Everyday questions

Hide join, part, and quit messages

To change the setting across channels, open Preferences → Style and turn off Show general event messages. To change just one channel, select it, open Channel Properties with ⌘I, and enable Disable general event messages before saving.

Save chat logs

Open Preferences with ⌘,, then look under Advanced → Log Location to configure logging and choose where the files are saved. Logs contain conversation text, so choose a location you control and remember that encrypted conversations can still leave readable local logs when logging is enabled.

A channel stays gray and never joins

Select the connection's server console and look for the actual error. The channel might require registration, an invitation, a password, or access that your account or address does not have. Textual cannot override restrictions imposed by the network.

Identify with NickServ or SASL

Use the account credentials for the IRC network, not a Textual purchase or website account. The authentication guide explains the difference between your nickname, account name and server password.

Connect through a proxy

Open Server Properties with ⌘U, then find Proxy Server under Advanced. Configure the proxy for that connection and save it. A proxy configured in a browser does not automatically apply to Textual or to every connection in it.

Follow a friend's online status

The connection's Address Book, opened with ⌃2, can track users and produce online/offline notifications. This is not the same as a separate buddy-list window, and the availability of status information depends on the network.

Away status looks stale

The original documentation describes WHO polling and a WHO Command Maximum Channel Size setting under Preferences → Advanced → Flood Control. Large channels may be excluded to limit traffic. Network capabilities and the Textual version can also affect updates, so avoid raising polling limits indiscriminately on a busy network.

Textual disconnects when my Mac sleeps

A sleeping Mac cannot maintain an ordinary IRC connection. Read ZNC and staying connected for the difference between keeping the Mac awake and keeping a separate bouncer connected.

The network mentions identd

An ident request asks a separate service for connection identity information. Textual does not provide an ident daemon, and an IRC account password is not an ident response. Consult the network's instructions if it refuses the connection rather than running Textual with elevated privileges.

Find preferences, shortcuts, or commands

Use the preferences and backup guide, keyboard reference, or command guide. The original FAQ also preserves the less common, version-specific answers.