Quick answer
First confirm you're online and, if you use one, that your VPN is connected — BigHand needs to reach its server. Then sign out and back in to refresh your session, and fully restart the app. If sign-in still fails right after a password change, give it a few minutes to synchronise. If it stays offline on one PC when others work, a firewall or proxy is likely blocking BigHand and your IT team needs to allow it.
WHY IT HAPPENS
It's almost always the connection.
BigHand isn't a standalone app — the desktop client constantly talks to the BigHand server or cloud to check who you are and to send dictations into the workflow. When it can't make that connection, you see it as "offline", a rejected log-in, or dictations that never sync. The usual causes are a dropped internet or VPN connection, a recent password change that hasn't synchronised through to BigHand yet, or a firewall or proxy quietly blocking the app. Reassuringly, any dictations you've already recorded are held safely on your PC and will send once the connection is restored.
THE FIX
Work through these in order.
- Confirm you're actually onlineOpen a website in your browser. If nothing loads, sort your internet or Wi-Fi first — BigHand can't sign in or sync without a working connection.
- Check your VPNMany firms only allow BigHand to reach its server over the company VPN. If you're working remotely, make sure the VPN is connected before opening BigHand, then try signing in again.
- Sign out and back inSign out of BigHand and sign back in with your current details. This refreshes your session and clears a stale connection that's showing you as offline.
- Wait after a password changeIf you've just changed your Windows or network password and BigHand won't accept it, the new password may not have synchronised through yet. Give it a few minutes, then try again — this resolves a surprising number of "wrong password" errors.
- Fully restart the app and PCClose BigHand completely and reopen it. If it's still offline, restart the whole computer — this restarts the background BigHand service that handles the server connection and sync.
- Check whether it's just youAsk a colleague if BigHand is working for them. If everyone's affected, it's likely a server-side or network-wide issue; if it's only your machine, the problem is local — carry on to the next step.
- Rule out a firewall or proxy blockIf one PC stays offline while others are fine, security software, a firewall or a proxy may be blocking BigHand's connection to the server. This isn't something to disable yourself — your IT team can confirm BigHand is on the allow-list and open the right access.
- Check for a BigHand outageIf several people can't sign in at once, look for a reported service issue before troubleshooting each PC, or contact BigHand support / your IT provider to confirm the server is up.
Keeps happening after every password change or update? Recurring BigHand sign-in and sync failures usually trace back to how the app connects through your network, VPN and security stack — not to any one person's login. That's the point to bring in your IT provider, who can get BigHand properly allow-listed and its connection to the server made reliable for everyone.
