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Fylepad automatically saves your work as you type, ensuring you never lose progress even if the app closes unexpectedly.

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How auto-save works

Fylepad uses a real-time persistence system that saves your state continuously:
1

You type

As you edit your note, changes are tracked in the editor state
2

Automatic save

Fylepad saves changes to local storage automatically
3

State persistence

Your entire workspace (all tabs, content, and settings) is preserved
4

Instant restore

When you reopen Fylepad, everything restores exactly as you left it
No manual saving required — just close the app anytime and pick up where you left off.

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What gets saved

Fylepad preserves your complete workspace:

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Content

  • Editor content — All text and formatting in every tab
  • Tab titles — Custom names you’ve assigned
  • Tab order — Your custom arrangement
  • Active tab — Which tab was open when you closed

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Formatting

  • Text styling — Bold, italic, underline, colors, fonts
  • Document structure — Headings, lists, tables
  • Code blocks — Syntax highlighting settings
  • Diagrams — Mermaid and PlantUML code
  • Math equations — KaTeX formulas

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Settings

  • Theme — Light or dark mode preference
  • Font selection — Your chosen font family
  • Text color — Custom color selections
  • Tab colors — Color coding for tabs
  • Tab locks — Locked/unlocked state
  • Layout — Horizontal or vertical tab layout

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UI state

  • Cursor position — Where you were editing
  • Scroll position — Your place in the document
  • Focus mode — Whether focus mode was enabled
Everything is saved locally on your device. Desktop app uses the file system, web version uses browser localStorage.

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Storage location

Auto-save data is stored in different locations depending on your platform: 
%APPDATA%\com.fylepad.dev\localStorage
Or check the Tauri app data directory for your user account.

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Save triggers

Fylepad saves your state in real-time when:
  • You type — Content changes trigger automatic saves
  • You change tabs — Switching tabs saves the current state
  • You change settings — Theme, font, or color changes are saved immediately
  • You close a tab — Tab state is persisted before removal
  • You exit the app — Final state save on app close
There’s no save delay or interval. Changes are persisted immediately as part of the editor state management.

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Data format

Fylepad stores data in JSON format: 
{
  "tabs": [
    {
      "id": "unique-id",
      "title": "My Note",
      "content": "HTML or JSON representation of editor content",
      "color": "Blue",
      "lock": false
    }
  ],
  "activeTab": 0,
  "theme": "dark",
  "layout": "horizontal"
}
This ensures compatibility and makes it possible to export/backup your data.

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Reliability

Fylepad’s auto-save is designed to be bulletproof: ✅ No data loss on crash — State is saved continuously, not on app exit
✅ Battery failure protection — Desktop app persists to disk immediately
✅ Browser crash recovery — Web version uses localStorage which survives crashes
✅ Power outage safety — Most recent saved state is always recoverable
In the web version, clearing browser data will delete your saved notes. Use the export feature to create backups.

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Manual export for backups

While auto-save protects against crashes, you may want additional backups:
1

Export individual notes

Use Export as Markdown or Export as PDF for specific notes
2

Save files locally

Desktop app allows saving notes as .md files anywhere on your system
3

Cloud backup

Copy exported files to cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) for off-device backups

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Privacy and security

Your auto-save data is completely private:
  • Local only — All data stays on your device
  • No cloud sync — Nothing is sent to external servers
  • No telemetry — Auto-save doesn’t track or report usage
  • Full control — You can delete saved data anytime by clearing app storage
Fylepad includes privacy-focused analytics (Umami) but this only tracks page views, not your note content or auto-save data.

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Clearing saved data

If you need to reset Fylepad:
1

Close Fylepad

Quit the application completely
2

Navigate to data folder

Go to the platform-specific storage location (see above)
3

Delete files

Remove the localStorage or data files
4

Restart app

Reopen Fylepad with a clean state
Clearing saved data is permanent and cannot be undone. Export important notes before clearing.

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Next steps

Export and import

Learn how to export notes as PDF or Markdown

Cross-platform sync

Understand how state persistence works across platforms

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