Description
Describe the problem
After upgrading to 2.3.3 the Port option under Tools is greyed out. The IDE won't let me select any boards, regardless of which ones I have plugged in.
Uploading sketches obviously fails because of this, because the IDE thinks I don't have a board connected.
Using the Board/Port selection dropdown shows no boards listed
To reproduce
Plug in any arduino (I tried a bare ATMEGA328 with an FTDI dongle, an Arduino Micro, an Arduino Leonardo, and a Pololo A*Star 328 16MHz).
The ports option under tools is greyed out and I cannot select any board
Expected behavior
I expect a list of plugged in and supported boards to appear as a list under the Ports sub menu, and under the boards/ports dropdown list
Arduino IDE version
2.3.3
Operating system
Windows
Operating system version
10
Additional context
The issue is not present in 2.3.2 if I downgrade
I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling 2.3.3 manually but the issue persists
The ports of the connected boards show up in the device manager list in Windows
The problem persists if I try different cables and different USB ports
All my drivers are up to date
Issue checklist
- I searched for previous reports in the issue trackerI verified the problem still occurs when using the latest nightly buildMy report contains all necessary details
Metadata
Metadata
Assignees
Labels
Type
Projects
Milestone
Relationships
Development
Participants
Activity
per1234 commentedon Oct 5, 2024
Hi @AzyFloof. Thanks for your report. I'm going to ask you to provide some additional information that might help us to identify the problem.
❗ This procedure is not intended to solve the problem. The purpose is to gather more information.
Please do this:
(usually
C:\Program Files\Arduino IDEorC:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Programs\Arduino IDE).A context menu will open.
PowerShell will now open with the current directory set to the Arduino IDE installation folder.
Debug output should now be printed to the PowerShell window as Arduino IDE starts.
This will select all the text in the PowerShell window.
This will copy the contents of the PowerShell window to the clipboard.
Please let me know if you have any questions or problems while following those instructions.
RicoEllis13 commentedon Dec 12, 2024
I have similar issue, so I'm going to write about it down here.
I've installed Nullab AVR Compatible Boards (link: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nulllaborg/arduino_nulllab/master/package_nulllab_boards_index.json) long time ago and it was working just fine, then at one moment, I wasn't able to choose this board in Tools (board didn't change) and when I tried to choose it in "Select Other Board and Port" window, that window blacked out. Same thing happends if I try to write in search bar "nu".
I've tried to delete and reinstall Nullab board in board manager, then Arduino IDE, but it didn't fix anything. I've tried other versions and this issue occurs only in 2.3.3v and 2.3.4v (it also occurs in Nightly Build). It doesn't occur on clear PC (where I never had Arduino IDE 2.x) in same circumstances. I have some other boards and libraries installed though.
Also, here's the thing you asked author for, if that helps:
d3lta-v commentedon Jan 15, 2025
Hi all,
I was experiencing this exact issue with my own company's board cores made for Arduino IDE (I am on version 2.3.4, and this issue did not exist on version 2.3.2).
I believe I have determined the source of the problem, as my own debug logs are not too dissimilar to the example above:
This indicates that Arduino IDE versions 2.3.3 onwards contains a bug that does not recognise spaces in the
namefield of package.json files, which forms part of the board's FQBN. However, the latest specification for thenamefield in package.json does not indicate that spaces and special characters are prohibited which can be confusing to new developers.The fastest fix is to temporarily downgrade to IDE 2.3.2, request the board maintainer to modify their package.json's
nameandpackagerfields to not contain any spaces (see my updated package.json for an example). After which, delete the Additional Board Managers URL, exit the IDE, and add back the URL to force a refresh. Remove the existing board package and reinstall the latest version of the board and the issue should be completely gone.^ Delete this URL and add it back to force a refresh
One final note: Arduino IDE 2 has a smart feature which caches the last used board for every sketch so that sketches will open with the right board and serial port upon startup, but this can cause issues if the last used board has this issue with their FQBN. You will need to downgrade the IDE, change the selected board to a known good board with no such issue, install the patch, upgrade the IDE and change the selected board back. If Arduino maintainers knows how to clear this cache manually (and maybe add a button to clear the cache in the settings), let us know! :)