# Hot-folder documents aren't reaching the Coding Queue One read-only or locked file at the front of a watched folder silently stalls everything behind it — check the oldest file first, clear it, and let the backlog drain on its own. Product: content-central · Versions: 7.x · Audience: system-administrator · Time: 20 minutes · Last verified: 2026-08-30 Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/capture/hot-folder-documents-arent-processing **At the end of this guide you'll have found the one file blocking your folder capture job — it's almost always the *oldest* file in the folder, not the newest — cleared it, and watched the backlog drain on its own.** > **NOTE:** Content Central's name for a hot folder is a **capture job** with an Input Source of **Folder**, configured per document type under **Admin > Catalog** on the document type's **Capture** page. This guide says "watched folder" for the folder that job monitors. ## How folder capture works (30 seconds) The capture service checks each enabled job about every **5 seconds**, so new files normally import within seconds — not instantly. Each pass, it sorts the watched folder's files by modified date, **oldest first**, and imports them in that order. Before importing a file it opens it with exclusive access; if that open fails — the file is read-only, or another program has it locked — the service gives up on that **entire folder** until the next pass, where it hits the same file again. Nothing behind the stuck file moves, and the healthy files log no errors. That's the pattern behind most "hot folder stopped working" reports: a pair of read-only PDFs at the front of the line can silently hold dozens of newer files hostage. ## Before you start Pick **one exact stuck file** — its name and its **Date modified** timestamp. "Files aren't coming through" can't be diagnosed; "`invoice-4417.pdf`, modified 9:02 AM, still in the folder at 9:40" can. You'll also need to log on to the Content Central server. ## Step 1: Is the capture service running? (Look — don't restart) 1. On the Content Central server, run `services.msc` and find **Ademero Content Central Capture Service**. 2. Note whether its status is **Running** — then leave it alone. > **IMPORTANT:** Don't reflexively restart the service. If files aren't moving, the cause is still sitting in the folder or the logs — a restart destroys that evidence, and if a file is the blocker, changes nothing. Only start the service if it's actually stopped (note when it stopped first); a service that keeps stopping on its own is a stop condition — skip to "When to stop and call support." ## Step 2: Check the oldest file in the folder (the FIFO rule) 1. Open the watched folder in File Explorer and sort by **Date modified**, oldest at the top. The file to inspect is at the **top** — even if the file you care about is much newer. 2. Right-click that oldest file > **Properties**. If **Read-only** is checked, clear it and click **OK**. To clear it for every file at once, run this in an administrator Command Prompt (adjust the path): ``` attrib -r "D:\Scans\*.*" ``` 3. Not read-only? Check whether another program has the file open — a scan still transferring, a PDF open on someone's screen. Try renaming the file: if Windows refuses, it's locked. Close the locking program or wait it out — and when Windows won't say *which* program, [find out exactly what's locking the file](/content-central/administration/find-out-whats-locking-a-file). > note: Very recent files can be a false alarm. A file locked while it's still being written is retried automatically every few seconds, and files named `*.tmp` or `*.temp` get up to 5 minutes to finish. If your oldest file arrived in the last few minutes, give it five before treating it as stuck. **What you should see:** within seconds of clearing the blocker, files start disappearing from the folder — no restart needed; the backlog drains on its own, oldest first. The documents land in the **Coding Queue** (or file straight into the catalog, depending on the job) and stay there until someone commits them. ## Step 3: Folder permissions for the service account 1. In `services.msc`, double-click **Ademero Content Central Capture Service** and open the **Log On** tab to see which account it runs as. 2. That account needs **Modify** rights (read, write, delete) on the watched folder — the service moves files out as it imports them. Check the folder's **Properties > Security** tab. Permission problems usually start after a folder is moved, reshared, or has its permissions "tightened up." ## Step 4: Disk space Low free space stalls capture in ways that look random. Check the drive holding the watched folder **and** the drives holding Content Central's system folders — the **Configuration Manager** (Start menu > Ademero) **System Folders** screen lists them, including **Incoming File Capture root folder** and **Coding Queue root folder**. ## Step 5: Is the file in the Unprocessed folder? A file the service can open but can't ingest — corrupt, or not a type the job can process — does **not** block the queue. It's moved out of the watched folder into the **Unprocessed root folder** (path on the same **System Folders** screen), sorted into subfolders by document type and reason, and administrators with the unprocessed-file notification enabled get an in-product message. If your file is there, the folder isn't stalled — that one file needs re-saving in a format the job supports (common image formats and PDF for **Image** jobs; native files such as PDF, Word, and Excel for **Electronic** jobs) and dropping back into the folder. ## Step 6: Read the event logs 1. In Content Central, open **Event Viewer** from the user menu. Capture events are color-coded, so import activity — and its absence — is easy to spot. Administrators get extra event-type and user filters in the admin view. 2. On the server, open Windows **Event Viewer** > **Applications and Services Logs** > **ContentCentral** and look for errors from source `AdmCCCaptureSvc` around your stuck file's timestamp. Some errors may also surface in the **Application** log. *[Screenshot: Windows Event Viewer with Applications and Services Logs expanded, the ContentCentral log selected, and a capture error from source AdmCCCaptureSvc highlighted.]* ## Files import but never reach the Coding Queue If files disappear from the folder promptly but the Coding Queue stays empty: - **Search the catalog first.** A folder job with no descriptor can be configured to skip the Coding Queue and file documents directly into the catalog. - Check both queues — the Coding Queue has a **Personal** (per-user) and a **Shared** (per-catalog) view; the documents may be in the one you're not looking at. - Confirm the job is **Enabled** on the document type's **Capture** page. Capture jobs can also be throttled: when the pending backlog exceeds a configured size, folder import pauses until it drains — files sitting during a burst, then moving on their own, is benign. ## When to stop and call support Some findings mean the problem isn't a file, and file-level fixes will waste your time. Stop and collect evidence instead when: - The **ContentCentral** event log shows **SQL or timeout errors** — the service deliberately puts files back and retries, so the folder backs up no matter how healthy the files are. - The capture service **stops repeatedly** on its own. - Documents import and store fine, but fields a workflow normally fills in stay **blank** — it looks like a capture problem, but the cause is different and needs support. ## Still stuck? Send support this — it's the difference between one email and five: - [ ] The exact name and **Date modified** of one stuck file, and whether it's the oldest in the folder - [ ] The watched folder path and the document type its capture job belongs to - [ ] The status of **Ademero Content Central Capture Service**, and whether it has stopped or restarted on its own - [ ] Exported errors from **Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > ContentCentral** covering the stuck period - [ ] Free disk space on the server's drives - [ ] Whether anything appeared in the **Unprocessed root folder** ## What's next - [Notification emails aren't sending](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/notification-emails-arent-sending) - [Content Central feels slow](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/content-central-feels-slow)