Port already in use

If you see an error like “Port is already in use” or “EADDRINUSE”, it means another process is using the port PhotoStructure needs.

Most common cause

Another PhotoStructure instance is already running. This happens when:

• You started PhotoStructure twice
• A previous instance didn’t shut down cleanly
• You have PhotoStructure running in Docker and are trying to start it natively (or vice versa)

How to fix it

1. Check for running PhotoStructure instances

On Linux/macOS:

ps aux | grep -iE 'phstr|photostructure'

On Windows, open Task Manager and look for PhotoStructure processes.

2. Stop any running instances

• Desktop app: Quit from the system tray icon or menu bar
• Docker: Run docker stop photostructure
• Node: Press Ctrl+C in the terminal, or kill the process

3. Use a different port

If you need multiple instances, configure different ports:

# Set a different web port
export PS_HTTP_PORT=1788

# For Docker, also map the new port:
docker run -p 1788:1788 -e PS_HTTP_PORT=1788 ...

See networking setup for more details.

Still having issues?

If you’ve confirmed no other PhotoStructure instance is running, another application may be using the same port. Use lsof -i :1787 (Linux/macOS) or netstat -ano | findstr :1787 (Windows) to identify it.

Feel free to hop into the Forum or Discord and we’ll try to help you get things sorted!

• FAQ