the current view.
4. FFmpeg/FFprobe/yt-dlp paths are configured if the download action needs them.

No Playnite videos work at all

If all Playnite videos fail to play — for example trailers, login videos and video backgrounds — the problem is usually related to Windows media playback rather than Aniki ReMake itself.

Follow these checks in order.

1. Check your Windows edition

Open:

Settings → System → About → Windows specifications

Look at Edition.

Windows N editions

If the edition contains an N, such as Windows 10 Pro N or Windows 11 Pro N, Windows does not include all of the media technologies used by applications for video playback.

Install Microsoft's official Media Feature Pack:

Media Feature Pack for Windows N — Microsoft Support

Install it from Windows Optional Features, then restart Windows.

Normal Windows editions

If you are using a normal edition such as Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro, you should not need the Media Feature Pack. The normal Windows media components should already be available.

2. Check Media Features and Windows Media Player

1. Press Win + R.
2. Enter appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
3. Click Turn Windows features on or off.
4. Verify that Media Features is enabled.
5. Expand it and verify that Windows Media Player is enabled if it is listed.
6. If you change anything, click OK and restart Windows.

If Media Features or Windows Media Player are missing, or Windows refuses to install them, the Windows media components may have been removed, modified or corrupted.

3. Test the same video with a Windows media player

Try opening the same MP4 trailer with Movies & TV or Windows Media Player.

If the video also fails in a Windows media application, the issue is most likely on the Windows / codec side rather than in Aniki ReMake.

4. Check the video codec

An .mp4 file is only a container. The video inside can use different codecs.

In VLC, open:

Tools → Codec Information

For the best compatibility with Playnite, prefer H.264 / AVC video in an MP4 container.

If only one or a few trailers fail while other Playnite videos work, the problem is more likely the codec or the individual video file than Windows itself.

5. Repair Windows components

If Windows Media Player is missing, refuses to install, or Windows media playback appears broken, open Command Prompt / Terminal as Administrator and run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

When it finishes, run:

sfc /scannow

Restart Windows afterward and test Playnite again.

If you are using a modified or debloated Windows build, required media components may have been intentionally removed.

6. K-Lite Codec Pack / Media Foundation fix

If the Windows media components are present but video playback still fails, you can also try K-Lite Codec Pack Standard. Restart Windows after installation and test Playnite again.

If K-Lite is already installed, or installing it does not fix MP4 playback in Extra Metadata Loader, there is a documented Media Foundation workaround that has fixed the problem for some users.

1. Open Codec Tweak Tool included with K-Lite.
2. Open Media Foundation.
3. Disable Media Foundation for .mp4.
4. Try the 32-bit setting first.
5. If the issue remains, try the 64-bit setting as well.
6. Apply the change and restart Playnite.

Extra Metadata Loader — Video troubleshooting

Quick diagnosis

• Only one or a few trailers fail: check the video codec and the trailer file first.
• Trailers fail but other Aniki videos work: check Extra Metadata Loader, its Fullscreen Mode Helper and the K-Lite / Media Foundation workaround above.
• No Playnite videos work at all: check Windows media components.
• Windows N: install the Media Feature Pack.
• Normal Windows + Windows Media Player missing or broken: repair Windows with DISM and SFC.
• The video works only in VLC: Windows may still be missing or failing to use the media component Playnite needs.

HowLongToBeat text is cut

If you use the HowLongToBeat add-on and long values such as hours + minutes are clipped in a compact Aniki layout:

1. Open Playnite Desktop.
2. Press F9.
3. Open the HowLongToBeat add-on settings.
4. Open its Appearance options.
5. Choose a shorter / hours-only time format if your installed HowLongToBeat version provides it.
6. Save and return to Fullscreen.

A value such as 46h uses less horizontal space than 45h 48min.

Dynamic Colors do not update

The current Aniki Helper uses the game's Playnite Background Image, with the Cover Image as fallback.

Check:

1. the game has a usable Background or Cover;
2. the image is JPG/JPEG/PNG/BMP/WEBP;
3. the image is not just a tiny thumbnail;
4. Dynamic Colors is selected in Theme Color.

Then reset:

Aniki Helper → Advanced → Color processing → Reset color cache

See Dynamic Colors, News & Statistics.

Splash Screen disappears too quickly

1. Open Splash Screen settings.
2. Check Minimum display duration.
3. Check whether that game has a custom per-game timer.
4. Consider Auto-detect when the game window is ready.

A per-game timer overrides the global minimum.

One game has the wrong Splash Screen duration

Reset its override:

Game Options / right-click → Aniki Helper → Splash Screen → Reset minimum timer for this game

I want one Splash Screen timer for an entire platform

Current custom duration overrides are per game.

Platform/source configuration changes which splash media is used, not one shared platform timer.

Overlay does not appear over a game

Try:

• borderless fullscreen;
• windowed fullscreen.

Exclusive fullscreen, anti-cheat and elevated/admin games can prevent the Aniki Overlay from appearing correctly.

Game reacts to buttons while the Overlay is open

For compatible offline/single-player games:

1. Open Aniki Helper → Exclusive Features → In-game overlay.
2. Set behavior to Suspend game while overlay is open.

Do not suspend online, multiplayer, anti-cheat or elevated games.

Use per-game Never Suspend exceptions where needed.

Aniki Web Browser says WebView2 is missing

Download Microsoft's official runtime:

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime

Use the Evergreen Bootstrapper, run it, then restart Playnite.

See Keyboard, Mouse & Web Browser for the complete steps.

Controller Guide shortcut does not work

The Guide button can be intercepted by:

• Steam;
• Xbox Game Bar;
• Windows;
• controller/remapping utilities.

Use another Aniki shortcut if Guide is unreliable.

Steam Friends / Store / wishlist stop working together

Check the shared Steam session:

1. Open Aniki Helper → Steam → Account.
2. Click Check connection.
3. Reconnect if needed.

Steam login repeatedly refreshes

Use Aniki Helper's Clear web cache and restart repair action in the Steam Account page.

This can sign browser-based integrations out, so use it only when the login flow is actually broken.

Friends played data is outdated

Run:

Aniki Helper → Steam → Friends → Refresh friends played games

Achievements are missing/outdated

1. Confirm PlayniteAchievements is installed/configured.
2. Rebuild Achievement Memories in Aniki Helper.
3. If only one game is wrong, use that game's refresh action.

Screenshots are missing

Check:

1. the screenshot provider can see the files;
2. the correct provider is selected in Aniki Helper;
3. Screenshot Utilities Local Provider is present when using that setup;
4. Aniki thumbnails were generated.

Video Center has no thumbnails

Check ffmpeg.exe in:

Aniki Helper → Video Center → General

Then rebuild/clear thumbnails if needed.

Video Center chapter features are missing

Check ffprobe.exe.

The video must also contain useful chapter information.

Movie artwork does not download

Movie scraping uses TMDB and requires your TMDB API Read Access Token.

TV and Anime providers do not require your own API key.

Network location does not open in Video Center

Test the same UNC path in Windows File Explorer.

Windows must already be able to access it. Aniki Helper does not store network credentials.

Navigation is not smooth

Do not randomly disable everything.

Use the dedicated checklist:

Performance & Recommended Settings

It covers Aniki effects, Playnite asynchronous image loading, image scaler, blur, smooth scrolling, Extra Metadata streaming/logo effects, GPU selection and VRR.

I want to report a bug

Create a clean log:

1. Open Aniki Helper → Advanced → Diagnostics.
2. Clear the current log.
3. Enable Debug Mode.
4. Reproduce the issue once.
5. Send extensions.log.
6. Disable Debug Mode afterward.

Include:

• what you expected;
• what happened;
• whether it happens every time;
• the affected game/feature;
• screenshots or a short video when they help.