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"Failed to Switch Portals" and "Failed to Get Corporation Data" Errors ​

If you can log in to Our Cat Herder but see one of the following errors when trying to enter a portal, this guide is for you:

  • "Failed to switch portals" — appears when clicking the Switch button next to an organisation name on your My Details / My Organisations page.
  • "Failed to get corporation data" — appears when clicking My Organisations in the top-right corner and then selecting a portal.

Both messages have the same underlying cause: your browser is not successfully passing the authentication information that Our Cat Herder needs to load the portal. This is almost always a browser-side issue (cookies, cache, or an extension) rather than a problem with your account.

This is not usually an access problem

If you have been added to the portal as an Admin or Member and you can see it listed under My Organisations, your account access is correct. The error is happening after authentication, when the portal tries to load. Work through the steps below before contacting your portal admin.

Quick fix — try this first ​

The fastest way to confirm the cause is to open a private/incognito window and log in there:

  1. Open a new private or incognito window in your browser.
  2. Go to www.ourcatherder.com and sign in.
  3. Try to switch into the portal again.

If it works in the private window, the issue is caused by cookies, cached data, or a browser extension in your normal browser window. Follow the full steps below to clear it.

If it does not work in the private window either, skip to Still not working? at the bottom of this page.

Full troubleshooting steps ​

1. Clear cookies and cache for ourcatherder.com ​

Stale authentication cookies or cached data are the most common cause. Clearing them forces your browser to start fresh.

  1. Clear your browser's cookies and cached files for ourcatherder.com. Visit refreshyourcache.com for step-by-step instructions for your specific browser.
  2. Close all browser windows completely — do not just refresh the page. A simple refresh does not always clear the in-memory session state.
  3. Reopen your browser, go to www.ourcatherder.com, sign in, and try switching into the portal again.

2. Check cookies are enabled ​

Our Cat Herder cannot work if cookies are disabled or blocked.

  • Make sure cookies are enabled for ourcatherder.com.
  • If you recently disabled cookies on another site (for example, to bypass a paywall), turn them back on. See cookiesandyou.com/disable-cookies — follow the reverse of those steps to enable them.

3. Safari-specific fix ​

Safari blocks cross-site cookies by default, which can prevent Our Cat Herder from loading portal data correctly.

  1. Open Safari Settings (or Preferences on older versions).
  2. Go to the Privacy tab.
  3. Ensure Prevent cross-site tracking is unchecked.
  4. Ensure Block all cookies is unchecked.
  5. Go to the Advanced tab.
  6. Ensure Use advanced tracking and fingerprint protection is unchecked.
  7. Close and reopen Safari, then try logging in and switching portals again.

If the error persists after these changes, try a different browser (such as Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) to confirm whether the problem is Safari-specific.

4. Disable browser extensions ​

Browser extensions that block cookies, scripts, or tracking can stop Our Cat Herder's authentication from working, even when they work fine on other websites.

Extensions known to cause issues:

  • Ad blockers — uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus, AdGuard
  • Privacy/tracking blockers — Privacy Badger, Ghostery, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials
  • Script blockers — NoScript, ScriptSafe
  • VPN browser extensions — some VPN extensions interfere with cookie handling

How to check:

  1. Try the private/incognito window test above. Most browsers disable extensions in private mode by default, so this is the fastest way to confirm an extension is the cause.
  2. If switching portals works in the private window, go back to your normal browser and disable your extensions one at a time, testing after each, to identify the culprit.
  3. Once you find the problematic extension, either disable it entirely or add ourcatherder.com to its allow list / whitelist so it does not block Our Cat Herder.

5. Update your browser ​

An out-of-date browser is a common but often overlooked cause. Older browser versions may not handle modern cookie attributes (such as SameSite and Secure) correctly, can have outdated TLS/security support, and often miss patches that affect how authentication cookies are stored and sent. This can result in cookies silently being dropped, which produces the same "Failed to switch portals" / "Failed to get corporation data" symptoms as cookies being blocked.

  1. Check that your browser is up to date — most browsers show this under Settings → About or Help → About. If an update is available, install it and restart the browser.
  2. If you are using a very old or no-longer-supported browser (for example, Internet Explorer, or a long-out-of-date version of Safari/Chrome/Edge/Firefox), install a current version of a modern browser instead.
  3. After updating, clear cookies and cache as described in step 1, then sign in again and try switching into the portal.

6. Try a different browser ​

If clearing cookies/cache, disabling extensions, and updating your browser does not help, try a completely different browser. For example, if you normally use Safari, try Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. If switching portals works in the other browser, the issue is specific to your original browser's settings, cached data, or extensions.

7. Avoid old bookmarks ​

If you have a saved bookmark or shortcut to the portal, it may point to an outdated URL or include an old session token. Instead, go directly to www.ourcatherder.com, sign in, and use My Organisations to enter the portal.

8. Check your network ​

Corporate, school, or hotel networks sometimes use firewalls or web filters that block cookies or interfere with authentication. If you are on a managed network, try the same steps on a personal device or a different network (for example, your mobile phone on mobile data). If it works on a different network, ask your IT department to whitelist ourcatherder.com.

Less common causes ​

If you have worked through all the steps above and the error still appears, two other possibilities are worth checking:

  • Recently added to the portal — if you were added to the portal only a few minutes ago, sign out completely and sign back in to refresh your account's portal list.

Still not working? ​

If none of the steps above resolve the issue, contact Our Cat Herder support at support@ourcatherder.com. To help us investigate quickly, include:

  • The email address you are logging in with
  • The name of the portal you are trying to switch into
  • The exact error message and which button you clicked when it appeared
  • The browser and device you are using — if you are unsure, visit whatismybrowser.com and either copy the unique URL from that page into your email, or use the site's "Send to Tech" button to email us the details directly
  • A list of the steps from this page you have already tried

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