A result that looks wrong after using Multi Counter almost always traces to one of four causes: a panel that was misnamed, a value entered in the wrong counter, a column that should have been added or removed, or a value tied to a different local day than the one you expected to see. The combined total at the top of the page is the sum of your named values for the current local calendar day, not a lifetime score and not a value carried over from a previous day, and each named counter has a stable internal identifier that a rename does not move. Increase and Decrease are bounded so a count cannot silently become negative or overflow, and the page lets you keep at least one counter and add up to twenty named ones for a normal side-by-side check. Once you know which of the four causes applies, the fix is usually a quick rename, add, remove, or value correction in the matching panel, followed by a fresh PNG or CSV export if the wrong numbers were already saved to a file.
What "Looks Wrong" Usually Means in Multi Counter
"Looks wrong" is a vague phrase, and Multi Counter has only a small number of things that can actually produce an unexpected display. Understanding which of those you are seeing is the first step toward a fix that lasts. The four common patterns are a label that does not describe the value in its panel, a value that grew when you expected it to shrink (or the reverse), a combined total that does not match the sum of the visible panels, and a panel that resets to zero even though you thought you had entered something.
Each pattern has a different root cause. A label problem means you have not matched the panel to the real-world quantity it tracks; the value lives in the right counter but the panel name is misleading. A direction problem usually means Increase or Decrease was pressed in the wrong panel during a fast event. A total that does not match means a counter was added, removed, or renamed mid-day and the combined sum is being applied to a different set of panels than the ones your eye is summing. A panel that shows zero on a fresh day is not a bug, it is because every value is tied to the local calendar date on your device and a new local day starts every panel at zero while older nonzero values remain in Daily history.
Because Multi Counter does not infer what a label means and does not collect sensor data, the page cannot flag a wrong number for you. The fix has to come from the labels you typed, the buttons you pressed, and the comparison you set up. That is by design: the comparison stays private on your device and is not checked against any external source.
How to Fix a Result That Looks Wrong in Multi Counter
- Identify which of the four patterns you are seeing: misnamed panel, wrong panel pressed, mismatched total, or unexpected reset.
- Rename the affected panel so its label matches the real-world quantity it tracks. The rename changes the display label, not the internal identifier, so the stored values stay attached to the same counter.
- If the comparison is missing a column, add another counter and give it a clear short name. If it has an obsolete column, remove it; removal deletes the stored value rather than leaving it attached to a recycled name.
- Correct the value in the matching panel using Increase or Decrease. Each press is bounded so the count cannot silently become negative or overflow into the next column.
- Re-read the combined total at the top. It is the sum of the named values for the current local day; verify it matches the sum of the visible panels by hand if needed.
- If a wrong file was already exported, export a fresh PNG or CSV from the corrected page. The export is created directly by the browser and replaces the older file when you save it.
Rename a Counter Without Losing Its Values
Renaming is the safest fix for a label problem because each named counter has a stable internal identifier. When you change the display name, the stored values stay with the same counter. A rename does not move an old value to a different label and does not leave a hidden value behind under a recycled name. That property is what makes renaming safe to do mid-day: you can fix a panel that started with a vague label such as "Counter 1" once you know what it was tracking, without disturbing the values you already entered under the old label.
The reverse pattern — leaving a vague label and adding a new counter with the right name — is what creates confusing records. Two counters end up covering the same real-world quantity, the wrong one grows, and the combined total no longer matches what one observer thought they had counted. A rename is preferable to "add a new one and ignore the old" because the page does not automatically merge or hide duplicate panels. Renaming the existing panel is the simpler fix.
Add or Remove a Counter So the Side-by-Side Matches
If the comparison is missing a column that should be there, add another counter and give it a clear short name. The tool begins with two counters and lets you add more when the task needs them, so this is the supported way to widen a side-by-side check. Pick a name that describes the value rather than the order it was added: a name like "North queue" or "South queue" is more useful a day later than "Counter 3".
If the comparison has an obsolete column, remove it. Removing a counter removes its stored values from the local comparison rather than leaving a hidden value attached to a recycled name. That is the property that protects you when you delete a panel you no longer need: the values do not silently reappear under a future counter that happens to share the same name. Combined-total calculations and Daily history both honor this behavior, so a removed counter is truly gone from the saved comparison.
After an add or remove, re-read the combined total. It is the sum of the named values for the current local day, so removing a value will lower the total and adding an empty column will not change it until you press Increase in the new panel.
Correct a Value in the Matching Panel
A value that looks wrong because it grew when you expected it to shrink (or the reverse) usually means Increase or Decrease was pressed in the wrong panel during a fast event. The way to correct it is to press the opposite button in the same panel until the visible value matches the real-world count you intended. Increase and Decrease are bounded so a count cannot silently become negative or overflow, which means a stray press cannot push a value past zero into a hidden negative state or wrap around to a misleadingly large positive number.
If the value is off by a small amount, a few presses in the matching panel will usually fix it. If the value is off by a large amount, pause and ask whether the miscount was in this counter or whether a different counter was updated instead. Re-reading the panel labels before any further press is a cheap way to avoid making the correction in the wrong column. For a side-by-side inventory check, a small manual correction in the matching panel is typically faster than removing the counter and starting over.
Recheck the Combined Total and Daily Record
The combined total at the top of the page is the sum of your named values for the current local day, not an unrelated lifetime score and not a value carried from a previous day. If the total looks wrong, the first check is to add the visible panels by hand and compare the result. For example, if Counter A shows 7 and Counter B shows 4 on the same local day, the combined total should be 11. A total of 7 means a panel was missed; a total of 15 means a panel was added in addition to the two you summed.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Total does not match the sum of visible panels | A panel was added, removed, or renamed and the eye is summing a different set than the combined total covers | Re-read each panel label, re-sum, and check whether a counter was added or removed mid-day |
| A panel resets to zero on a new day | Every value is tied to the local calendar date; a new local day starts every panel at zero | Confirm the date and review Daily history for the earlier nonzero values |
| Label does not describe its value | The display name does not match the real-world quantity the panel tracks | Rename the counter; the stored values stay attached to the same internal identifier |
| An old value seems to reappear | A panel was removed and a new one reused the same label, suggesting confusion between two panels | Remove obsolete panels and rename remaining ones so each label is unique |
Daily history is preserved per local day. When a new local day begins, the visible panels start at zero while earlier nonzero days remain in Daily history. If you are looking at the panels and expecting yesterday's values to still be visible, the expected behavior is that they have moved into Daily history and the panels now show today. After fixing today's panels, today will become a new entry in that history.
Export a Corrected PNG or CSV File
If a wrong file was already exported, the fix is to re-export from the corrected page. PNG and CSV are created directly by the browser with native canvas and Blob APIs, so the export reflects the current state of the panels when you press the export button. Nothing is sent to an export service, and counter names, values, and Daily history stay only in browser localStorage on your device.
Export PNG creates a 1080 by 1350 image with the Lizely mark, a combined total, and recent date rows. It deliberately includes no URL and omits user-entered counter names, reducing the chance that a shared image reveals private labels. Export CSV creates a Date column plus one column for each current counter name, with one row per saved local day and the corresponding side-by-side values, so it can be opened in a spreadsheet for a simple review. The CSV uses the current counter names as its column headers, so a rename after export will be reflected in the next CSV but not retroactively in the older one. Because the comparison stays private and clearing browser data removes the saved comparison, it is worth re-exporting the corrected comparison as soon as the panels look right rather than waiting until the end of the day. Another phone or computer has a separate empty record, so the file you export on this device is the file that travels with you. For a quick verification after the fix, you can also read the steps in how to check the result after using Multi Counter, which complements the corrective actions above.
For a deeper look, see Decide Whether You Need a People Counter.