Product(s):	WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, HAMMER, SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, StormCAD, CivilStorm
Version(s):	26.00.00.508 and higher

Problem

When using the 2026 version (26.00.00.XX) or higher of the above OpenFlows Water, Storm or Sewer products, Copilot and/or Background maps do not work and never finish loading. Both issues may occur at the same time as they can be related to the same root cause:

When trying to use the Bentley Copilot feature, it never finishes loading and either displays as blank white, or gets stuck on "Chat Initializing".
When trying to add a Background Map, the tiles never load and the "Google Maps" logo never appears in the lower-left corner of the drawing pane.

Note: sometimes this can cause the program to not open at all, see: When opening software the splash screen displays then goes away

Solution

This issue has been known to occur in some user computers. Please try the following items in order:

1) Upgrade OpenFlows product: First, ensure you are using the latest version. An update was released after the initial 2026 release, containing some fixes to help with this issue. Ensure that you have installed version 26.00.00.532 or higher. You can check your version number under File > Help > About. See: Downloading OpenFlows Software. Note that we also recommend applying the latest cumulative patch for 26.00.00.532 (contact Support for this) or upgrading to an even later version when available, as the patch has additional fixes that resolved this issue for some users.

2) Upgrade Connection Client: Next, ensure you are using the latest version of the Connection Client. This handles licensing as well as providing the token required for Copilot and background maps to work. The latest version can be downloaded here: https://www.bentley.com/software/connection-client/

3) Add Environment Variable: If the above does not help, try adding the following Environment Variable. Note that you must be using 26.00.00.532 with at least Patch02 applied (contact Technical Support for this patch), or upgrade to a newer version when available.

Go to the Windows System Properties (or search for "environment variables") and click the button "Environment Variables"
Click the "New" button in the bottom "system" section, and enter:
- Variable Name: OPENFLOWS_COPILOT_USE_SYSTEM_CA
- Variable Value: 1
Click OK > OK, then restart your computer and try again.

Note: this is a security setting but is limited to the Copilot process within the OpenFlows application.

4) Check for security software interference: If the above does not help, check for any security software or policy that may be blocking Copilot or the following locations, and add them to a whitelist (consult with your IT/Helpdesk if needed):

https://ims.bentley.com/connect/token
https://aigateway.bentley.com

5) Clean reinstall: If the above does not help, perform a clean reinstall of the OpenFlows product, uninstall and reinstall the latest Connection Client, restart your computer and try again.

6) Check and repair missing Registry entry: If the above does not help, check for the following registry key:

From the Windows Start menu, search for and open "Registry Editor" (admin rights needed)
Navigate to the following location and check if it exists:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Bentley\BentleyOidcProtocolHandler\Install\

If the "Install" folder (key) exists, open it and check if the "Location" is pointing here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Bentley Shared\BentleyOidcProtocolHandler\

If it is not, edit "Location" and set it to the above path.

If the entire "BentleyOidcProtocolHandler" folder does not exist, please create it and the "Install" subfolder, add the "Location" item and set it to the path above. As a shortcut, you can download and run the following file, which will merge this into your Registry: OIDC Registry entry for OpenFlows Copilot and background maps issue

7) Send logs to Support: If all else fails, please gather the following logs and submit a Case to Technical Support via the Support Portal. Ensure logs are compressed into a zip file before attaching, and include as much detail as possible about the things you have tried, and the exact symptoms.

OpenFlows product log: See: Locating OpenFlows product error log file
Connection Client logs: In the Connection Client (in your Windows system tray), click the Support icon on the left side, click "Download Logs".
(optional) Copilot logs - requires version 26.00.00.532 with at least Patch02 installed, or newer version when available. Add the system environment variable OPENFLOWS_COPILOT_USE_LOGGING and set the value to 1, restart your computer, reproduce the issue, close the software, then locate the log under %localappdata%\Bentley\OpenFlowsCopilot\logs\

Copilot or Background Maps fails to load

Problem

Solution

See Also