✅ Automation Anywhere – Common Issues & Resolutions

 Here’s a list of common known issues in Automation Anywhere (v11 and A360) and their respective resolutions, based on real-world project experience. These cover both development and runtime scenarios across Bot Creator, Control Room, and Bot Runner components.

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✅ Automation Anywhere – Common Issues & Resolutions

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🔹 1. Issue: Bot fails on production but works in development

Root Cause:

• Environment mismatch (different resolution, user permissions, or file paths)

• Missing DLLs or dependencies

Resolution:

• Standardize bot runner machine setup

• Use dynamic path configuration (via environment variables)

• Avoid hardcoded values and test on production-like environment

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🔹 2. Issue: Control Room login fails with “Invalid credentials”

Root Cause:

• Incorrect user/password or account locked

Resolution:

• Verify credentials with AD/LDAP/SSO configuration

• Unlock account from Admin > Users

• Check if user is added to the correct role and assigned a device

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🔹 3. Issue: Bot Runner status shows "Disconnected"

Root Cause:

• Machine not connected or Automation Anywhere service not running

Resolution:

• Restart the Automation Anywhere Bot Agent service

• Re-login to Bot Agent with valid credentials

• Ensure firewall or antivirus isn't blocking the port

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🔹 4. Issue: Recorder actions fail after application UI changes

Root Cause:

• Selector values or screen structure changed

Resolution:

• Re-record using object cloning or browser-specific actions

• Use more reliable selectors (e.g., anchor text, stable IDs)

• Use delays or "Wait for window" commands for dynamic UI loading

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🔹 5. Issue: Excel actions fail with “Unable to open Excel”

Root Cause:

• Excel not installed, not activated, or file in use

Resolution:

• Ensure Excel is installed and licensed

• Use “Close Excel Instances” before launching Excel in bot

• Set bot to open file in read-only mode if already open

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🔹 6. Issue: IQ Bot fails to classify documents correctly

Root Cause:

• Poor document quality or insufficient training samples

Resolution:

• Improve training set with more document variations

• Use high-resolution, searchable PDFs

• Retrain IQ Bot model with exception feedback loop

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🔹 7. Issue: TaskBot execution fails with “System.NullReferenceException”

Root Cause:

• Uninitialized variable or missing control

Resolution:

• Validate all variables are initialized

• Use default values where possible

• Add error handling to prevent crashes

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🔹 8. Issue: Scheduler not triggering bots

Root Cause:

• Schedule not assigned to correct runner/user

• Time zone or machine mismatch

Resolution:

• Confirm schedule is active and assigned to a valid device/user

• Match time zones across Control Room and Runner machine

• Check Bot Agent service is running and CR has permission

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🔹 9. Issue: Performance issues during bot execution (slow response)

Root Cause:

• Resource-heavy automation (loop, image matching, Excel handling)

Resolution:

• Optimize loops and use Database commands instead of Excel where possible

• Minimize screen capturing, use keystroke-based actions

• Break large automations into modular sub-tasks

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🔹 10. Issue: Email sending fails (SMTP authentication error)

Root Cause:

• Wrong SMTP configuration or blocked port

Resolution:

• Double-check SMTP settings (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)

• Allow less secure apps if needed (for testing)

• Use encrypted credentials with Credential Vault

• Use a test connection script to validate connectivity

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⚠️ BONUS: Common Development Best Practices to Avoid Issues

• Use Try-Catch blocks in all bots

• Log step-by-step execution details

• Save screenshots on error (for debugging)

• Use Control Room credential vault

• Modularize bots for reusability

• Use Bot Insights for performance monitoring

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